Comprehensive School Package Reviews

I was very overwhelmed by the thought of facing mba applications. Especially for INSEAD, which has one of the longest applications of any MBA program. Fortuna really helped me get organized from day one, making sure I took adequate time to reflect on my background/motivations and develop a cohesive story, and then guiding me through each hurdle of the process. With my advisor, Nicola Sandford, as well as Caroline (former Admissions director at INSEAD) I had the confidence that I was submitting an application that not only displayed my story in the best possible light, but also directly targeted INSEAD. Because Fortuna has years of experience on both sides of the admissions process (both as admissions consultants and admissions gatekeepers), they really know how to get the best out of you. For example, while I did not have a ton of international experience prior to applying, Fortuna helped me successfully emphasize the things that were most relevant to the INSEAD admissions team. Nicola and the Fortuna team know INSEAD better than anyone, and I am forever thankful for their guidance over the past year.

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After speaking to several admissions consultants and not being able to differentiate between them, I became weary of spending so much money for what seemed to be merely essay reviews.

But when I had my initial consulting session with Matt, I was blown away by his in-depth understanding of the MBA programmes I wanted to apply for. Unlike other admissions consultants, Fortuna was the only one that proactively suggested I apply for the INSEAD MBA programme earlier (which was very helpful for my employment situation). I instantly knew that I wanted to work with them.

With the deadline less than a month away, I doubted my ability to get an application in on time. However, having one call with Caroline enabled me to draft all my essays with points I knew would appeal to INSEAD adcom. Over the next two weeks, Melissa was a joy to work with - she responds within 24 hours (I was impressed with how responsive she was on weekends). I have a tendency to write too much in my essays, and Melissa always knew exactly what to emphasise on and what to cut out. Even when I felt that my essays, application form and CV were complete, Melissa generously offered more reviews.

If it were not for Fortuna and Melissa, I definitely would not be starting at INSEAD in three months'! Thank you.

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Without ever doing the work in my place, Fortuna pushed me to do it at my best. They really helped me synthesise my achievements, and choose which ones to present to best serve my stated goals. As I knew nobody among my friends, relatives or even acquaintances who had already applied to an MBA, working with Fortuna also helped me understand the hidden rules of this universe. It was also great to count on them for proofreading, as a non native English speaker. Finally, I appreciated the "team spirit", timeline, feedback and encouragement.

The storytelling work that Nonie helped me perform was also useful to me later for job applications.

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Working with Fortuna Admissions is probably the best decision I made during my MBA admission journey. I have a pretty competitive profile (Consultant / IT / Male / 30) and my GMAT was not stellar (680, well balanced) so I really needed someone to put my story in the best perspective as possible. Thanks to this collaboration I have been admitted to a top MBA! I had several free consultations with other competitors but I have to say that Fortuna made the difference since they took time to study my profile prior to our call and gave me meaningful advice even before we started working together.

I chose the full package (essay + interview + scholarships support) and I was assigned to Melissa. She is really a great coach and gives useful advice. She perfectly knows what to say and not to say, how to say it, which is in a perspective of writing essays, priceless! She was very available (2 days in average for a full review of your essays depending on the quality) and I did not feel any uncomfortable situations, I could ask any questions I had, and she is really honest with you.

The full package includes a full review of your file from Caroline Diarte Edwards, former director of admission at INSEAD, and her feedback was really important to ensure that your story is compelling enough and you did not miss anything important.

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I was successful on the first attempt with both my applications, to INSEAD and LBS, the former even offering a scholarship. Without the tremendous support from the Fortuna team I could not have achieved this. I was not at all familiar with the application process and work involved, but they explained very clearly what was expected of me and guided my every single step, from the initial timeline planning all the way to the interviews and choice between programs. I used their comprehensive package for two schools, and I would highly recommend them for their professional approach, responsiveness and patience.

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My experience with Fortuna Admissions was absolutely delightful all the way from the initial free consultation call with Matt to the application package editing and interview preparation with Melissa and Caroline. They all are great professionals and wonderful people, who are honest, responsive and serious about their commitment to helping you reveal your best for the school and for yourself. I was admitted to INSEAD, and I am positive that this achievement would not have been possible without Fortuna’s assistance. My case was not easy in any way - besides apparent weaknesses of my profile such as age a few years higher than average for the school, I had 4 days old daughter when I started working with Fortuna, and I had exactly six weeks before the application deadline. Originally I had planned to apply to two schools, and I am so happy that I followed Matt’s advice to focus on just one school, INSEAD, which was better for my future career plans. For me, a technically inclined person, writing seven essays in a foreign language was challenging. Those six weeks were hard at times, but Melissa’s and Caroline’s determination and support gave me confidence to persevere. Their comments to my essays had always been insightful and thorough. I highly recommend Fortuna’s team to any applicants to a top school. This will be an amazing experience!

