Right off the bat, I will say that I am not a great applicant (M7 was definitely not in the cards for me) and am very pleased with my end result.

In round 1, I initially opted away from SBC because of the very formal (almost corporate) approach it appeared the company took in my initial phone call with the company. For some reason, it rubbed me the wrong way and I chose a different consultant. However, my initial phone call with Ryan stuck in the back of my head and when I reevaluated for R2, I chose SBC. The one school I was particularly interested in for round 2 was Cornell and for that reason, Ryan (a former Parks scholar and Cornell Johnson MBA grad) was the deciding factor.

As a Cornell grad, Ryan perfectly outlined what I needed to do on the schools unique essays, something that gave me a ton of comfort. On the multiple reversions of my essays, he outlined tips and verbiage he used to land a full scholarship to the school. In fact, we made such progress in each iteration and thus, saving such time, that I was able to use a large chunk of my 5-hour purchase for another school. In comparing the final essays I turned in R2 to the failed essays (again, done with another consultant) turned in R1, it is quite clear the sizable talent gap between Ryan/SBC and other consultants... Literally night and day between the two finished products. The truth is, anyone reading this review is here to get RESULTS out of an admissions consultant. To this end, I firmly believe if I did not switch to SBC I do not think I would have gotten into Cornell (my interview at the school was awful so it is clear admissions thought highly enough of my application and essays to accept me anyway).

I will get out the little "bad" that there was as well. As I was on an hourly service, I am not sure if it was as a function of the corporate culture at SBC or not, but every minute of time spent on email exchange, even if it was for simple clarity on a previous confusing email, was tracked and charged. I walked away from a few iterations feeling a little nickel and dimed, but hey this is a business.

Again overall, could not be more pleased. If you are considering any school in that 9-16 range, especially Cornell, I FIRMLY think you should at least give Ryan a call... his expertise led to my acceptance.

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I did a lot of diligence going into the process, researching and speaking to probably about 10 different consultants. Being sold by so many different consultants, I really wanted true honesty from a consultant. It seemed like every initial phone conversation I had I was being told I could get into H/S/W. Fortuna separated themselves right off the bat in that regard offering me what I felt was an objective and realistic assessment of my chances at various schools.

I signed up for the comprehensive school package for 3 schools. Fortuna touts themselves as the "premium" option amongst their peers. Their ability to do this stems from the unique set up and group of talent at the firm. The core group of founders at Fortuna all have the highest qualifications (all ex admissions directors) and at minimum review the application for submission. The consultant you work with has daily dialogue with that core group regarding your application.

Catherine specifically went to extra lengths to help me. As we both live in the same city, she met every Saturday for about a two month stretch at a local Panera as I felt it was easier to work in person.

I am not sure if its because they are a newer firm with few clients but I received far more attention I expected. Another firm touts "48 hour email response time"... Catherine never took longer than 4 hours. I had an equally accommodating experience scheduling spur of the moment phone calls to review a question.

Overall very happy. If you are reading this, you are likely questioning why almost every consultant has 5 stars and probably questioning the legitimacy of said reviews. For what its worth, take it from me and give Fortuna a shot- it paid off for me.

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