Melissa Jones

Amazing experience of working with Melissa and an admit from my top choice school!

I had applied for MBA previously and was rejected. I am 32 so on the higher side for FT MBA, have already been in a leadership role at a big automotive firm for a few years and was transitioning into running my own startup full-time. However, I just had this itch for wanting an FT MBA and decided a month or two before the deadlines last year that I wanted to give it a shot again. MBA has been a lifelong dream for me and I just had to pursue an MBA.

Before I go down the memory lane, thanks to Melissa and her hard work I have received admit to a top B school with a scholarship in a year that has been incredibly difficult for applicants especially international applicants given the deferrals from the previous year.
I had talked to Mandira at Fortuna a while ago and had gotten a good feeling about Fortuna (positive first impression). After reaching out to Mandira again, she asked me to work with Melissa and Judith (director).

Melissa was very friendly and was always available. She really understood what really mattered to me and what made my story different and unique. Every now and then she would bring up points to use from my story which I was overlooking or feeling weren’t important. She is so much more than just an admissions consultant. She is one of those few people you would want to stay connected with forever.

Melissa and Judith worked great as a tag team. They helped me formulate my strategy for applications, narrow down on schools, write essay and applications and prep for interviews, and all the other gazillion things that go along with the process.

Because I was so late in the game, I was often worried about finishing my applications by the deadline but Melissa always pleasantly surprised me by her wealth of knowledge and by pulling us out of tight spots. As I was behind on my school research Melissa helped narrow down the resources for me at the particular schools. Even though we were in a time crunch, Melissa never skimped on the quality of work. We wrote and re-wrote until the essays and answers felt perfect.

Another aspect that I would like to mention about Fortuna is that they work great as a team in how they distribute the tasks and manage the applications as a project management task.

I would highly recommend Melissa to anyone applying for MBA. She made the journey from beginning to end (an offer) really enjoyable.

When I started thinking about Business School, I knew having the right coach would be essential. Coming from an engineering background and having non-traditional goals post-MBA, I needed someone who could highlight specific traits in my application and help me craft my story. Due diligence and research led to countless calls with consultants, but I never found the right fit – until I talked to Melissa.

From our very first engagement, Melissa prompted me in ways that made me reflect more and understand myself better – a reflection that ultimately led to acceptance offers from Top US and European schools. Despite an extremely competitive application cycle, Melissa’s continual support, approachable character, and candor feedback kept me motivated, engaged, and on-point.

If you’re set on business school, make sure to get guidance not just from someone who can craft your story, but from someone who can help you look inward and introspect. Melissa is that person.

Melissa and the Fortuna Team were instrumental in helping me achieve acceptance to my dream MBA program, CBS. Melissa provided fantastic support throughout the application process, helping with identifying the key themes I wanted to highlight across the application, starting with crafting my story through the essays, resume support and tailoring, and excellent guidance that was really beneficial to navigating the sometimes opaque MBA admissions process. I would highly recommend Melissa and team to any prospective MBA applicant.

Melissa is, without a doubt, a rockstar of the admissions consultants out there, and I have nothing but excellent words to say about my experience working with her.
In only a week, Melissa turned my CV and Essays upside down. She was extremely focused and committed to polishing every detail of my application in such a short time. She always believed in the potential of my candidacy from the very beginning and was always supportive. Even after our official guidance ended, she stuck by my side, guiding me and never letting me go until she knew I got in my dream school. And even at that moment, she was there to celebrate the conquer with side me.
I reflected on my strengths and weaknesses in a way that I’ve never done before! Melissa’s commitment, devotion, and care throughout the whole process were truly unique. Feeling the support of a person who is 8 hours away from me, always available to answer my e-mails, is something I will never forget.
Working with Melissa and Fortuna was the best decision that I made and was a key to turning my dream school into a reality. Thank you, Melissa!