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I started the MBA Admissions process early in the year, and I spent a great deal of time researching the best Admissions consultants in the industry. I ended up choosing Fortuna Admissions. In hindsight, I could not be more pleased with my decision. I had a tremendous experience working with Dina and Judith at Fortuna Admissions. With Dina and Judith's guidance, I was able to submit a whopping 9 applications in Round 1, and was ultimately accepted to my dream school, Columbia Business School via early decision.

Dina and Judith soared far above my expectations. Whenever I asked them for feedback, I heard back from them within 24 hours. They provided me with very constructive feedback and worked with me until each of my applications was in the best shape it could possibly be. Their passion for their consulting work was clearly apparent - they were dedicated to helping me reach my admissions goals. Dina and Judith (and the rest of the Fortuna team) are unique among other consultants because they have extensive experience working in business school admissions at top MBA programs. I found their insight to be valuable throughout the application process. They pushed me to develop my thoughts when writing my essays and they gave me advice that helped me brainstorm effective ideas. If you're applying to business school, Fortuna Admissions is an absolute must.

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I am very satisfied with the coaching Fortuna provided me. I came with very little knowledge of the business school world and without their help, I wouldn't have been successful. The most useful part was the momentum Fortuna enabled me, given all the things I had to do, not just the application. Of course, their expertise was key, helping me to understand how to communicate more effectively. I appreciated the ability to talk directly in order to clarify points and fully understand expectations. We did it and it was great! Now I am at INSEAD and I love it, thank you Fortuna !

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I started my free consultation with Matt, the founder of Fortuna. He is very knowledgeable about B-schools, and I think their edge is that all the consultants have working experience in top business schools. Then he recommended Karen to me, who are from the admission team of my dreaming school. First we worked out a very detailed and feasible plan for the applications. She is always prompt to reply my emails and very patient in giving advice to my essays, personal statement and video pitch. Karen also helped a lot in mock interviews, she managed to arrange two mock interviews and provided valuable feedback. I applied to two schools and got offer from one of them. With Karen's consultation, the whole process went much more smoothly.

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I worked with Nonie from Fortuna in preparing my application for the INSEAD MBA. From my initial conversation with Nonie I was confident she will help me in the best way to put through a competitive application. During our first skype call itself she was able to clearly identify my strengths and weaknesses based on the strategy questionnaire I had filled earlier. She was very well aware of the expectations at INSEAD and explained to me how well I am placed for the programme. I have had conversations with other consultants from other companies who were simply trying to sell their products and were mainly only focusing on my weaknesses and how they have different packages to help me. But they did not seem to have specific knowledge on INSEAD. But with Nonie and Fortuna, I felt the whole process was very objective, truthful and she was very knowledgeable.

The whole process was very structured and I found it most useful for me. I was pleasantly surprised when Nonie sent me a detailed plan and timeline based on our initial conversation. She had set out clearly what we had discussed in terms of my strengths, weaknesses, the points that I can include my essays, who should be my recommenders etc. She had also set out a clear timeline for me. I was initially overwhelmed by the number of essay questions for INSEAD. However my initial conversations with Nonie helped to bring out points for me to include in my essays.

Nonie was constantly ensuring that I sticked to the timeline for the various deliverables (resume, essays, online application, recommenders) which we had agreed initially. This certainly prevented me from procrastinating. Nonie was also readily available to help to review my different drafts of the application, resume, essays etc. Moreover, Nonie was also prompt in her replies when I had queries on her comments with regards to my draft essays and the application. There was also an resume expert who helped to review and fine tune my resume a few times.

Not only with the application, Nonie also provided me with tips on maintaining a positive online presence. It gave me additional confidence when she gave a thumbs up after doing a check on the web.

Nonie's assistance during the interview process was also helpful. She helped to go through a mock interview with me and gave me comments on my replies. She also diligently followed up on my first interview to give me tips on how to improve on my second interview.

Overall, I am thankful for Nonie's help in supporting me during the application process. I have been admitted to INSEAD MBA and would strongly recommend Nonie for anyone looking for assistance in preparing their MBA application.

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