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Product Fortuna Hourly Consulting Services
Consultant Cassandra Pittman
Before starting applying for business schools I was against the idea of having a consultant as I felt I could have done it by myself and with the help of friends. After a long reflection I decided to give it a shot and today I can definitely say it would have been foolish of me not to work with an MBA consultant, especially Cassandra as it's an experience totally different from the one you have when you work alone. It helps for deep introspection, linking thoughts together, and learning more about yourself.
Cassandra was crucial in my road to obtaining admission to a top 10 business school. By asking the right questions, being emotionally connected to my story, and invested in the process, she was able to push me in the right direction and we were able together to bring the best possible forthcoming application.
I loved working with Cassandra and I praise her leadership skills as she was able to help us navigate through the application process seamlessly.
I believe Cassandra's coaching skills are great and she's an amazing consultant. Keep up the excellent work Cassandra! I couldn't have done it alone, so thank you for helping me get into the MBA at HEC Paris.
Product Fortuna Hourly Consulting Services
Consultant Emma Bond
From the moment I had the chance to speak with Matt Symonds for a free consultation, I knew that I had arrived at the right place. Matt Symonds is, in my honest opinion, probably the single individual in the entire world that has the greatest level of insight into MBA admissions in top schools around the world. He regularly hosts conferences with all the admissions directors of the top MBA schools, and has an incredible level of insight into the process. Matt was wonderful enough to connect me to a few of his incredible team - Emma Bond, and Heidi, both of whom were world class. Ultimately, although I applied in the final round and come from a non-traditional MBA background, I received a substantial scholarship to attend my top choice school.
Throughout my life, there are only a few individuals I have met who have made me feel so incredibly blessed to have come across them and to have on my side, and Emma Bond is one of them. Coming from a non-traditional MBA background, I applied (with some nerves!) in the final round of the admissions cycle when there were not many spots remaining. Thanks to Emma's guidance, not only did I manage to get admitted, I also received a SUBSTANTIAL scholarship to attend my top choice school. As a late round admit, I believe that receiving such a scholarship would have been impossible without Emma's help and guidance with my application.
Simply put (as I am quite a demanding individual), I already had high expectations for admissions consultants, but Emma's level of insight, contribution, and the sheer difference she made to my application COMPLETELY blew my mind. Thanks to Emma, there were many things that DRAMATICALLY strengthened my application that would not even have crossed my mind without her, and would have been impossible to know without Emma's unparalleled experience and passion for London Business School (these are not things that you can find out by reading articles online - they really are UNIQUE and UNPARALLELED insights into the admissions process that only someone like Emma with deep experience can provide). It is my honest opinion that there is surely no one else on the planet that could be comparable to working with Emma for LBS. Emma's knowledge about the LBS admissions process and her way of guiding me through the entire application was absolutely incredible.
From the moment I spoke to Emma, I felt that I was in great hands: she is a tremendously friendly, intelligent, and hardworking individual, with a deep passion for helping her clients succeed. Emma helped me shape my essays (as a former member of the admissions team, she really knows EXACTLY what LBS is looking for) and she provided many rounds of input on my entire application, with extremely helpful and impressive feedback, and always replied with incredible speed! She did not hesitate to work on weekends, and I always felt prioritised, like I was the only person she was working with. Each time when she provided feedback, she helped take my essays and application to another level, and she even cleared her schedule to provide feedback all the way up until my application was submitted (even providing valuable feedback on all the minor details). I felt like Emma was with me every step of the way and it was enormously comforting!
When I received an interview invitation, Emma helped me prepare for the interview and made a massive difference in getting me ready for anything that could be asked by the interviewer. As an MBA interviewer herself, her feedback was incredible and really gave me a lot of confidence. When I sat my interview, using what I had practiced with Emma, I was lucky (and overjoyed) to nail the interview with her help.
It has really been an amazing experience working with Emma, and as I think will be clear by now, I feel so lucky to have met her! I can't thank you enough Emma, and the rest of the Fortuna team! As I hope I have made clear from this review, I really can't recommend Emma any higher. She is simply out of this world amazing. Anyone who gets the chance to work with her, I would say you're a very lucky person and you have a MASSIVE advantage over the competition!
