Melissa Jones

I can’t imagine what the application process would have been like without the Fortuna team. They made everything tangible, and much more enjoyable even from the first call. The entire process was an adventure in itself and helped me gain a better understanding of myself including my strengths and weaknesses as well as my goals. I worked with both Melissa Jones and Emma Bond- a great duo. They are both extremely professional and helpful, had great insights on the process, paid great attention to detail and knew how to position my profile in the best way possible. They went above and beyond to help me prepare for my interviews and always available for questions. I know I was successful with my applications because of Fortuna and am extremely thankful I made the decision to work with them. I highly suggest working with them.

I can’t even put into words how amazing Melissa was during my whole MBA application process. She guided me through every step and always gave me invaluable advice. Melissa got to know me very well, both from a professional and personal standpoint, so when I started thinking about what to include in the MBA essays she was really able to help me pinpoint the most compelling stories that really showcased my strengths.
Melissa was always very responsive on email and available to help whenever I had a question. She is also extremely knowledgeable when it comes to the top MBA programs – especially INSEAD.
I would highly recommend the comprehensive MBA package.

After conversing with Matt and Melissa, it was clear to me that Fortuna would meet me where I was (schools selected and story roughly drawn out) and take my ideas to the next level. I thoroughly enjoyed working with Melissa who is efficient and proactive and provides thoughtful guidance relevant to the programs. She demonstrated knowledge of the difference between programs and connected me to resources that eventually would help me make my decision. After working hard on the applications and interviews I was able to secure a spot at my top choice MBA program in Europe. Massive thanks to Matt and Melissa for being there throughout the process!

Even if you have a strong sense of story and have zeroed onto your top choices, I highly recommend Fortuna and Melissa to hone your message and put your best possible case on the table. It makes all the difference.

Melissa was a pleasure to work with from day one, and having her there to answer questions and provide feedback on my work was an invaluable “safety net” to have throughout the process. Fortuna was incredibly professional from the first evaluation call, to their comprehensive profile evaluation, all the way through essay and application stage. In the beginning, I was having trouble deciding which schools to apply to. Fortuna gave me very honest guidance and valuable insight (GMAT score minimums, etc.) that saved me countless hours of time by not applying to a school I would have had no chance of being accepted to. I also really appreciated their process in that Melissa reviewed my whole application and made sure it was perfect, then my profile was reviewed by a director who used to be a dean of admissions at an ivy league school. I felt very confident once I passed all of those reviews, and sure enough was accepted to three of my four schools! Thanks Melissa and Fortuna.

After extensively looking for a consulting firm with the necessary experience to help me apply to the Top Canadian MBA programs, I finally decided to work with Fortuna Admissions. I worked with Melissa Jones, a consultant with solid experience helping students apply to the top business schools in Canada, and who demonstrated the necessary professionalism and attention to detail to submit the best possible applications. She used her expertise to guide me throughout the application process, from developing a compelling story that truly showcased my strengths, to helping me prepare for Skype interviews, asking relevant questions and providing feedback. Her responses were always very timely, which is a must-have in my opinion, especially when trying to meet school deadlines. There are many consultants that claim to have experience with Canadian schools, but in reality not many do. Melissa is one of the ones that do, and she can prove it.

I thoroughly enjoyed working with Fortuna team. Right from the first call to, the kick-off, to preparing my application with Melissa. She was extremely professional and informative; she knows her work. She spent a lot of time with me understanding about my journey in life and guided me to pick up the right stories. Melissa has a great attention to detail and was able to pick up the insights which even I didn’t know about me. I found the whole process to be very reflective. I got accepted for MIT Sloan and I don’t think I could have made it without Melissa.

I used Fortuna Admissions to help with the only school I was applying to last November. My experience was wonderful and Melissa provided help with areas I had not even considered. Melissa was compassionate to understand my unique situation and help me position my strengths to the best possible degree. In particular, I was very impressed with the approach Mellisa took to help me handle my recommendations. Pre-work in this regard help made the process pain free for my recommenders. I also had a lot of help during the interview process as I was able to do multiple mocks with Melissa over skype. I would definitely encourage anyone who is considering Fortuna to go ahead and take the plunge as the team really helped polish all aspects on my application !

Life has not been the same since being accepted at INSEAD, and I don’t want to imagine what it would have been like if I hadn’t been accepted. Prior to applying, my goal to get accepted to INSEAD was clear and I did not intend on taking any chances in this process, so I went with Fortuna. The full package is a little bit on the pricier side, however keep in mind that the consulting team that you will be working with have in depth insider knowledge regarding the application process and will safely guide you past many easy traps along the way. The package also includes one on one preparation for interviews with your consultant, a full resume review, and a lot of cheering from the sidelines! I am eternally grateful to the dream team. And a big thank you to the main lady Melissa.

I worked with Melissa at Fortuna Admissions for my successful application to INSEAD for the class of 17D. I had spent time developing my application and was unsure whether, in my case, a full admissions package was required. However I really wanted some feedback on my essay and my application in general. Fortuna’s hourly consultations was just the solution I needed. Less than ten minutes into my first phone call with Melissa, I knew I had made the right call. She provided an excellent background on the INSEAD process and provided clear guidance on the elements of my profile that fitted well with the school. This allowed me to tweak a few essays and submit a finished application confident in the knowledge that someone of Melissa’s experience had reviewed it. I cannot recommend working with Melissa highly enough; she is professional, responsive and hugely knowledgable of the INSEAD process (I can’t speak for other schools, but I imagine she excels at others as well!) Good luck in your applications!

I contacted Fortuna with a tight timescale to apply for R4, less than three weeks before the deadline. I talked first to Matt and it clicked quite well. He explained everything about the process and took way more time than the allotted 30 min free consultation (as opposed to other consultancies where I felt rushed), including acknowledging the shortcomings of my application and addressing my concerns with it. After our first conversation he proposed a custom hourly service plan which seemed very sensible to me, so I went ahead with it and started working with Melissa. Melissa took the time to go through all the data I provided and created a picture of me. During our phone and mail interactions we shaped that picture, with my draft essays and CV as starting point, to create a killer application. We chose on what to focus and dug in the areas that needed some more work. It was really easy to work with Melissa: she’s a very open individual, response times were really fast (despite a 6h time difference) and the recommendations were spot-on. We even had one hour left by the time I submitted the application, so we used that for my interview preparation, which was also really useful and efficient. All in all, A+ for Fortuna and specially Melissa!