Melissa is undoubtedly the best admissions consultant out there and I have nothing but A+++ words to say about my experience working with Melissa and the entire Fortuna team. Hire her now!!

From the start, Melissa invested a lot of time to get to know me, to understand my grad school goals, and to learn about all of my past work/life experiences so that we could shape the best narrative possible for my application. Throughout the entire process (from initial calls to essay prep to mock interviews), Melissa was extremely thorough, always had my best interest in mind, was very responsive, and provided honest and direct feedback, all while making you feel confident, supported, and motivated. Melissa truly wants you to succeed as much as you do.

Melissa also has an unwavering belief in her clients, and she will stick by your side to help you get to your top B school, no matter how long it takes. Trust me… it took me over a year to get an application worthy GMAT score and Melissa was providing guidance and cheering me on the entire time.

Working with Melissa was the best decision that I made applying to grad school and was the key to turning my dream school into a reality. Thank you, Melissa!

If you’ve come across Melissa through your due diligence, then you’ll have likely already read that she is one of the best admissions consultants in the market. If you haven’t done much due diligence yet, then let me tell you why I think Melissa IS the best admissions consultant in the market:

I was very thorough in my initial search of consultants, turning over every rock under the admissions consultant sun. I decided to move forward with Melissa for a few reasons. First, she offered the richest insights into the schools I was targeting, as they related to my profile and interests. Second, she provided me with a clear picture of what it would take for me to be in a good position to gain acceptance to my target schools. Third, her insights are based in her vast experience as a former admissions committee member of a top program and also from her experience of working with countless hopefuls like myself. Lastly, and most importantly, I decided to work with Melissa because of a referral from someone, who I really trust, who was confident that working with Melissa would see me get the school acceptance that I was working so hard towards.

My profile: a lofty goal of getting accepted to a top MBA program, a low GMAT score (50 points less than the average score for the program), several career changes within 10 years that included a five-month backpacking trip, a non-target undergrad with a low GPA, a few years older than the class’ age average, and I was on a tight timeline. Oh yeah, my partner was also applying to the same MBA, so I had to somehow weave that into my story, too.

As you can tell, I didn’t need a consultant – I needed a miracle. Luckily, Melissa was just that.

Without Melissa, I would have surely struggled to weave my winding career choices into a strong and cohesive story. She went the extra mile(s) to see it through. Melissa’s support was unwavering and vital in helping me accomplish my goal: acceptance to a top MBA school.

Melissa’s approach is equal parts science and art. First, she uses a tried and true process that will get your full story on paper. Next, she provides a touch of genius that helps you highlight your traits/strengths/weaknesses that will help you stand out. The end result is a concise, unique, and noticeable narrative that the admissions committee NEEDS to see from your profile in order for you to overcome the very low odds of getting an interview. Simply, she is dialed into a frequency for preparing admissions applications that is remarkable – hard stop.

Above all, Melissa wants to see you succeed as much as you want to see yourself succeed.

In sum, Melissa has earned her stellar reputation from helping prospective students reach the highest of MBA heights; you’ll be very fortunate and grateful to have the opportunity to work with her.

I’m ELATED to be admitted to my dream school INSEAD. And, I owe it to Melissa and the Fortuna Team. Though I had a strong GMAT score and competitive work experience, I did have weaknesses in my profile that I was concerned about. Before approaching Melissa, I was struggling to piece together my story. Melissa was very helpful and candid in helping me figure out what made me unique (not easy to do for an Indian Male Engineer). Above all, she is an extremely good listener! In fact, I had ignored a hobby of mine as irrelevant to the application, but she was able to turn it into a key strength. She peacefully takes the time to understand YOU and your story. I really appreciated that! Also, her years of experience working in the INSEAD admissions committee shone through our journey. I’m sure this will prove to be an invaluable asset for anyone working with her. Throughout the process, I found her to be very approachable, dedicated, candid, and reassuring. I wholeheartedly recommend her as an MBA consultant and I’m positive that she will help you put your best foot forward in your MBA application journey.

