Fortuna Admissions Admissions Consulting Reviews

Emma Bond was an amazing help through the MBA application process - she was extremely structured, assuring and responsive. I always looked forward to our consultation sessions and felt more confident of my application each time. She really took the time to understand me as a person and to make my personal voice stand out in my application. For both the written application and interview, felt that Emma's ample experience was so useful in providing valuable insights i could not get anywhere else. I got into a top 10 school, and couldnt have done it without Emma! Would strongly recommend her if you are looking for an admissions consultant!

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Working with Silpa was worth every $$ and then some more. I screened 5 different consultants and chose Silpa for a couple of reasons - (a) she was direct and supportive but to the point, without any sugarcoating - which is very suited to folks from Asian descent, (b) prior experience as a GSB reader and (c) recommended by a past GSB admit who worked with her.

The results speak for themselves - I was admitted to all 4 schools I worked with Silpa on - GSB(!!), Wharton, MIT and Kellogg. Also tweaked the same materials to apply to Columbia on my own and got in too!

Silpa was immensely accomodative with tight deadlines, especially during the two weeks before the deadlines. She took the time to understand my unique strengths, aspirations, and challenges, crafting a strategy that highlighted the best version of myself on paper, especially as a reapplicant to 3 of the 4 schools.

Her attention to detail and commitment to perfection ensured that every aspect of my application reflected my authentic self - making sure it were my words on the paper (so dont expect spoonfeeding!) but was an excellent editor and guide.

To anyone embarking on the challenging path of pursuing an MBA, I wholeheartedly recommend Silpa 100%.

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I recently had the pleasure of working with Melissa as my admissions consultant, and I am beyond impressed with the exceptional service and guidance I received throughout the entire process. From our first interaction to the moment I received my acceptance letters, Melissa demonstrated an unparalleled level of expertise, professionalism, and dedication.

Her in-depth knowledge of the admissions landscape, seamless and efficient communication/feedback, a genuine passion for my story truly sets her apart. Right from the beginning, she invested time in getting to know me – my academic background, professional experiences, aspirations, and unique qualities. This personalized attention was evident in the meticulously crafted application strategy tailored to highlight my strengths and address potential weaknesses.

I always felt supported and confident in the guidance I received. Choosing Melissa was one of the best decisions I made, and I am immensely grateful for the guidance that played a pivotal role in shaping my academic and professional future.

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One of my coworkers worked with Karen and recommended her to me. I feel incredibly lucky that I had the sense to take the recommendation and begin working with Karen. My job is time consuming and I only have limited time outside of work to spend on my application, and Karen’s guidance made it possible for me to work on my applications efficiently, while helping me represent myself as well as possible in the applications process.
From the start, Karen was an incredible source of knowledge in the applications process. She analyzed my resume and my background and suggested ways that I could take my disparate experiences and mold them into a cohesive and logical story. We worked together on revamping my resume to make it more friendly to the applications process, allowing it to showcase both my professional achievements and a bit of who I was outside of work.
Furthermore, Karen was incredibly diligent in helping me work through my essays. We would constantly come up with new essay ideas and look for every potential improvement that we could make, and by the end of the applications process, between the 5 schools I applied to, we had iterated through more than 100 draft essays!
Karen continued to work with me through the interview process, and helped me understand what the interviewers were looking for, and what I should be prepared to discuss. She was always available to jump on the phone, and we ran through a mock interview together and brainstormed how to approach Wharton’s team based discussion process. Thanks to Karen’s help, I felt confident going into each interview and never felt like there was a question I did not know how to address.
In summary, Karen provided structure to my applications process, put an incredible amount of time and effort into helping me, and enabled me to showcase my strengths as well as I could in the admissions process. I would strongly recommend working with Karen if you want the best results possible from your business school applications.

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Karen spent hours with me discussing my story and how to weave all the pieces together. She found ways to help me bring in seemingly disparate experiences I'd had under umbrella themes that gave me fodder for my essays, long and short. Ideating and working with Karen made the daunting process enjoyable, which I never thought I'd be able to say! We spent time getting to know each other and connecting which allowed Karen to help me tell my story and give me honest feedback when I needed it. Karen is so genuine, talented, and brilliant at what she does. I have told all of my friends to use Karen's services when they apply for MBAs, PhDs, and JDs in the future, and I hope Karen can help coach me throughout my career.

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For my MBA admissions I used Fortuna Admissions' services. I had a wonderful experience working with Melissa Joelson. She guided me in every step of my applications journey, right from the beginning to interview prep. She made sure she brought out the best of me. She thoroughly reviewed my life experiences, work experience, and made sure I convey the right things. She challenged me to focus on my WHYs and WHATs of MBA application process and beyond. She has experience working with diverse set of candidates and would be an amazing mentor for anybody looking to get into "tough to get into" category B-schools. Melissa was extremely friendly and empathized with my situations while pushing me to do more when I could. Overall, I am extremely satisfied with their services and recommend it to others as well.

