I can't say enough good things about my experience with Michel and Fortuna. Working with them was 100% the difference in me being accepted to 5/6 schools most with merit scholarships.
When I first approached Michel, I lacked so many attributes of an M7 candidate - I had an unclear story as to why b-school and lacked the knowledge of the application process to setup a gameplan. Michel took the time to get to know me on a personal level, helped identify my "why", then worked tirelessly on my resume and essays to ensure I was presenting a refined version of my authentic self. She always instilled confidence in me and kept tight track of timelines and other key milestones throughout the application process. Above all else, Michel made the process of applying to b-school exciting not daunting, I looked forward to my sessions with her and by the end of our 8 months together I felt confident working together was well worth the investment. Can't recommend her enough!

Read More

I had a fantastic experience working with Michel Belden from Fortuna! She served as my dedicated advisor over the past 6 months and was instrumental in me getting admitted to 4 out of the 5 M7 schools that I applied to. I am strongly of the opinion that I would not have seen this level of success without her!

We worked together through the entire admissions process including: crafting my career vision/why MBA story, tailoring my resume to business schools, preparing my recommenders for their letters, writing my essays and short answer questions, and preparing for interviews. Michel was truly amazing in all aspects of the process! In particular I thought she was very helpful in crafting my MBA story and revising my essays. During our conversations, she was incredibly effective at asking me the right questions to uncover stories from my past that highlighted my best qualities and ensured my strengths really shined in my applications. She also has an uncanny ability make edits to an essay and bring it from 700 words down to 400 words without losing the overall meaning of the content.

Michel was a fantastic person to work with. She was supportive and available throughout the entire process. I could not be happier to have worked with her. I would recommend her to anyone who is trying to get into a top business school - I promise you that it is worth it!

Read More

I’m very grateful for Michel, who served as my advisor through the MBA application process over the past six months. She was key to my success in getting admitted to four of my dream schools (out of six) within the M7—something I didn’t think was possible from the outset. From our very first meeting, it was clear that Michel brought not only deep expertise in the admissions process, especially given her time working in admissions, but also an incredible sense of empathy and strategic insight.
Her expertise shone through throughout every step through thorough every step of the process, from giving me guidance on how to select schools, to helping polish my resume, to the essay writing process, and finally the interviewing. In addition to great strategic coaching, she was able to give great insights from both a larger admissions lens and an individual school-specific level. Michel never applies a cookie-cutter approach; every brainstorming session, essay draft, and mock interview was tailored specifically to who I am, what I hoped to achieve, and my authentic style of written and verbal expression.
In particular, Michel was incredibly helpful in providing feedback for essays. She was a consummate professional, always responding in a timely manner with clear, actionable feedback. In addition, I really appreciated that she struck the right balance between encouraging me to write my own authentic story and challenging me to dig deeper to clarify my motivations and sharpen my story. A good example is a comment on an essay for the school I’m now about to attend, where she pushed me to strengthen my ending by “showing” how I grew from the experience, rather than “telling.” While I was responsible for identifying the right anecdote to tie the essay together, I never would have reached this level of detail had I not had her feedback, and this could have been the difference needed to get into this top school.
I had a similar personalized experience with her interview coaching. This was especially important with the rush of interviews I was fortunate to get invited to. As the interview style differs amongst the top schools, she was able to streamline my process preparing and get me focused and confident to perform my best. In particular, her experience working at Wharton, which is unlike all other interview styles, was a moment that reflected her years of expertise on the admissions side.
While it can be intimidating going into the admissions process and picking a coach, now on the other side, I can confidently say that I’m so thankful I chose Michel. Her top coaching helped me unlock my very best potential and I cannot recommend her enough as your MBA admissions advisor!

Read More

I had a fantastic experience working with Michel and would highly recommend her! I worked with her on an hourly basis for applications to 5 schools. Michel is very knowledgeable about the MBA application process and helped me craft a thoughtful and authentic story. I found her to be incredibly helpful with essay revisions. She provided valuable insights on how I could tailor my essays to each school and helped me elevate my personal stories to a higher level. She was incredibly supportive throughout the entire process and always made herself available. I ended up getting into 4 out of the 5 schools I applied to, all with significant scholarship money, and was waitlisted at the 5th school. I am so happy I worked with Michel - it was absolutely worth it!

Read More

It was an absolute pleasure working with Michel. When I started my MBA application process in April, I was initially hesitant to use a consultant, but after having an initial consultation with Michel we immediately clicked, and I knew it would be worth the investment. I decided to use a 3-school comprehensive package with her to work on Stanford, HBS, and Berkeley Haas, and then supplemented additional applications to Duke, CBS, and Yale with hourly work.

We started working together in April and thought through my short term career plans, long term career vision, resume, and recommenders. We then dove into drafting outlines for essays, researching specific programs at my target schools, and crafting a strategy for reaching out to alumni/current students. I was coming from a relatively unconventional background in agriculture, but Michel took the challenge head on and helped me create a story that flowed through into my essays and interview prep. We met with each other over 40 times throughout the Round 1 process, and Michel was always quick to respond and easy to reschedule when needed. When I started to hear back about interviews, Michel helped me prep by doing mocks and giving me insights on what each specific school would be looking for.

