When I was weighing my options on whether or not to get an MBA, I was making really really good money. However, it wasn't what I ultimately wanted to do long term and knew that I needed to go back to school to ultimately get me into a more challenging and beneficial (long term role). For an MBA to worth my time, I knew I would have to get into a top ranked program. However, there was one serious problem with doing so: I had a terrible undergraduate GPA - A whopping 2.5. Something I never thought I would be able to overcome. I spoke to numerous admissions consultants through the free consultations they offer who advised me that while it was certainly possible to get into a top 30 program, that I shouldn't get my hopes up. Queue the scene from Dumb and Dumber where Lloyd Christmas says "So you're saying there's a chance" and that's about how I felt at that moment.

So that's when the work started:
I took an MBA math class to provide an alternative transcript (receiving an A) and I started studying earnestly for the GMAT. Target Test Prep (and Catherine at Fortuna,but more about her later) literally changed my life. While I was nearing the end of my test prep through TTP, Scott with TTP sent out an email recommending Fortuna Admissions consulting. Because I had a very low undergrad GPA (2.5), I knew that I had to hire an admissions consultant to give me a fighting chance at a top program. I reached out to Fortuna and spoke to Catherine Tuttle who gave me a sober but simultaneously encouraging outlook on my admissions chances. I ultimately chose to work with Fortuna and namely Catherine Tuttle because of the overwhelming majority of former admissions officers that are on staff there. I mean it was a serious peace of mind knowing that the former director of admissions at Wharton was reviewing my apps before I clicked submit. I needed real insight and I felt the best way to get INSIGHT was through someone who had actually been on the INSIDE.

We discussed my GMAT tests scores (710, good but not anything remarkable) , work experience, etc; and she encouraged me to actually aim higher than I had previously thought was possible (based on previous conversations with admissions consultants and forums like reddit). Catherine helped me pick the perfect amount of reach, target, and safety schools (ranging from 10th to 25th rankings). She was particularly valuable in helping me navigate the relative strengths of the individual programs for which I was applying and also in recommending programs that I had not previously considered. In fact, I will actually be matriculating at a program to which she recommended to me. Catherine was absolutely instrumental in helping me craft my "story" as well as the navigating minutia of MBA admissions such as networking with students, reviewing essays, picking recommenders, etc. Because of Catherine's help, I will be matriculating at a top 20 program this fall, something I never thought was possible 12 months ago.

So if your profile doesn't fit the box for the program you are shooting for, I highly highly highly recommend Fortuna. Yes, admissions consultants can be expensive, but you get what you pay for. However, in the scheme of things, that cost is nothing compared to the opportunity cost of missing work for 2 years and the cost of tuition. You might as well have peace of mind knowing that you are going to the best school possible. Ultimately, I was admitted to a top 20 program and multiple top 25's (with scholarship). My story is an admissions miracle that I know for a fact that would have not happened without Catherine Tuttle's help.

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I can remember the exact moment that I had discovered Target Test Prep. I had been using the Economist GMAT course for about a month (primarily for quant, because my verbal was decent) and I had taken a practice test and actually scored lower than my diagnostic. I am not one to panic, but I was truly at stress level 1000. I was learning some tricks and overall strategies, but really felt like I was not getting a deep mastery of the content and also thought that I would never truly understand the GMAT material.

In a panic induced set of google searches, I stumbled upon a Reddit forum where people had been praising Target Test Prep. I started a trial and even reached out to the team at TTP asking if it was even possible for me to get to 700+ with a baseline of 27. They were very reassuring that if I just took the time and went through the course, that I would be fine. I really needed that confidence boost to know I wasn't about give up my entire life for an endeavor that was in vain. I trusted them and put in the work. I don't know that I've ever had to work at something so hard in my life. It took me significantly longer than the "3 months" that you see people post about.

I had read so many times that what makes the GMAT so difficult is that you can't really study for it. That is nothing farther from the truth. It is just incredibly difficult to study for it. However if you put in the work, you can certainly do it. Additionally, even though I only maxed out at a 45 in the official test, I was scoring 49's pretty consistently on the practice tests and I think anxiety just got the better of me. And when I would review my missed questions, I would always know how to solve them. I think if I would have had time to take the test a couple more times, I would have easily gotten a 49 or 50+.

Long story short: just start with Target Test Prep and save yourself the trouble of using anyone else. It's not a short cut, but it is a key to acing the GMAT. Overall a 230 point improvement from where I started (including verbal).

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