I also had the GREAT pleasure of working with Heidi on my MBA applications, and she was phenomenal throughout the entire process. Ultimately, although I applied in the final round, I received a substantial scholarship to attend my top choice school! This would not have been possible without the help from Heidi and Fortuna. From the moment I spoke to Heidi, I knew that she was the right person to help me put together my MBA application due to her supportive demeanour and incredible knowledge about the process. Putting together an MBA application really is an art-form, and Heidi helped me craft my MBA application, starting from just some vague ideas to multiple amazing applications. She was extremely responsive at all times and was tremendously helpful in brainstorming my ideas and helping me to realise which of the experiences in my life were very valuable from the point of view of an MBA admissions team. As someone who has previously conducted MBA interviews herself before, Heidi's feedback and help with preparing me for me MBA interviews was exceptionally helpful and gave me great confidence.
I cannot recommend Heidi enough - she is a tremendously intelligent, caring, hardworking, and insightful individual with a fantastic level of insight into the MBA admissions process. She knows exactly what MBA admissions officers are looking for, and is an amazing person to have guiding you along the MBA journey. Thanks so much Heidi for all your help!
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Product Fortuna Hourly Consulting Services
Consultant Jessica Chung
I wanted to apply for USC or UCLA for MBA because I live in Los Angeles area. Fortuna was very helpful in matching Jessica with me. I really enjoy the process that we set up multiple calls in different phases and I was able to complete an outstanding resume and essay within 3 weeks! I only used 4 hours of consulting services I would say that the money was well spent! After I got the interview, Jessica also gave me tips to prepare for the interview as well as lots of follow up! She was really helpful throughout the process and I would strongly recommend her to anyone who is looking to apply for an MBA.
Product Fortuna Hourly Consulting Services
Consultant Michel Belden
I was a round 2 applicant and started the application process pretty late. I only applied to HSW because my current career path doesn't require me to have an MBA and I would only want to get into the top ones that worth the investment.
I had a "touchy personal story" for my essays but needed someone to help on grammar and make it more eloquent. A friend of mine referred me to Fortuna and Judith matched me with Michel. I sent Michel my already-edited v8 of the essay draft reviewed by multiple family and friends. I didn't much more content changes from Michel but I was very surprised to find out that Michel basically had edits on every single sentence and wanted me to elaborate more on the connection between my personal story and how I could contribute to MBA classrooms.
Also, even if you have already started to work with other consultants on your application process, I would still highly recommend to work with Fortuna for TBD mock interview from Wharton if you get an invite. I actually had two mock interviews with two organizations, but it was very obvious that the mock conducted by Judith was way better. Had I known this beforehand, I probably would only mock with Fortuna, but I'm just a super timid person and I needed that double security...
I have a below-average GMAT (and I'm an Asian - I know, very unforgivable...) and didn't really have much entrepreneurial background, so it wasn't surprise me that I didn't end up getting into HBS and GSB, but I got into Wharton with a significant amount of scholarship. I probably couldn't achieve this without Fortuna's help.
I know a lot of people out there already have perfect GPA and perfect GMAT score, but having a consultant really helps you position yourself and differentiate you from other perfect candidates. It is critical to have someone like Michel or Judith who have worked in Admissions to guide "HOW" you do that. If you are super confident in yourself, at least hire them for some hourly help!
Product Fortuna Hourly Consulting Services
Consultant Emma Bond
I was interested in schools in the UK - and working with Emma was the absolute best decision I made! She has years of experience working on the admissions team at London Business School, in addition to experience at other schools including Imperial.
Right away, Emma took the time to get to know me on a personal level. It was clear she has mastered the admissions process and was able to provide strong direction, insight, and strategy. I was waitlisted at my top school (LBS) and Emma helped me through this stressful process every step of the way. I ended up getting admitted, and I honestly could not have done it without Emma's help and support! If you're applying for MBA programs (especially in the UK), I highly recommend Emma with a ringing endorsement. In addition to her talent and experience, she is truly wonderful to work with and is so thoughtful and caring!
Product Fortuna Hourly Consulting Services
Consultant
Paul was extremely helpful during my MBA personal statement writing process. I had a draft written, but Paul worked with me to make my ideas flow seamlessly into a compelling narrative. After reading my first draft, he gave honest and constructive feedback along with insightful suggestions on how to better structure my writing. He understood what I was trying to convey and worked with me to make key ideas more polished. As I made revisions, he provided more detailed feedback and comments. He knew exactly where my writing needed work and helped me make each draft better than the one before. Paul clearly understands what MBA admissions are looking for, and he turned my essay into a concise and convincing story.