My experience with Melissa was excellent, from our initial consultation to my last email sent prior to receiving my university acceptance letter. Melissa was fully invested during the entire process, always making herself available when required. Melissa and the Fortuna team helped shape my application in ways I would never have considered. I can honestly say that Melissa and her team played a material role in my application process. A GMAT score is a material component to an MBA application but telling your story in an effective manner is even more important – Fortuna was instrumental to that process. I would highly recommend Melissa to anyone looking for help with their application.

I can’t thank Melissa enough to make my dream of going to INSEAD come true! Working with Melissa is extremely insightful, inspiring, yet painless because she brings years of experiences, top-notch expertise, and absolutely amazing work ethic and professionalism.

First, Melissa listens. You may think that you just have a great conversation with a friend, but after the conversation, she can strategically turn your talking points into suggested key themes for the essays that fit into schools’ selection criteria seamlessly.

Second, Melissa can quickly understand your strengths and weaknesses and customize her way of working with you accordingly. With limited word counts for the application, she knows clearly what stories can show your best qualities, what stories to cut/or how to make them more concise. She makes sure that what you want to convey and what makes you stand out nicely show in your essays in a way that’s written in your own tone and that touches the readers/adcom naturally.

Moreover, Melissa gently pushes you. She’s so experienced in the application process that she knows when to do what makes the process most efficient and effective. She always gently reminded me of the timing and the key elements in the application package. Even with a very tight deadline, I was able to turn around my INSEAD application in less than 2 weeks and CBS and GSB’s application in a week. This all can happen because Melissa got back to me VERY quickly, and don’t waste time on things wouldn’t work in the final product.

Lastly, Melissa would encourage you while giving you very honest feedback when necessary. She makes sure that you stay true to yourself in your essays without having the pressure in trying to write what the adcom wants to read.

I can’t be happier that I got into INSEAD in the last round (even with not competitive scores) and also CBS/LBS with scholarship. Thanks to Melissa that I’m heading to France and Singapore to experience my MBA adventure in a few months!

Melissa is very helpful and made sure to guide on every aspect of my application to form a coherent narrative. She was also quite encouraging throughout the process, which made the application journey a very smooth experience!

My MBA journey started with a free consultation call for many international MBA consultants. Being an Indian male engineer with an avg GMAT score, none of the consultants made me feel confident that I could make it to my dream school INSEAD. To many of them, INSEAD was not within reach and I was recommended to have a package for 4-5 schools.
And then I had a call with Matt from Fortuna. We had an hour discussion and within minutes, he highlighted the skills that I have to secure a place in Fontainebleau. He was so confident in my profile and was so optimistic towards my dream, not for a second he made me feel that INSEAD was not in reach. That confidence I got from the call with Matt changed my outlook and I was so positive, it made me realize that MBA is way beyond the GMAT test and I could leverage the strong professional experience I have and turn it into an excellent application.
Then, I got lined with Melissa, and I can’t say enough about her as a coach. She is an encyclopedia for INSEAD. She knows exactly what the school is looking for. Like Matt, she has focused only on my strengths throughout the process. Though the stories and achievements were mine, the way she helped me display those in the application made a real difference. She is very honest, and at all times she provided her genuine feedback and support. I was intrigued by her knowledge of the INSEAD admission process. She took my mock interview and my actual interview was the replica of the mock. I can say for certain that if INSEAD is your dream school, then Melissa is a no-brainer.
Lastly, I would highly recommend Fortuna Admissions to the prospective applicants if you are looking for a consultant to get into your dream school. Fortuna has all the ingredients to make your dream true!

I have an extremely busy workload and was apprehensive about the process of applying to a top EMBA program. From the beginning till the end, Melissa provided the sort of steady guidance that I needed to get across the finishing line. In addition to being thoughtful, responsive and encouraging, she was extremely patient with all the (internal) deadlines that I kept missing! She understood my strengths and worked with me to bring them out in my resume and essays. More than anything, she gave me the confidence to stay focused and keep going. In the end, I was admitted to a top global EMBA program with a scholarship. I cannot recommend Melissa highly enough.

