I highly recommend working with Melissa Jones as an admissions consultant. I feel fortunate to have benefited from Melissa’s expertise, guidance, and encouragement. I was recently admitted to my top-choice of a top-tier business school and Melissa’s support was critical to me achieving my long-term goal.

Melissa is the ultimate professional and will provide you with invaluable support as you navigate the often daunting business school admissions process. Melissa’s objective perspective on my application and areas for improvement were helpful as it provided me with visibility about what I needed to work toward. Melissa was also extremely patient, as she reviewed and provided feedback on multiple iterations of my application. She was always so encouraging and I appreciated her honesty.

As well, Melissa, along with the Fortuna team, have developed valuable internal processes that will provide you with the structure you need to successfully navigate the business school applications process. Part of this included a review of my CV, and Jody, Fortuna’s resume expert, along with Melissa, provided me with feedback that enabled me to develop a compelling CV that complemented my essays. I have nothing but positive things to say about my experience working with Melissa.

Read More

After hearing about how other people applying to business school were using consultants, I knew I wanted to use one as well. When I first started looking at the different consulting companies, I had taken the GMAT once but cancelled my score because it wasn't in the range for the schools I wanted to attend (M7). After taking some time off from studying, I was getting back into studying but my score wasn't improving as much as it needed to and I wasn't sure when I'd hit the score I needed. Regardless, I reached out to a few companies and scheduled initial consult calls. The first company I reached out to didn't even want to talk to me because I hadn't retaken the GMAT yet and basically told me in so many words that I didn't go to Harvard undergrad and didn't work at Goldman Sachs or Blackstone so I had no chance at my top school choice. To say I felt demoralized is an understatement. I spoke with a few other consultants and while most were nicer, they pushed me to spin my post-business school goals in a way that felt disingenuous to the story I wanted to tell because it was what admissions wanted to hear.

When I talked to Judith and Karen at Fortuna, it was a completely difference experience. They were so understanding of my goals and how I wanted to convey them in my application and supported me in getting started on applications while also balancing studying for the GMAT. While I know many people navigate the process successfully without a consultant, I needed somebody who knew how to navigate it most efficiently that I could bounce ideas off of for multiple iterations at any time of day. Karen was amazing at helping bring the best content and presentation out of me while also helping me stay true to how I wanted to present it. Karen was a lifesaver during the application process. With her help and organization, I applied to my top 4 school choices in Round 1 and she helped me strategize for potential Round 2 applications that thanks to her help I didn't have to prepare. I was accepted in Round 1 and even offered a very generous scholarship and I really think her expertise at helping me prepare for the application / interview was key in these results.

My friend is also applying to business school this year and using a different consulting company. In talking about our experiences with our consultants, it's really night and day. Karen and everybody at Fortuna is so generous with their time and just proactively reaching out to wish you good luck with interviews / decision results and sets you up with everything you need for success. I would think that this is similar to the experience you'd have with other consultants, but my friend sadly hasn't had the same experience (but take this with a grain of salt, as it's just one data point).

All in all, I'm very happy with my experience. With Karen, I was able to tell the story I wanted tell and have a positive outcome. While Karen helped polish my story (and it needed alot of polishing), she didn't change its fundamentals. Her patience and care made me feel supported every step of the way. I think a good consultant is an unconditional cheerleader that's still realistic, and Karen was this for me.

Read More

I knew going into the application process that I definitely wanted to work with a consultant, since I did not know anything about the business school process. Luckily, my friend recently worked with Michel and strongly recommended her, and I didn't hesitate to move forward with her after our initial consultation! My work with Michel and Judith, as well as the broader resources of Fortuna's platform, has been extremely valuable and key to my acceptances to three top business schools (2 M7s).

Working with Michel was incredibly easy. I found Michel to be very quick to respond, thoughtful, and honest. She would always find time for us to chat, even if she was out of town herself. I especially found Michel very skillful and patient with helping me prepare mock interviews. Interviewing is something that has always scared me, but after even our first mock interview I felt so much more prepared and knowledgeable about how to convey certain stories and how to speak confidently.