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Product Fortuna Hourly Consulting Services
Consultant Karen Hamou
I am an international student and I worked with Karen Hamou on an hourly basis for my R3 applications to an M7 school and a few Top 15 schools. I reached out to Fortuna because I had worked with a consultant from another company in R2 and I was disappointed with their service and my results. In contrast, Karen and Fortuna provided a very high quality of service and they were invested in my success.
In addition to helping me navigate the uncertainties associated with Covid-19 and produce high quality applications to my R3 schools, Karen also helped me strategize my waitlist approach for some of my R2 schools (i.e. test retakes, sending updates). Karen helped me structure my essays, coach my recommenders and prepare for my interviews. For my essays, she edited them repeatedly until the stories were strong and compelling. She was extremely efficient and provided high value for the money I spent on the hourly consulting services. Karen was always available whenever I needed her - turnaround time was less than 24 hours on most materials.
There are so many things to do when you are applying to over half a dozen schools and Karen helped me prioritize on the most important tasks so that I was always on top of things. As offers started rolling in, she gave me advice on how to handle them as I waited for my dream school to accept me.
Thanks to Karen's incredible support, I received an offer from Booth and I am excited that I get to attend such a fantastic school! I would not have been able achieve this without her and I enthusiastically recommend Karen and Fortuna admissions for all your MBA application needs!
Product Fortuna Hourly Consulting Services
Consultant Sharon Joyce
I highly recommend working with Sharon on MBA applications, interviews, strategy, etc.
When I decided to purchase an hourly consulting package, I was expecting help with overall strategy and a few essay prompts. In the short time Sharon and I spent together, she helped me with my overall strategy, every single essay (for 5 schools!), and short answer questions. She even proofread 2 applications before I hit submit. Sharon was extremely conscious of my time and was transparent about how the hours were spent. She made the stressful process of business school applications more manageable and enjoyable.
I was invited to interview at 4 out the 5 schools I applied to. After 2 of the interviews, I decided to do an additional hour of interview prep with Sharon. I wish I had done the hour of prep in the beginning. One hour of prep with Sharon was more beneficial than days spent on my own.
In the end, I received admission offers (with scholarships!) from the 4 schools I interviewed at. I'm beyond thrilled! Even in this stage of the process, Sharon has continued to help me with my decision.
Overall, I highly recommend working with Sharon. She's honest, funny, and truly goes above and beyond to help her clients in any way she can.
Product Fortuna Hourly Consulting Services
Consultant Heidi Hillis
Despite originally not planning to work with an admissions consultant, I ultimately reached out to Heidi as I hit a wall with the "What Matters" essay at GSB - my dream school. Given that I only had limited time and much of thinking already complete, Heidi recommended the flexible hourly package (5 hours+). With the minimum amount of time, i was originally a bit nervous -- however, even with 5 hours, Heidi still managed to identify my strongest stories and themes that I could never have on my own. The overall experience was also wonderful, and it was such a joy to work with her - even though we were on opposite time zones during the holidays, she worked flexibly to meet my schedule and continued to encourage me through warmth and affirmation. For anyone applying to GSB, or anywhere really, I highly highly recommend working with Heidi.
Product Fortuna Hourly Consulting Services
Consultant Sharon Joyce
I am so grateful that I found Sharon early on in this process. Fortuna gave me a candid assessment of my chances at my target schools and then paired me with Sharon based on the schools I was applying to. From the first phone call, I knew I’d found a good match and that she GOT me, and we proceeded with hourly consulting after that. I appreciated that in every essay, short answer, interview prep session, etc., she helped me show myself to my full potential, rather than trying to make me out to be something different than I am. She’s organized, caring, funny, savvy, and will be your ultimate cheerleader during this process. She’s also efficient and would never waste your time or money, which is so important to me. I thrilled to be able to say that I was admitted to UCLA Anderson, NYU Stern, Yale SOM, and Northwestern Kellogg–all with at least $40k in scholarships at each. THANK YOU, Sharon, for helping me through this arduous process–I’m forever indebted to you!