I was ultimately admitted to all 6 of the schools I applied to, and I can say without a shred of doubt that it would not have been possible without her. She not only helped me articulate my story in a clear and concise way but also helped ease my concerns when I lacked confidence and helped answer questions when I had them. Going into the process, I felt like I didn't have a true advisor that I could trust to shepherd me through, and I am so grateful I found Michel.

10/10 cannot recommend enough. If you are applying to business school, she is the MBA consultant you want.

Read More

Michel was instrumental in my application process to five business schools. I truly don't think I could have done it without her, and definitely wouldn't have achieved the same result without her expertise and guidance. Michel was always responsive and easy to work with, gave great feedback, and kept me organized as each deadline approached. She helped guide me in my essays to achieve the best outcome and was thorough in her approach and guidance. In the end I was accepted to 3 of 5 business schools I applied to and I would 100% recommend Michel to anyone thinking about applying to business school!

Read More

I used Michel for a comprehensive five school package for my MBA process. She is incredible to work with, and she makes the process as simple as possible. She was able to help me better understand and articulate my MBA story, and then understand how to communicate that to each school in its own, personalized way. Michel gives great feedback, is flexible and easy to work with, and was great at calming my nerves and helping me visualize and lay out the process into manageable steps. I got into my dream school, and I am so glad I worked with Michel as the end result and the work I put forth were better for it!

Read More

It was a great pleasure working with Michel and the Fortuna Admissions team on my MBA applications. I had a phenomenal experience with the 5-school package (Harvard, Wharton, Stanford, Sloan, CBS) and would highly recommend it to any prospective applicant.

I applied as a deferred enrollment applicant and I was so uncertain about my chance of getting in any of the schools, because I consider myself lack both working experience and impressive life stories. I was going on a very traditional track to IBD and didn't have something "interesting" to write about at that time. Throughout the application process, Michel took the time to get to know me on a personal and professional level. Although we had a 16-hour time difference, she always responded in a timely manner and consistently found ways to improve my skills to present myself to the admissions. Michel is extremely approachable and patient. We can always find a time to chat, brainstorm, or edit if I need.

Michel was a huge help during every stage of the application process. She helped me with things include what to include in my resume, to whom I should ask for recommendation, countless times of editing essays (she paid huge attention to improve every word) and preparation for interviews.

With Michel and Fortuna's help, I was very fortunate to be admitted by the Wharton Deferred Enrollment program! I can't wait to be there in around 2 years, and I sincerely recommend Michel as a consultant to whoever wants to take on the challenge and discover their potential in the MBA application process!

Read More

Michel has been extremely helpful in my MBA admissions process. I entered this cycle as a deferred MBA applicant, which I knew wouldn't be easy, and I was able to get into Stanford and Wharton with Michel's help!

To begin, she broke down how I should approach the process of applying to difficult MBA programs. From helping me ideate different essay topics to conducting mock interviews, she was willing to go above and beyond in order to ensure that I felt prepared and confident in every single aspect of my application. She displayed a unique ability to help me see the bigger picture and develop a roadmap, and I felt that this was essential when I was writing my essays and preparing for interviews. Having bought the comprehensive package, another thing about Michel that I really appreciated was that she did not try to rush me through the process or set a limit to the number of hours I could ask for her help. In the heat of the essay writing period, she was willing to meet with me multiple times a week to go over numerous revisions and essay versions, which I felt was something incredibly unique about Michel and Fortuna. Having that immediate access to advice and analysis on my application was critical to my success at Stanford and Wharton. I highly recommend Michel and Fortuna to anyone beginning the MBA application process!

Read More

As an applicant I was initially hesitant to hire a consultant due to the cost, and I can confidently say the experience with Michel was nothing short of amazing. I would say what differentiates Michel is i) her strategic perspective on my profile (ii) her extensive experience and guidance, and (iii) finally, her humor and dedication throughout the application journey. Initially I had a view of how I wanted to craft my story and application, coming from more of a common background in finance. Michel provided specific viewpoints and honest feedback as to how I could differentiate myself which allowed my voice to come through in the essays by highlighting parts of my background that I did not think of synthesizing. Furthermore, Michel's guidance was invaluable throughout the process - whether that is reviewing the essays, to the recommender deck, or preparations for the interviews. She ensured that I always brought out the best part of my candidacy in each step and prepared for any hurdles. Lastly, Michel is frankly a pleasure to work with - she is always ready to hop on a call to bounce ideas, is open and honest, has a great sense of humor, and is truly an advocate for me. I cannot thank her enough for her wisdom in the process, and I was able to secure a place at my dream school (HSW) and another M7 school because of her efforts. I highly recommend partnering with Michel if you are serious about your MBA application process!

Read More