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Product Fortuna Comprehensive School Package
Consultant Michel Belden
I worked with Michel for an intensive 4 month period and got complete support from her in all aspects of the application process. This was my second time applying to B-schools and second time working with a consultant. My experience the first time was not that great and working with Michel and Fortuna really made realize the importance of having a strong and supportive admissions consultant. The area I needed most help with is really bringing out my strengths and crafting my story so that it all tied in to why I was going to do an MBA at this stage of my career. 30 years old and a Senior Director at the company I was in. Some consultants told me I was pass the period of applying to an MBA. Michel provided me with continuous support and guidance to really get my story right and was open to giving continuous feedback on my essays. And "real" "constructive" feedback that was actionable and you can really work from. This is key as you don't want someone just reviewing your grammar. This feedback was extremely valuable and made my life a lot easier when it came to turning comments. She also helped me in navigating all aspects of the application process (prep for interviews, guidance on answering app questions, preparing recommender materials) she has a wealth of experience working with most of the top schools and she doesn't hold back in sharing all this information. Extremely happy with my engagement with her and definitely recommend utilizing her as an advisor for your application process. She knows, gets it and is willing to help on all fronts. Also for those that are really busy she provides pretty practical feedback that will help you approach the process without diving too deep unnecessarily. Really grateful for all the support I received from her and the team at Fortuna. Definitely made a difference in my application process!
Product Fortuna Comprehensive School Package
Consultant Melissa Jones
Melissa was a pleasure to work with from day one, and having her there to answer questions and provide feedback on my work was an invaluable "safety net" to have throughout the process. Fortuna was incredibly professional from the first evaluation call, to their comprehensive profile evaluation, all the way through essay and application stage. In the beginning, I was having trouble deciding which schools to apply to. Fortuna gave me very honest guidance and valuable insight (GMAT score minimums, etc.) that saved me countless hours of time by not applying to a school I would have had no chance of being accepted to. I also really appreciated their process in that Melissa reviewed my whole application and made sure it was perfect, then my profile was reviewed by a director who used to be a dean of admissions at an ivy league school. I felt very confident once I passed all of those reviews, and sure enough was accepted to three of my four schools! Thanks Melissa and Fortuna.
Product Fortuna Comprehensive School Package
Consultant Susanne Peltz
I would recommend Fortuna Admissions for anyone working towards an INSEAD MBA application.
From start to finish, every dollar was worth it. If it wasn't for the daily coaching by Susanne Peltz, and the reviews at different points by Caroline Edwards, former head of admissions at INSEAD, I probably wouldn't be celebrating an INSEAD MBA acceptance.
I had the right profile, the right CV, and the right references, however I didn't know the BEST way to tell a compelling story. Fortuna helps you do just that. You can be the perfect candidate, but if you don't put together a compelling application profile chances are you won't be accepted, even with a high GMAT score.
REVIEWER IDENTITY VERIFIED by score report [?]
Product Fortuna Comprehensive School Package
Consultant Heidi Hillis
Before choosing to go with Fortuna, I had conducted Skype interviews with about a dozen admission consultants. Most looked at my dry credentials and concluded I have little to no chance of being admitted to an M7 B-school, disregarding what I had though were some appealing elements of my prospective application.
The first time my “story” was essentially and holistically examined was during my first Skype call with Judith, who offered a complex, data and experience driven analysis of my chances of being admitted to several target schools. 6 months after that initial call, I can wholeheartedly say that I have made the right call in choosing the most professional, experienced and amiable admission consultancy firm I possibly could have asked for.
From the moment I started working with Heidi and Judith, I have received their full and undivided attention. Whether it was rethinking my application strategy, seeking advice on timelines and task prioritisation, or most importantly, the relentless editing of my application materials until they were absolutely flawless - Heidi and Judith were there for me and at no point did they cut corners or shy away from hard work to be done. As far as they were concerned, as long as I wanted to further perfect an essay, even for the 15th time, they were enthusiastically up for the task. They continuously made me feel like they were worth every cent I had paid for their superior service and extremely valuable baggage of MBA admissions experience.
When I first interviewed admission consultants, a consultant from one of the most established firms in the industry told me that I “was not even in the ballpark for an M7 school”. Thanks to Fortuna, enhancing and streamlining my work, I was accepted to the Columbia Business School MBA program, an M7 school.
Product Fortuna Comprehensive School Package
Consultant Heidi Hillis
Heidi is an expert at recognizing your strengths and getting the best out of you!
1) I was not very confident with my essay writing, so having Heidi's help and encouragement was invaluable. Heidi is very well-rounded and she played key role in defining my career goals and polishing my essays.
2) I had a relatively rushed application timeline and was traveling for business a lot. Heidi was able to accommodate.
3) Heidi has deep knowledge on the GSB and HBS application and you will also have access to other experts at Fortuna as well!
I am very happy with the final results that I got into my favorite schools. I would recommend Heidi to prospective applicants.
Product Fortuna Comprehensive School Package
Consultant Taniel Chan
My experience with Taniel was extremely positive. I originally bought only 3-hours, but decided to add on several more hours given how helpful his help was. Taniel was of huge help in writing the essays. His comments were always spot-on and relevant. He would catch flaws that I hadn't even thought about, showing me he was very experienced in what he does. Taniel was very good at communicating over email and responding in a prompt manner, which was extremely important to me. I fully recommend Taniel if you're looking for help or guidance in the application process due to his targeted and methodical approach.