At first, I reached out to Stacy Blackman consulting for a free consult. My test scores were borderline, and I didn’t come from a traditional background or company that produces many MBAs to top b-schools. I specifically asked the consultant about one top-5 program, in particular, hoping they could help “handicap” my odds at acceptance. Sadly, I was told point-blank I’d be better off looking at tier 2 schools. That experience left me feeling dejected, questioning whether I even had a shot at my dream school…

Enter Fortuna! My initial discussion with Matt Symonds was slated to take an hour but we ended up chatting for around two! He assured me that not only did I have a shot, but that I was a strong candidate. I could tell that to Fortuna, I wasn’t just a set of numbers to be plugged into some arbitrary formula that would decide whether or not I was a good candidate, but rather a unique individual with a story to tell.

Matt lined me up w/ Melissa, and I can’t say enough about her as a coach. Melissa is a Rockstar! She has this amazing ability to be brutally open and honest in a way that helps you peel back the inconsequential and focus on your core strengths and abilities, highlighting who you truly are. She was extremely thorough in gathering all the data and helped me realize that specific experiences and aspects of my background that I thought were insignificant would really resonate with the adcom. In all honesty, if you don’t end up hiring her as an admissions consultant consider hiring her as a life coach, she’s that good!

Long story short, I was accepted to my dream program, and I’m positive that Melissa and the team at Fortuna played an integral part in making it happen!

Deeply knowledgeable on the business school admissions process, Melissa provided me with some very detailed and constructive feedback on how to best showcase my professional accomplishments in my essays & resume, and stand-out to the admissions committee. She also helped structure my essays to highlight my key personal achievements and put forth a well-balanced view of my personality; ultimately helping me make it to the interview shortlist. Subsequently, she also provided me with a lot of resources and guidance on how best to prepare for the interview, and present myself on the day.

Extremely professional in her work, Melissa was always quick to get back with her reviews without compromising on the quality of her inputs, yet being very friendly and extremely approachable at all times. It was an absolute pleasure working with her, and can only offer my highest levels of recommendation for her work. I will always be grateful to her for helping me get admitted into my dream b-school.

I was anxious about writing essays and interviewing for the top-tier school that I targeted. Melissa helped me tailor my essays to tell a compelling story that demonstrated why I was a great fit for the school. Despite heavily marking up my early drafts, Melissa was always positive and encouraging. Knowing that she truly believed in me gave me the confidence to continue pushing until I had the best possible application. Melissa also provided great feedback on my essays that helped me present my best self to the admissions committee. I also did a mock Skype interview with Melissa, which was extremely helpful in building my confidence and interviewing skills. Her questions were also very predictive of the questions I faced in my actual interview. Thanks to Melissa, I was accepted to my target school, with a scholarship.

Melissa is an incredible expert! I was very lucky to be coached by Melissa! Throughout the entire process, not only the essays and the resume, her expertise, her continuous support, and encouragement were crucial. She was able to stand out all the key points of my background to shine my application and to get me admitted in my dream school – top us MBA program. She is always relevant and very perfectionist. Beyond the final result, the experience with Melissa was also unique because it allowed me to know myself better. All of these thanks to Melissa.Thank you very much Melissa for your terrific job!

I was nervous about applying the top-tier school I was targeting with the experience I had, but Melissa helped me tailor my resume and essays to articulate why my experience was a fit for the school. Through speaking with her about my experience, she helped pinpoint certain things I should include in my resume and essays, and also helped me identify the best examples to use in my essays so that my responses were relevant and professional. I had paid for I think 3 hours of services and still had ~20 minutes left over after resume and essay editing, so we used it to do a mock Skype interview, which was super helpful in practicing and knowing what types of questions to expect. I was accepted to my target school, with a scholarship.