Generally I would say Michel took a lot of the stress out of the business school application process that I would otherwise have. From helping me brainstorm essay topics to pumping me up for interviews, and finally debriefing after interviews, I have so much appreciation for the care Michel took into being my advocate and supporter, and I know she will continue to put in the same time and effort with her future clients.

Read More

At the outset, I had very high expectations because of all the great reviews about Karen and Fortuna. My high expectations were not just met but were exceeded.

Karen didn’t just help with essays, but she made every single part of the process advance as seamlessly and smoothly as possible – taking a lot of stress away – and ultimately allowing me to put my best foot forward. All throughout my time working with Karen, she really did care about me and worked very hard reviewing and helping me craft my material. She did so in a very timely, professional and caring way.

Karen was not just my admissions consultant – instead, she was more like a sports coach – she sat in my corner and her insights, encouraging voice and detailed questions helped propel me to a level I would not have reached without her.

The quality of her advice, MBA-specific knowledge, and essay reviews/comments/edits are unparalleled. She is also an extremely strong wordsmith and I’ve learned many things about writing from her.

Summary of key aspects of Karen’s help:
1. Resume – through phone calls and many rounds of review, Karen helped me produce a resume that I was proud of. She dug deep into my choice of particular words/phrasing. By listening to my career experience, she helped me select the most impactful things to show. All throughout the rest of the process, Karen retained my key work experience information and often prompted me to inject a certain piece of work into a part of an essay where it was relevant. Often surprising me as to how good her memory of my work experience was.

2. Essays – helped me understand and articulate my story better. Through many rounds of detailed review and questioning, Karen helped me craft powerful and compelling texts about my career journey, and why MBA and this school.

3. Biodata forms – similar to the above, Karen helped me craft the best possible content into extremely tight forms

4. Interview prep – I was invited to 3 interviews and was admitted to all 3 schools. A big reason why was the live mock interviews (including Wharton’s TBD) that Karen conducted with me. She would finish each mock interview with a candid assessment of my performance on each question. When the real interview came around, I felt very well prepared

5. General prep for MBA fairs – Karen helped me plan/refine/practice my elevator pitch for meeting admissions staff at MBA fairs

6. Fee discussion with schools – post-admission Karen has continued to share her MBA-specific knowledge with me, to help me navigate the complexities of deciding which school to attend and financial aid

7. Backed by Fortuna – Karen is amazing, but she is also backed by a strong team. Secondary reviewers performed a final review of all materials.

Karen was far better than other consultants I’ve seen my friends and workmates rely on. Karen dug deep underneath the surface, remembered critical details about me, and really pushed me to produce great content.

I can 100% vouch for and recommend Karen.

Read More

Applying to 3 schools next to an extremely busy job (IB) seemed like a "scary" idea. Fortuna took away this feeling from minute one and guided me smoothly through the whole application process from strategizing and outreach to essay writing and interviews and today I'm admitted to my top choice INSEAD for 2021.

Cassandra was there from the start and with her kind and empathetic character she took time and truly understood me and my story from the inside. She helped me craft an application that I was really proud on and which 100% represented me while making me shine in just the way that the respective adcom teams are looking for.

Throughout the whole process, but particularly in the heated times before the deadlines, Cassandra was extremely responsive with reviews or answering questions. During the interview prep she tested me with all the difficult questions and pushed me as much possible, which set me up to sail smoothly through the actual interviews.

Read More

Catherine came in as a blessing during a phase of high uncertainty during my college applications and careers transitions. Given that I come from an overly represented and therefore, a very competitive pool of Indian applicants, I was confused between whether to go for an Admissions Consultant based out of India or whether to take the services of someone closer to the ground based in the US. At the time I was exploring, I came across Fortuna Admissions and the kind of confidence Matt showed in my profile made the decision fairly easy for me.
But it was only when I started working with Catherine that I finally started believing in the power of her insight and the value of working with a Consultant who is so close to the Admissions process as she is. From school selection, Resume building, writing clear and articulate career goals and writing & editing essays, interview preparation to the process of school finalization- to say that Catherine’s calm and rather astute understanding of each school’s application process is very comforting would be a huge understatement. Not only does she understand your application in and out, she is always ready to brainstorm and reach the most optimal messaging to put in the application, as per each school’s needs. Catherine, through this entire process, has literally just been a phone call/ message away. She has been a huge calming factor and my backbone in this entire process of MBA admissions. I have calls from Kellogg, Ross, Fuqua and Tuck with scholarship offers as well and it’s all thanks to her.
For anyone looking for a guide, mentor and friend during the MBA application process, I would highly recommend Catherine. Working with her is like a breath of fresh air!
Thank you, Catherine! I will forever be grateful 😊

