| All Reviews > Melissa Jones > Melissa Jones Reviews |
Melissa previously worked on behalf of global brands such as Sony, InBev and Xerox, and for a prominent Canadian women’s organization, the Women’s Executive Network, where she was part of the selection committee for the ‘Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Awards’. Melissa has an undergraduate business degree from Dalhousie University in Canada and she completed the Management Accelerated Program (MAP) at INSEAD.
REVIEWER IDENTITY VERIFIED by gmat club tests [?]
Product Fortuna Admissions Comprehensive School Package
Consultant Melissa Jones
If you’ve come across Melissa through your due diligence, then you’ll have likely already read that she is one of the best admissions consultants in the market. If you haven’t done much due diligence yet, then let me tell you why I think Melissa IS the best admissions consultant in the market:
I was very thorough in my initial search of consultants, turning over every rock under the admissions consultant sun. I decided to move forward with Melissa for a few reasons. First, she offered the richest insights into the schools I was targeting, as they related to my profile and interests. Second, she provided me with a clear picture of what it would take for me to be in a good position to gain acceptance to my target schools. Third, her insights are based in her vast experience as a former admissions committee member of a top program and also from her experience of working with countless hopefuls like myself. Lastly, and most importantly, I decided to work with Melissa because of a referral from someone, who I really trust, who was confident that working with Melissa would see me get the school acceptance that I was working so hard towards.
My profile: a lofty goal of getting accepted to a top MBA program, a low GMAT score (50 points less than average score for program), several career changes within 10 years that included a five month backpacking trip, a non-target undergrad with a low GPA, a few years older than the class’ age average, and I was on a tight timeline. Oh yeah, my partner was also applying to the same MBA, so I had to somehow weave that into my story, too.
As you can tell, I didn’t need a consultant - I needed a miracle. Luckily, Melissa was just that.
Without Melissa, I would have surely struggled to weave my winding career choices into a strong and cohesive story. She went the extra mile(s) to see it through. Melissa’s support was unwavering and vital in helping me accomplish my goal: acceptance to a top MBA school.
Melissa’s approach is equal parts science and art. First, she uses a tried and true process that will get your full story on paper. Next, she provides a touch of genius that helps you highlight your traits/strengths/weaknesses that will help you stand out. The end result is a concise, unique, and noticeable narrative that the admissions committee NEEDS to see from your profile in order for you to overcome the very low odds of getting an interview. Simply, she is dialed into a frequency for preparing admissions applications that is remarkable – hard stop.
Above all, Melissa wants to see you succeed as much as you want to see yourself succeed.
In sum, Melissa has earned her stellar reputation from helping prospective students reach the highest of MBA heights; you’ll be very fortunate and grateful to have the opportunity to work with her.
REVIEWER IDENTITY VERIFIED by school email address [?]
Product Fortuna Admissions Comprehensive School Package
Consultant Melissa Jones
I can't thank Melissa enough to make my dream of going to INSEAD come true! Working with Melissa is extremely insightful, inspiring, yet painless because she brings years of experiences, top-notch expertise, and absolutely amazing work ethic and professionalism.
First, Melissa listens. You may think that you just have a great conversation with a friend, but after the conversation, she can strategically turn your talking points into suggested key themes for the essays that fit into schools' selection criteria seamlessly.
Second, Melissa can quickly understand your strengths and weaknesses and customize her way of working with you accordingly. With limited word counts for the application, she knows clearly what stories can show your best qualities, what stories to cut/or how to make them more concise. She makes sure that what you want to convey and what makes you stand out nicely show in your essays in a way that's written in your own tone and that touches the readers/adcom naturally.
Moreover, Melissa gently pushes you. She's so experienced in the application process that she knows when to do what makes the process most efficient and effective. She always gently reminded me of the timing and the key elements in the application package. Even with a very tight deadline, I was able to turn around my INSEAD application in less than 2 weeks and CBS and GSB's application in a week. This all can happen because Melissa got back to me VERY quickly, and don't waste time on things wouldn't work in the final product.
Lastly, Melissa would encourage you while giving you very honest feedback when necessary. She makes sure that you stay true to yourself in your essays without having the pressure in trying to write what the adcom wants to read.
I can't be happier that I got into INSEAD in the last round (even with not competitive scores) and also CBS/LBS with scholarship. Thanks to Melissa that I'm heading to France and Singapore to experience my MBA adventure in a few months!
Product Fortuna Admissions Premium Package
Consultant Melissa Jones
My MBA journey started with a free consultation call to many international MBA consultants. Being an Indian male engineer with an avg GMAT score, none of the consultants made me feel confident that I could make it to my dream school INSEAD. To many of them, INSEAD was not within reach and I was recommended to have a package for 4-5 schools.
And then I had a call with Matt from Fortuna. We had an hour discussion and within few minutes, he highlighted the skills that I have to secure a place in Fontainebleau. He was so confident in my profile and was so optimistic towards my dream, not for a second he made me feel that INSEAD was not in reach. That confidence I got from the call with Matt changed my outlook and made me so optimistic. It made me realize that MBA is way beyond the GMAT test and I could leverage the strong professional and leadership experience I have and turn that into a sparkling application.