I highly recommend working with Melissa Jones. I feel fortunate to have benefited from Melissa’s expertise, guidance, and encouragement. I was recently admitted to my top choice of a top-tier business school and Melissa’s support was critical to me achieving my long-term goal.

Melissa is the ultimate professional and will provide you with invaluable support as you navigate the often daunting business school admissions process. Melissa’s objective perspective on my application and ideas about areas for improvement were helpful as it provided me with a clear idea about what I needed to work toward. Melissa was also extremely patient, as she reviewed and provided feedback on multiple iterations of my application. She was always so encouraging and I appreciated her honesty.

As well, Melissa, along with the Fortuna team, have developed valuable internal processes that will provide you with the structure you need to successfully navigate the business school applications process. Part of this included a review of my CV, and Jody, Fortuna’s resume expert, along with Melissa, provided me with feedback that enabled me to develop a compelling CV that complemented my essays. I have nothing but positive things to say about my experience working with Melissa.

Working with Fortuna was a great experience overall. My first Skype call with Matt went for 1.5 hours and we walked a lot about my background and the potential coaches he thought would be a good fit. I had my first discussion with one of the Fortuna coaches but didn’t really feel any connection with them. After I provided feedback to Matt, he organized another discussion with Melissa. (All of this before I had paid anything!)

I had an excellent experience working with Melissa. She helped me identify the strongest aspects of my personal story and craft a coherent, concise and strong application. She always responded promptly to my communications and worked within my own timelines.

I only applied for INSEAD and Melissa shared with me INSEAD specific insights and Fortuna material crafted specifically for INSEAD applicants as well. In the end, I was accepted to my dream school and am very thankful for Melissa’s support on my journey.

Melissa has done an excellent job helping me crafting perfect essays and CV, which led to admission to two top European BS. She was also very helpful in fast reviewing my works with tight deadlines.
I have really enjoyed working with her, and I would definitely recommend her!

I really enjoyed working with Fortuna in general, and with Melissa as my coach. My first phone conversation with Matt was extremely insightful and he gave me a very realistic view of how my profile would fit with each of my target schools and which areas of my profile were great fits and which areas I would need to make sure to polish. My top school was INSEAD and working with Melissa, who had previously worked with the school in Admissions, was really great. She knew so much about what the school was looking for and helped me shape my personal story and organize and portray my accomplishments in the way that would make my profile most appealing to the school. Melissa and the Fortuna team were extremely detail oriented, helping me make sure my C.V. and essays were perfect after multiple rounds of revisions and really knew how to help me present my story in the best way possible. The work I did also made all of my other applications and later the video and in-person interviews that much easier because I had already done the hard work and soul searching and was very clear about my reasons, my future path, and my message for business school. Anyone considering if a consultant or spending the money is worth it to help them get into business school, I would highly recommend Fortuna, and especially Melissa if you’re targeting INSEAD. Without the professionalism and clear guidance I received, I wouldn’t have gotten accepted into my European MBA program!