Read More

I first started my business school process without a consultant. I applied to 8 different schools and got denied by all 8 without 1 interview invitation. I realized that I needed to do something different and did some research online about MBA consultants. I chose the top 3 consultants based on reviews and had a preliminary call with all 3. Fortuna was far and beyond the most impressive, not just in terms of knowledge, but in terms of optimism and energy. I knew it was the right fit. I had Karla Cohen for HBS and Judith Hodara for Wharton. I cannot say how grateful I am for the work they did on my application. I have probably spoken to both of them on the phone for 50 hours each at this point! I would even joke that they were my co-therapists. Both of these consultants take the time to really get to know their clients so they can shape each application in a unique way. The relentlessness both Judith and Karla demonstrated in the pursuit to get me into a school was nothing short of astonishing. They went above and beyond what I asked of them and next fall I am headed to Wharton. If you are considering any top tier business school I implore you to give Fortuna a shot, you will not be disappointed.

Read More

Working with Fortuna was a great experience overall. My first Skype call with Matt went for 1.5 hours and we walked a lot about my background and the potential coaches he thought would be a good fit. I had my first discussion with one of the Fortuna coaches but didn't really feel any connection with them. After I provided feedback to Matt, he organised another discussion with Melissa. (All of this before I had paid anything!)

I had an excellent experience working with Melissa. She helped me identify the strongest aspects of my personal story and craft a coherent, concise and strong application. She always responded promptly to my communications and worked within my own timelines.

I only applied for INSEAD and Melissa shared with me INSEAD specific insights and Fortuna material crafted specifically for INSEAD applicants as well. In the end I was accepted to my dream school and am very thankful for Melissa's support on my journey.

Read More

I am extremely grateful for Fortuna Admission’s contribution to my recent acceptance to the INSEAD MBA program. As this was the only program I was interested in and applying to, I wanted to make sure every aspect of my application was as good as it could be. After an introductory call with Matt, I was paired with Cassandra as my coach.

Cassandra was extremely easy to talk to and helpful right from the start. Through an in-depth learning phase she got to know my whole story. Afterwards, she was in a great position to tell me what to highlight and what to focus on in the different components of the application. I think having an outside, experienced view was extremely helpful when structuring the flow and focus of the many essays.

After a few rounds of iterations, I was able to submit an application I was proud of. Additionally, she was able to give advice and help me practice for the video and in person interview parts of the process.

Would definitely recommend Cassandra and Fortuna for those looking to go to INSEAD!

Read More

I planned to apply in the last admission round of my target school. I looked for a consultant that would help me make my application and profile stood out from the candidate’s pool. As I searched for the perfect match, I found Fortuna Admissions. Their experience with my target school and the good reviews of each consultant convinced me to go sign up with them.
The initial call with Matt Symmonds, the founder, showed that I had an interesting profile for INSEAD. I learnt that I could use Fortuna's help to present an even better picture of who I was.
I signed up for the 1-school Comprehensive School packaged. I was matched with Cassandra.
During our sessions, she worked with me to find the right words to show the admission’s committee that I was a great fit for the program. Cassandra nailed it when it came to present my essays: even though I spent time working on them, they still lacked the “Wow” effect I wanted. Cassandra asked me insightful questions and did her best to understand my professional history. As a result, I had a high-quality application that clearly showed who I was.
During interview mockups, she asked me thoughtful questions that were like the ones I had during the real interviews.
I want to thank Cassandra for her help and advice which made me gain admission to my dream school.

Read More