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I work in a top tech company with quick progression, run a non-profit, and have mentors supporting my MBA decision. Despite this, I approached my profile with a significant concern: a low university GPA resulting from challenging personal circumstances. During this process, I consulted with three different companies. Jennifer spoke highly of Emma, and Emma was already the top consultant for 2023, so it was an easy decision! Emma is simply the best because of the following qualities: 1) a high level of understanding and empathy, 2) an extremely strong sense of ownership and high quality, 3) strong expertise (she is the best in the market, to be honest), 4) profound knowledge of MBA programs, the school selection process, etc., 5) a strong track record of delivering results. Emma dedicated extensive time to comprehensively understand my profile—my education, experiences, challenges, and successes. She then crafted an exceptionally strong branding and positioning strategy. Emma effectively highlighted my strengths and skillfully leveraged my weaknesses as areas for growth. Her attention to detail, unwavering dedication, and diligent approach contributed to the development of incredibly compelling applications. Emma's commitment remained consistent throughout the essay writing, interview preparations, offer selections, and scholarship applications. We worked together over nine months, and she maintained high quality and level of support. With over 20 years of experience, Emma stands out as the premier consultant in the market. She is the best out there in the market. Her deep understanding of the ideal personas and profiles sought by each school was invaluable. Furthermore, she was highly responsive, an excellent communicator, a strategic thinker, and a caring consultant. I worked with her on a 3-school package, but the application outputs and mentorship she gave allowed me to scale my application to more schools and increase my chances. My MBA journey was as much hers, and we received offers from 1xT7 US school and from 5xTop Europe MBA Schools (with offers for scholarships)! Emma wasn't just an MBA consultant to me; she became a mentor, advisor, and an immensely capable partner throughout this journey. She was advising me as if she were in my shoes, and she gave me incredible strength to go through the applications. She changed my life forever, and I am truly grateful. Looking back, I will work with her all over again, and can only highly recommend her to everyone!

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One of my friends had used Karen the year before I started my MBA apps, and recommended her to me. Looking back, taking that recommendation and hiring Karen was the single best choice I made through the entire MBA application process. A few key points about my experience with Karen:

1.) Karen is extremely skilled at helping you craft your story. I was unsure that my story would be particularly compelling to the admissions committee, and didn't know how to approach my essays. Karen took time to really get to know me and understand my background, and helped me write a story that was logical, memorable, and a great presentation of who I really am. I started out feeling like my essays and my personal story could be a weak spot in my application, and by the time we had finished them I felt the total opposite, that they were the strength of my application.

2.) Karen is an absolute professional. She is always quick to respond, thorough, and willing to help with any question that I had (I had many). Her calendar is available to you as a client and you can enlist her help with anything that comes up, which is an invaluable resource. She is also with you every step of the way, including comprehensive interview prep after the applications are submitted.

3.) Lastly, Karen is a great person and a pleasure to work with. I had a lot of fun brainstorming and bouncing ideas off of her on our many zoom calls. You can tell she takes great pride in her work and truly enjoys helping people reach their dreams of attending a top business school.

If you are considering applying to MBA programs, hiring Karen is the best choice you could make. I knew next to nothing when I started the process and was totally rudderless, but Karen got me on track and helped me create an application that was better than I'd ever imagined it could be. If your goal is attending a top business school, hiring Karen is the best investment you can make.

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Silpa was an amazing consultant for me. She helped me get into some top programs and was willing to go above and beyond in helping me. I really appreciated all her help and would definitely recommend her to others! If it wasn't for her help and strategy, I probably wouldn't have gotten some of the MBA offers that I received. She was very kind and supportive along the way. Initially I was skeptical of whether or not I should spend money on this service but it was well worth it. Navigating business school apps is tricky and it always helps to have a consultant.

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Working with Melissa was an amazing experience. She assisted me in every part of the application process, helping me finding more about myself, making me feel more confident and changing the perspective I had about myself. Overall, it would be impossible for me to prepare on my own an application like the one I ended up submitting. The only resemblance between the original documents I wrote and the ones I submitted is the white background paper... She was tireless in getting the best of each sentence, trying to get the most of the story I was telling. Melissa kept pushing me to go deeper in every detail, which allowed me to write unique essays that truly reflected who I am. And it wasn’t just the writing. After preparing my interview with Melissa, the real interview with the admissions team felt like I was doing it for the second time. Melissa’s help was absolutely decisive for the success of my application to IESE!
Melissa was kind and patient, but at the same time she never allowed me to go out of focus, making it the perfect balance. At the end of this journey, Melissa is not ‘just’ the coach who helped me writing all the documents I needed. She is a person from whom I seek real advice and I whose opinion I completely trust. My application process has just ended and I already miss my meetings with her…

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