Product Fortuna Comprehensive School Package
Consultant Michel Belden
Coming from a generally overrepresented profile – management consulting, Asian American male, average undergrad GPA, and solid (but not especially high) GMAT – I wanted an admissions consultant that could help me to stand out. I chose Fortuna for the dedication of their consultants and depth of experience they brought. Most other admissions consulting firms simply connected me with recent graduates of MBA programs who were doing admissions consulting on the side (translate: very busy day jobs and limited availability), but Fortuna’s consultants were dedicated specialists with direct experience in the admissions offices. My focus was Wharton and I worked with Michel (Wharton alum, former Wharton Associate Director, former management consulting recruiter) and Judith (former Wharton Director) – I could not have asked for a better fit.
Throughout the process, Michel was super responsive and provided insight into not just the essays but my whole application, from recommenders to interviews to even the wording of each extracurricular activity description. She helped me to structure my story upfront and challenged me to really think hard about my writing by constantly pointing out things that were unconvincing, unnecessary, and/or unspecific. Over the three-month period working with me, Michel patiently talked me through every last question/concern floating around in my head, steering me away from pitfalls and fostering confidence in my decisions.
The perspective she (and Judith) provided from being on the other side of the table at Wharton was invaluable, and I would wholeheartedly recommend working with them. I successfully got into Wharton and am excited to start the program this year. Thank you Michel and the Fortuna team!
Product Fortuna Comprehensive School Package
Consultant Amy Hugo
When I first got on an intro call with Amy she came across as warm, genuine and someone who really cared about helping me get into my dream school (LBS)!
I had spoken to a number of counselors before I decided to go with Amy, and what really stood out was the fact that she sent me an e-mail saying how much she enjoyed talking to me and that she would love to help me work toward my goals! And she truly meant it!
Amy was meticulous, thorough and always on top of things. Her feedback was always honest and she kept me in check several times. It was not an easy journey for me, from retaking my GMAT, to working on my essays to giving the necessary level of attention to an app as detailed as the LBS one. I had several questions through the process, but Amy was always ready to help and never once made it seem like i was demanding too much!
Her detailed feedback at every stage, from my essays, to my interviews to my application was crucial! She never once settled for less than the best and always helped me strive to achieve more. I remember several last minute edits I had to make to my app just the night before the deadline, but Amy remained calm and gave me the necessary feedback and guidance even then. She did not once make me feel like I was asking for too much (after more than 10+ essay edits!
If I were to redo the whole process again, I would go with no one by Amy Hugo for this! I love her dedication, her warmth and in her desire to see her clients succeed! She was my guiding star through the process!
Having Emma Bond, Co-Director at Fortuna, as my second voice of reason, was also very helpful! She was as warm and genuine as Amy. Though Emma perhaps did not have to spend much time with my essays, she still did go above and beyond to provide genuine and detailed feedback. She was fantastic with her reviews and provided the necessary guidance!
Both Amy and Emma are LBS experts and you can never go wrong with them! I would recommend no one but the two of them for any business school app! I think when you choose a counselor, you also choose someone who needs to believe in you and keep you positive through this process and Amy and Emma are exactly those people!
Thank you to both of you for making this happen for me!
Product Fortuna Comprehensive School Package
Consultant Taniel Chan
From start to finish, Taniel was with me every step of the way as I successfully gained admission to HBS!! He actually offered to first meet me on campus so we could get to know each other while he gave me a tour (he was about to graduate from HBS himself).
I had originally anticipated working with an older, more experienced consultant, but I was quickly impressed with Taniel's knowledge of the application process and felt that his fresher perspective and personal experience would be valuable.
Particularly for HBS, I felt like Taniel was well-equipped and extremely helpful throughout the essay writing process and interview prep. He was instrumental in helping me craft a story that would resonate with the admissions team. For the interview, Taniel immediately sent me a list of questions to think through, and we scheduled an hour long session for a mock with some time for feedback. He structured it exactly like my actual interview and dug deeply into each of my answers. Taniel was candid, direct, and very engaged, and I felt that the hour we spent together was critical in preparing me for my interview.
Overall, I had a great experience with Veritas and would highly suggest working with Taniel. Thanks again!
Product Fortuna Comprehensive School Package
Consultant Taniel Chan
Purchasing a VP school package is the largest purchase I’ve ever made. I can say without a doubt that because of Taniel’s help, it was also the best decision I’ve ever made. I would highly recommend Taniel as a Head Consultant and as a School Specialist to any applicant.
VP connected me to Taniel based upon my background and our collaboration styles. Before speaking to Taniel I was skeptical of how this matching process could possibly work, but the match was absolutely perfect. As a non-traditional applicant coming from the public sector, Taniel helped me believe that I was capable of going to a top school, and helped me craft my story to make that dream a reality. After my first call with Taniel I decided to apply to six top-10 programs (four M7).
Despite the time difference and a hectic workload, Taniel was incredibly responsive and went above and beyond his role as a head consultant. Taniel gave me the organizational structure I needed to be successful for what could have been an overwhelming process. His consistently detailed feedback pushed me to think deeply about my motivations, not only helping me put forward a strong application, but also helping me articulate my long-run aspirations in a way I couldn’t before working with him. Admissions consulting isn’t about crafting a narrative, it’s about helping put forward the truth in the most compelling way possible, and Taniel truly made that possible for me. Most of all, it was clear that Taniel truly cared about my success in this process, which helped me stay level-headed throughout when things could have been nerve-wracking.
With Taniel’s support, I received interviews to three M7 schools, SOM, and Haas. I’m humbled to say that in the end I will be headed to an M7 on a full-tuition scholarship. Taniel truly changed my life, and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with him.