Then, I got lined with Melissa, and I can’t say enough about her as a coach. She is encyclopedia for INSEAD. She knows exactly what the school is looking for. She has focussed only on my strengths throughout the process. Though the stories and achievements were mine, but the way she displayed those in the application made a real difference. She is very honest, and at all times she provided her genuine feedback and support. I was intrigued with her knowledge of INSEAD admission process. She took my mock interview and my actual interview was the replica of the mock. I can say for certain that if INSEAD is your dream school, then Melissa is a no-brainer.
Lastly, I would highly recommend Fortuna Admissions to the prospective applicants if you are looking for a consultant to go in your dream school. Fortuna has all the ingredients to make your dream true! Right from the consultation call to the final review of your application from the director is an amazing journey that one would like to be a part of.
Product Fortuna Admissions Comprehensive School Package
Consultant Melissa Jones
At first, I reached out to Stacy Blackman consulting for a free consult. My test scores were borderline, and I didn’t come from a traditional background or company that produces many MBAs to top b-schools. I specifically asked the consultant about one top-5 program in particular, hoping they could help “handicap” my odds at acceptance. Sadly, I was told point blank I’d be better off looking at tier 2 schools. That experience left me feeling dejected, questioning whether I even had a shot at my dream school…
Enter Fortuna! My initial discussion with Matt Symonds was slated to take hour but we ended up chatting for around two! He assured me that not only did I have a shot, but that I was a strong candidate. I could tell that to Fortuna, I wasn’t just a set of numbers to be plugged into some arbitrary formula that would decide whether or not I was a good candidate, but rather a unique individual with a story to tell.
Matt lined me up w/ Melissa, and I can’t say enough about her as a coach. Melissa is a Rockstar! She has this amazing ability to be brutally open and honest in a way that helps you peel back the inconsequential and focus on your core strengths and abilities, highlighting who you truly are. She was extremely thorough in gathering all the data and helped me realize that specific experiences, and aspects of my background that I thought were insignificant would really resonate with the adcom. In all honesty, if you don’t end up hiring her as an admissions consultant consider hiring her as a life coach, she’s that good!
Long story short, I was accepted to my dream program, and I’m positive that Melissa and the team at Fortuna played an integral part in making it happen!
REVIEWER IDENTITY VERIFIED by score report [?]
Product Fortuna Admissions Hourly Consulting Services
Consultant Melissa Jones
Deeply knowledgeable on the business school admissions process, Melissa provided me with some very detailed and constructive feedback on how to best showcase my professional accomplishments in my essays & resume, and stand-out to the admissions committee. She also helped structure my essays to highlight my key personal achievements and put forth a well-balanced view of my personality; ultimately helping me make it to the interview shortlist. Subsequently she also provided me with a lot of resources and guidance on how best to prepare for the interview, and present myself on the day.
Extremely professional in her work, Melissa was always quick to get back with her reviews without compromising on the quality of her inputs, yet being very friendly and extremely approachable at all times. It was an absolute pleasure working with her, and can only offer my highest levels of recommendation for her work. I will always be grateful to her for helping me get admitted into my dream b-school.
Product Fortuna Admissions Comprehensive School Package
Consultant Melissa Jones
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.
REVIEWER IDENTITY VERIFIED by score report [?]
Product Fortuna Admissions Comprehensive School Package
Consultant Melissa Jones
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.
Product Fortuna Admissions Comprehensive School Package
Consultant Melissa Jones
I really cannot say enough about my experience with Fortuna and with Melissa specifically, as my top school I was targeting was INSEAD. My first consultation with Matt was great, he gave me realistic and insightful feedback about all of the schools I was targeting and how my profile fit from a first glance. After getting started with Melissa, she was amazing at helping brainstorm about the best way to structure my story, which parts to highlight, where I needed to take action to round out or polish, and gave me clear feedback through multiple rounds of C.V. and essays. She also pulled in other members of the Fortuna team who gave additional detailed feedback and comments, further pushing me to improve and polish the different parts of my application. The work I did with Melissa and Fortuna also prepared me for applications to my other target schools and made me feel confident in interviews because I had done the hardworking and soul-searching and was clear on my motivation, my future career path, and confident in how to convey this. I really can't say enough about my experience because I wouldn't have been accepted into a top MBA program without their professionalism and attention to detail. Anyone debating whether to hire a consultant or if they should spend the money, I highly recommend Fortuna!
REVIEWER IDENTITY VERIFIED by score report [?]
Product Fortuna Admissions Hourly Consulting Services
Consultant Melissa Jones
I chose Fortuna because I felt like it has an unparalleled knowledge of European Business schools and I wasn't disappointed!
Working with Melissa has been a pleasure: she was very available, responded fast and with customized suggestions. The thing I liked the best about her counsel is that the work that came out was very genuine and represented me 100%: pushing me gently, she brought out the best in me while keeping my authenticity.
Without her assistance, I would have not been as strong a candidate (admitted to all the schools I applied to) so I would definitely recommend her to any applicant.
Product Fortuna Admissions Hourly Consulting Services
Consultant Melissa Jones
I worked with Melissa Jones at Fortuna who was perfect in every way. I purchased several services (Resume Review, Interview Prep and an 8 hour consulting pack). Melissa was thoughtful and efficient with my time and provided valuable feedback to help me properly apply to my two top schools. The level of detail was sufficient to properly guide my application, but not get bogged down in details. She helped me craft my story in a great way. Overall, she was responsive, worked on weekends when it was essential and genuinely cared about my candidacy. I cannot recommend her enough! She is a consummate professional and great at her job.