When I decided to apply to INSEAD, I knew that I would need expert guidance for the application journey. I reached out to a handful of admissions consultants, but Fortuna Admissions stood out for me because of its ‘dream team’ of former admissions directors from top business schools, especially from those outside the US. Who would be better placed to offer MBA admissions advice than the MBA admissions gatekeepers themselves?
After reaching out to Fortuna, I was subsequently paired with Melissa and during our first call, she thoroughly reviewed and analyzed my profile, providing a fair assessment of my strengths and weaknesses from an admissions director perspective. She then helped to develop an overall application strategy that would not only highlight my strengths but also compensate for my weaknesses.
Melissa’s insight helped me to navigate the essay writing and video interview parts of the application. INSEAD requires a relatively large number of essays – about 7 essays – some of which have no word limits. As a result, it was a challenge for me to select the best stories for these essays and communicate them in the best way possible. It was Melissa’s feedback on my draft essays that helped me to select, refine and communicate my story in a concise but impactful way. Melissa also prepped me for the video interview component of the application through a mock session. Her practical feedback, advise and suggestions helped me to improve my performance, boost my confidence and eventually succeed at the video interview stage.
I subsequently progressed to the face-to-face interview stage and although I did not purchase a detailed face-to-face interview prep package, Melissa shared INSEAD-specific interview prep materials which helped me to understand not only how to prepare for the interview but also how the interviews would be evaluated.
After the interview stage, I was placed on the waitlist and this was difficult news for me. Understanding the difficulty of the situation, Melissa offered lots of encouragement and this enabled me to maintain an optimistic outlook despite the uncertainty of the situation. Melissa then worked with me to craft and execute an effective waitlist strategy, and periodically checked in with me to monitor how things had progressed. Eventually, I was excited to receive an offer from the school with a scholarship!
Overall, I consider Melissa’s advice, insight and perspective to be critical to my successful application to INSEAD. She is a good listener, an encourager and great to work with. She showed that she was genuinely interested in my success as a candidate and I would highly recommend her services to anyone considering the INSEAD MBA.

I chose Fortuna because I felt like it has an unparalleled knowledge of European Business schools and I wasn’t disappointed!

Working with Melissa has been a pleasure: she was very available, responded fast and with customized suggestions. The thing I liked the best about her counsel is that the work that came out was very genuine and represented me 100%: pushing me gently, she brought out the best in me while keeping my authenticity.

Without her assistance, I would have not been as strong a candidate (admitted to all the schools I applied to) so I would definitely recommend her to any applicant.

It has been great to work with Melissa. Without her help, I would not get through all these troubles and get admitted by several great schools. She has provided insight and vision throughout the whole process–school list, essay, interview prep–with great patience and responsiveness. Her feedbacks are candid and direct, and she would guide you through the hard times. Beyond that, she would bring the Fortuna expert team to help you in every part of the process–it really feels like you have the whole team rooting for you. At the end of the day, I know that I gave everything I can during the application–thanks to Melissa. I would highly suggest working with Melissa: she would guild you through all–things expected and unexpected.

I had the pleasure of working with Melissa Jones at Fortuna regarding one of my applications for a top European business school (think INSEAD/ LBS). From the get-go, I knew that working with Melissa was the right choice, given the extremely fast turnaround, time took to respond to my general inquiry and application-specific emails. In terms of content, her feedback was always spot on, detailed, and personal. I could tell that her approach was very customized to my story and that she really took time to understand my background, my motive, and personal strengths & weaknesses. Melissa and Fortuna definitely met my expectations and I recommend her wholeheartedly.

Thanks to Melissa I got into my dream business school (Cambridge Judge) despite my low GMAT score, coming from a nontraditional background and having less than 1 week to draft my application to meet the deadline. It all started with one phone call with Matt Symonds. Fortunately, I was partnered up with Melissa as my coach and the rest is history. I had less than 1 week to draft essays, get my recommendation letters and draft my resume. Melissa was extremely understanding of the short timeline and supportive throughout the process. She was very responsive and quick in reviewing my essays and resume. When I got the interview invitation, I immediately signed with Melissa for interview prep. She was not only insightful about the interview process/questions but also boosted my confidence so I wouldn’t feel nervous during the interview
Whenever I had doubts about my stats and weaknesses, Melissa would be there encouraging me throughout the way. I honestly could not have asked for a better coach. Melissa is an amazing person and someone I would like to keep in touch. I’ll definitely recommend her and Fortuna Admissions to future MBA applicants.

I had an introductory call with almost each and every one of the top admissions consulting firms for my MBA.

After my initial introductory call with Matt – I was sure that Fortuna was the one with the best knowledge of the European schools (was looking specifically at French business schools) and “got” my story and would help me best present my application. Additionally, he was incredibly considerate of my budget and worked with me to create a package that would be just what I needed.

