Sharon Joyce is an excellent coach. I believe I would not have even had the number of interviews I received if not for her guidance, let alone acceptance at CMU Tepper and Alliance Manchester Business School. She listens very well and provides informed and accurate advice. What impressed me the most was that she took the time to get to know me as a person and incorporate that information into her guidance during essay writing and interview prep. Sharon did what I’d expect most coaches to do:
– review my essays, LinkedIn profile, and resume
– set a clear timeline for each step in the process
– help with interview preparations
BUT it was the extra steps that she took that make her such a good coach.

She not only helped by providing guidance about how to leverage my experiences to create a unique and intriguing story for the applications, but she also pushed me to reevaluate myself and my experiences in order to get down to the “who”, “what”, and “why”. Helping me to understand my own motivations for applying to an MBA program in the first place not only helped me craft better essays and interview responses, but motivated me to truly apply myself to the application process.

Overall, Sharon was supportive, positive, and someone I enjoyed working with. She has all the knowledge and experience of the MBA admissions process to help an applicant be successful, AND the ability to translate that knowledge to the applicant in such a way as to allow them to best showcase themselves to the schools they are applying to.

Read More

Sharon is an excellent coach. Without her guidance, I would not get into Berkeley Haas. I am grateful for her guidance during my application process. She is very friendly, easy to communicate with, and has excellent leadership qualities. She spent a significant amount of time with me on Zoom, phone, or email. In addition, she reviewed my application diligently in each section, like supplementary information, resume, essays, and interview.
Some of the actions that she took that made a difference in my application:
- She listened to my stories and reviewed my resume, LinkedIn profile, and draft essays.
- She provided strategy action steps with a specific timeline
- Her approach provided accountability for me to stick with the timeline.
After learning about my life experience, Sharon guided me to write my essays with a unique vision and objective. With her suggestions, I identified a few weak points in my essays. In addition, she helped me identify a few of my life stories to write as storytelling, which would appeal to admission committees. Finally, being from an overrepresenting engineer category, I wanted to distinguish myself from the pool of similar applicants; Sharon's suggestions helped me do that.

She also helped me immensely with interview preparation:
She delved into each possible question and spent a lot of time preparing for an answer, and then we did a dry run.
She pointed out a few weak points in my responses, such as my voice, pronunciation, and filer words.
She asked me to practice, practice and practice.

I had a fantastic experience with her, and I strongly recommend her to other applicants who want to get an excellent return for the bucks that
you would pend with a consultant.

Read More

This is Sourya Mukherjee from India. I worked with Sharon my MBA applications to a few schools this year. I had a great experience and have received offers from the Kellogg MBAi program, and full-time MBA programs at Haas, Ross and Tepper.

It was great working with Sharon. I felt that her understanding of what the schools are looking for was extremely thorough. This was escpecially relevant for my reapplicant essays to Haas, Kellogg and the MBAi essay at Kellogg. We started out by doing an online evaluation that helped me identify my key strengths, which formed the foundation for a lot of my essays. We then worked on strategies on how to highlight growth and development in reapplicant essays.

The process was very smooth and Sharon made me feel extremely comfortable. She gave me the confidence to truly express the creative side of me (as a musician) and I feel that made my essays and application very genuine and unique. I'm really thankful to her for this. Although we had an 8-hour package, which was exhausted pre-application, she continued supporting me post-admit as well, helping me secure a $40K scholarship at Tepper.

Overall, I had a great experience and would highly recommend Sharon and Fortuna Admissions!

Read More

I worked with Sharon during Round 2 of the 2017 – 2018 season and could not have had a better experience. I got a late start on applications and Sharon was crucial in not only getting my applications completed, but perfecting them before submission, helping to present the best and most honest version of me to admissions committees. Due to this time constraints and the difficulties inherent to the application process, I ultimately selected Sharon and Fortuna because they gave me an honest, no-BS perspective on my candidacy (as compared to other consultants I spoke with that were just happy to take my money), saving me time by helping me target my strengths and avoid schools that weren’t a good fit.

I initially purchased a 3-school package from Fortuna but added on essay editing for a fourth school after I saw how valuable Sharon’s insights and edits were. Sharon was constantly available, even for the smallest question, and always within 24 hours. I consider myself a good writer/interviewer, but Sharon’s talents for editing took my essays and interviews to the next level. With all of her experience working on various admissions committees, Sharon helped me avoid school-specific pitfalls and highlighted important themes relevant to each school that made my applications stronger. Sharon went above and beyond in helping me explore all of the areas that made me valuable as a candidate, providing activities and psychological exercises to get to the “real me.”

Sharon constantly provided the honest feedback I needed, as well as immensely helpful essay and interview ideas that highlighted the uniqueness of my application. I’m confident I would not have gotten as far in the admissions process if it wasn’t for her unique insights and ideas on how to present my story. With Sharon’s help, the immensely stressful and time-consuming application process was made much easier. I was ultimately admitted to a top 10 program and am on the waitlist at Stanford ( what I would consider a moonshot that never would have been possible without Sharon’s help).

Read More

Sharon was amazing! I applied while traveling for work and she worked with my schedule the entire time. She helped me through the essay writing process and I received admission to every school I applied to, including HBS and Wharton! Great consultant who provides amazing feedback! She continues to stay in touch to this day and has helped me every step of the way. Also assisted a friend in the past with amazing reviews! She is very detail oriented, thorough, and understands the process well!. Skillful at reading resumes, helping with essays, and working through data forms. A++ Amazing Consultant

Read More

If you want to win, put Sharon in!! I can't say enough great things about Sharon Joyce. She is the reason I was accepted to Kellogg and MIT Sloan. She is thorough, available, encouraging and also precise in her coaching. Sharon has an incredible systematic method that got me brainstorming and got my MBA narrative flowing. She also set out a timeline that enabled my resume, essays, LORs, portal, and additional information to be completed well before the application deadline which eased the stress inherit in the application process. With Sharon, you will have your best self placed in front of the Adcom and you'll also work with one of the most gracious, kind, and genuine persons that I've ever met. Sharon is truly one of a kind and while she is the reason I got into M7 schools, I truly enjoyed the months we got to know each other as people.

Read More

I worked with Sharon during Round 1 applications for the current cycle (2022 start). I bought the 3-school package from Fortuna which meant that I had support all the way from refining my resume to essay editing and interview prep. I targeted 2 M7 schools and 1 T10 school and got into 2 of them, including my top choice (1 with a significant scholarship; waiting for the scholarship decision from the other).

Based on my experience, Sharon was amazing to work with and one of the main reasons I got in!

I was paired with Sharon on the recommendation of my contact at Fortuna and never actually spoke to her before we started working together. From the get-go, her working style resonated with me and I knew I made the right decision. Sharon took the time to get to know me and understand my reasons for pursuing an MBA. She was organized, detail-oriented and had a clear plan for helping me refine my application and have everything ready to submit based on our internal deadlines. Through Sharon’s previous experience working in admissions offices, she was able to provide unique insights into what schools were looking for and helped me refine my story to help me stand out.

I had spoken to one other MBA admissions consultant and felt that they were distant, unapproachable, and pessimistic about my odds of getting into a T10 school. Sharon and the whole Fortuna team were the total opposite. Sharon truly understands the MBA admissions process thoroughly and was able to provide honest feedback regarding my chances of getting into my target schools. As someone from a non-traditional background, there were many moments when I was unsure whether I made the right decision. Sharon’s optimism and empathy helped me during these tough situations and helped me get through the draining MBA admissions process.

Overall, I highly recommend working with Sharon!

Read More

Why did I seek admissions advising?
Early in my business school application journey I spoke with MBA colleagues and friends to understand what lessons could be learned from those who had already walked the path. The resounding advice: do not underestimate or neglect the non-GMAT components of the application. I would be remiss not to reinforce that same message for anyone embarking on their admissions journey.
My success and acceptance to a top program can be attributed to taking that advice to heart and putting it into action by Partnering with Sharon Joyce and Fortuna. If you are serious about your application and you want the best in the business, this is it.

Why Fortuna?
• Scalable offerings – Fortuna offers both hourly billing and comprehensive packages. My coach Sharon kindly indicated that hourly should be enough for me to achieve my goals, but I opted to go with the comprehensive one school package anyway because I felt I needed every edge I could get. This was important for me because it established a sense of trust early on. Sharon was not trying to talk me into anything I didn’t need and placed my best interest at the forefront early on.
• Top Talent – I had the please of meeting many of the coaches and directors throughout the process. Fortuna without a doubt has some of the most talented and well-connected staff in the game. Each coach has different strengths related to the application process, specific programs and geographies, so do your diligence upfront. You will also benefit from the cross-pollination of coaches e.g., I decided later in the process that I may toss an application at a European program and that week Sharon had me on the phone with the ex-admissions director for INSEAD.