I worked with Melissa for the application – and right from the get-go was Wow’ed by the level of professionalism and knowledge of the application process of both herself and Fortuna.

Melissa was an incredibly helpful consultant and advisor, guiding me through the key steps of the application and always making the next step clear.
She was able to help me make my application shine -highlighting parts of my experience I had not considered and really ensuring a coherent and holistic application.

When busy and applying to multiple challenging processes – having someone that knows the process was crucial to reducing the stress and ensuring I was able to submit on time and with a strong application.

The results: offers from all schools I applied to – with maximum scholarships for my top two preferences.

My conversation with Matt was the deciding factor for me. Unlike other consultants in the business, he did not give me generic/standard responses; instead gave me recommendations that were applicable to me. At that moment itself, I was convinced that I would want to work with Fortuna.

INSEAD was my top choice and I’d taken the full package for INSEAD and Wharton. I started working with Melissa and from early on found myself catching up as she was always very prompt. Fortuna’s strategy session & questionnaire is awesome. It is as introspective as it can be and sets one up quite nicely for the entire process. One thing that stands out about Melissa is that she is very keen on keeping the application as authentic as possible. She was always available and usually came back with her edits/recommendations latest by the next working day. Melissa had probably the best insight into the admissions process from her previous experience at INSEAD and that was not only helpful for the application but also in understanding and connecting with the school.

As an Indian male working in tech consulting, I was in the most competitive pool of applicants and don’t think would’ve gotten in without Melissa’s help. The tool that Fortuna uses for submissions, communication, resources etc. is also commendable. It has a world of knowledge hosted there.

Melissa is the best coach I could ever have. She went above and beyond what I had expected. The full package is truly worth every penny.

From the initial free consultation call with Matt, I was amazed by his comprehensive knowledge of MBA programs I wanted to apply. After talking with him, unlike other consulting firms, I was able to see strengths and weaknesses in my profile and felt more confident in my application. He put together a detailed action plan very quickly and connected me with Melissa.

Melissa personally took the time to review all my data and all my drafts essays and CV. She was very responsive (within 24 hours) and insightful. Thanks to her, I was able to create killer applications that bring the best out of me and appeal to adcoms. With her honest feedback and encouragement, I overcame my fear of interviews.

I got admitted into my dream school with a hefty scholarship. Thanks Melissa and Fortuna!!

I had signed up for the Fortuna school package and was very fortunate to have Melissa as my coach. She certainly has unparalleled insight into the admissions process which is clear in her invaluable feedback on the essays.

However, I believe that Melissa’s true strength as a coach was her ability to get me through the self-doubt, writer’s block and the numerous other obstacles that had almost caused me to give up on the application entirely.

Melissa showed a balance of patience and persistent encouragement, intuitively knowing to send amazing motivational videos and mental hacks that helped me work through the things that were holding me back.

With her support, I actually ended up enjoying the application process and was very proud of the final result. I also got admitted into my dream school!

I could not have asked for a better coach.

She genuinely cared, was very insightful and knowledgeable, and showed diligent attention to the slightest detail.

Melissa, it was wonderful to work with you. Thank you so much!

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!

Working with Fortuna Admissions is probably the best decision I made during my MBA admission journey. I have a pretty competitive profile (Consultant / IT / Male / 30) and my GMAT was not stellar (680, well balanced) so I really needed someone to put my story in the best perspective as possible. Thanks to this collaboration I have been admitted to a top MBA! I had several free consultations with other competitors but I have to say that Fortuna made the difference since they took time to study my profile prior to our call and gave me meaningful advice even before we started working together. I chose the full package (essay + interview + scholarships support) and I was assigned to Melissa. She is really a great coach and gives useful advice. She perfectly knows what to say and not to say, how to say it, which is in a perspective of writing essays, priceless! She was very available (2 days in average for a full review of your essays depending on the quality) and I did not feel any uncomfortable situations, I could ask any questions I had, and she is really honest with you. The full package includes a full review of your file from Caroline Diarte Edwards, former director of admission at INSEAD, and her feedback was really important to ensure that your story is compelling enough and you did not miss anything important.