Why Sharon?
If you have read Sharon’s Fortuna profile or other reviews, you know by now that she has an innate and unmatched ability to extract, polish, frame and re-frame individuality - the single most important element that your application should aim to embody: YOU. I will keep this short as other reviews have touched on this point – but if you value this trait, there is not another human being that can match her talent in this space. Period.
The reason I prefer to draw your attention to Sharon’s other attributes is that in my own coach selection, my only apprehension was in answering the question: is she too specialized in this individualization thing? What else will I get? Allow me to enlighten you:
• An exceptionally brilliant, charismatic human being: If you need as much help as I did, you are going to be spending a considerable amount of time with your coach. You want someone who you are not only comfortable with, but enjoy spending time with. Sharon is an absolute delight - her passion for her work and genuine interest in you make the long hours and difficult moments not only endurable, but enjoyable.
• A strategic thought partner: I had very little direction when Sharon agreed to work with me. I was not even able to articulate why I wanted an MBA or why I chose the schools I did. I don’t recommend anyone come in at ground zero as I did, but the point is: Sharon met me there with grace and asked the right questions to give me the direction I desperately needed.
• An insider’s perspective: Sharon has years of experience in academia, and specifically as an admissions director for a top ten program. Her ability to channel the perspective on the receiving end of the application and apply it to how your application will be perceived is invaluable.
• A source of energy and accountability: I was already working 60+ hours a week and I knew I needed someone to push me. I was upfront about this with Sharon, giving her the permission to push me hard when it was needed. She heard me and took on the role that I needed - pushing when it was time and counseling with clear eyes when I was overwhelmed and disoriented.
• Clear direction; direct and honest feedback: My favorite thing about Sharon – she is not afraid to be direct and honest. In retrospect, she saved me from some very bad essay, video, and resume ideas, and did so very quickly backing her position with strong reason and real-life examples. She is not abrasive, but she is very direct. If she senses you heading down the wrong path, she does not give you a long cryptic fable to take away chew on. Instead she gives you direct, honest, and logical feedback. When time is of the essence, this is a highly valuable trait.
• Value beyond the contract: Beyond providing the services outlined in the Fortuna contract, Sharon is willing (within reason) to operate outside of scope. This was never anything I asked for or expected. For example: I shared that I was working with my organization to further develop our Inclusion and Diversity framework and principles. Later that night I had three perfectly relevant research papers in my inbox as well as an offer to connect me to the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for a top five MBA program.

To conclude, the best way I know how to help you understand Sharon, is by referencing an artist at work - as this is what she truly is. She can step back and see your canvas from a far, coming back the next day to add some hatching there, some shadowing there, and sfumato where it’s needed. She will continue to do this, sometimes unnoticeably, until the end when you view the entirety of the application for the first time and realize just how polished and harmonic each component has become.

Read More

I was fortunate enough to work with Sharon as I navigated the MBA application process. I worked with her during Round 2 of this past cycle (2020 – 2021). From the start, I decided to apply to five of the “Top 10” MBA programs in the US. And, with her help I was able to get interviews at three of them getting accepted into my target school!

Sharon’s support and honest feedback allowed me to portray my uniqueness in my essay and through the rest of my application. Additionally, because of experience in admissions I was able to tailor my applications to each of the schools I targeted.

Some of the major actions Sharon took for my success were the following:
- She reviewed my profile and helped me come up with a strategy for each of the schools I was targeting.
- She defined a clear timeline for my application deliverables (especially helpful with recommendation letters).
- Her approach and coaching strategy provided accountability for me to stick to my deadlines.
- She went above and beyond providing extensive feedback to the multiple iterations of my essays.

All of the above Sharon did while being positive, supportive and someone who I really enjoyed working with. Again, I couldn’t recommend more working with her. She was organized and clearly on top of things.

Read More

My experience with Sharon was excellent! I struggled with confidence regarding my MBA profile; although I have a strong GMAT and high GPA, going into the process, I had very poor work experience (0 promotions, long layoff periods, no brand name companies, and low salaries), non-existent extra curriculars, and I am a male ORM. I viewed myself as pretty unremarkable, with nothing unique to write about and that showed in my essays. During R1, I got 0 interviews from any of the 6 T15 schools where I applied.

Working with Sharon, I was able to use her suggestions to pinpoint what my essays were lacking. Through her guidance, I discovered that things in my past, that I viewed as unremarkable, could be leveraged into storytelling that would appeal to admissions committees. I incorporated these experiences into my Round 2 essays, texting and emailing Sharon practically everyday as deadlines neared to quell my insecurities - she kept me in a positive mindset and kept me on the right track. I ended up with interview invitations to all 5 T15 schools that I applied to in Round 2, resulting in 2 Waitlists, and 1 acceptance with a generous scholarship. I attribute some of this success to also doing comprehensive interview preparation with Sharon - she helped me focus on what would be important to convey and what would be important to emphasize at the programs where I interviewed.

Aside from the noticeable improvements in my applications, I think the best thing about working with Sharon was the mental support she provided me. When I was looking for a consultant, I actually had a company tell me that I had no shot at any of the schools I was targeting, stating my work experience as the biggest downfall. Sharon was very supportive of my aspirations, reassuring me that my profile was solid and my story will be strong enough to gain admissions to a competitive and selective b-school.

Read More