Melissa was definitely the perfect consultant for my aspirations. Her help was truly invaluable and I couldn’t have put together such a great application without her help. The process of working with Melissa was delightful, she made me realize that I had a great story to tell and awesome ideas I could develop further to make my application more attractive. Melissa was very fast in replying to my e-mails and answering my questions; she also took time to get to know me and knew exactly which aspects I should highlight. Working with a former admissions officer is a great advantage. Melissa is a great person and she made the whole process much easier and enjoyable. With her and Matt I was able to see that they really cared about my goal of getting into INSEAD, making it their goal too! Both of them were key in my admission to both INSEAD and Cambridge Judge. Their experience, availability and interest during the process gave me confidence to attractively show who I really am. Fortuna is really a great team of not only experts, but also people. I’m very happy of the process and results, I recommended INSEAD to a friend of mine and he’s impressed by how professional Fortuna’s team is. I would recommend anyone applying to and MBA to choose Fortuna to secure a place in their dream school.

Hi All, I wanted to write about my experience working with Fortuna through the MBA application process. I had worked in the US for 3.5 years in management consulting and was now looking for a more diverse and global experience for my MBA; upon doing my research, I decided that I only wanted to apply to INSEAD, LBS, and Cambridge; three very diverse and competitive schools. Since INSEAD and LBS were my top picks, and given how competitive they are, I was definitely seeking help and guidance on how to go about the application process. It only takes one google search to realize that Fortuna is really at the forefront, especially when it comes to European schools. I still went ahead and did the ‘free consultation’ with about four to five companies and it quickly became very apparent to me that Fortuna was the only one who was really respectful and mindful of my story and did not force a certain ‘success story’ in my application – rather, they looked for the unique factors in my own experiences. Despite being slightly late to the process, they managed to team me up with Carolina Diarte Edwards (previously an Admission Director at INSEAD) and Melissa Jones (former Assistant Admission Director at INSEAD). Needless to say, they knew exactly how to mold my experiences, exposures, and story to INSEAD’s requirements. INSEAD’s application is very detailed and they ensured I stayed on top of my work so that there were no last minute stresses. I spoke to Caroline once at the beginning and then worked with Melissa on a day-today basis; Caroline did, however, review almost each new edit I made to my essays, so essentially each of my essays had been reviewed by two very well-versed people countless times and within less than a 24-hour turnover mostly. Melissa was beyond responsiveness to each small query of mine. I am quite a type-A person and had a fair few push backs to suggested edits etc., in which case Melissa, very patiently, worked diligently with me to get to an optimal solution. In my application submission nervousness, I also had quite a few last minute nervous questions, in which case Melissa almost held my hand to the submission button, even though we were in different cities, and reaffirmed me that I had worked very hard on my application and was ready! Once I got an interview scheduled with the INSEAD alumni, Melissa quickly scheduled an hour session for the two of us to do a mock-interview and really just hit-the-nail-on-the-head with the prep and feedback she provided me. All-in-all, Melissa is unbelievably approachable, knowledgeable, diligent, and respectful, and it really was a dream-team to work with her and Caroline on INSEAD. As for LBS, again they both knew a lot; I almost had a writer’s block for one of the essays, and they pretty much helped me create a flow diagram in my head to attack the question at hand. As with INSEAD, the process was extremely smooth and their guidance was only too valuable to successfully put together and complete a fairly challenging application. The amazing difference with the LBS process, however, was that Melissa actually got me in touch with her colleague, who was a former LBS admissions director; Emma Bond made time immediately for me and was absolutely amazing to work with, particularly on the interview prep piece. Melissa and Caroline continued to edit my essays and put in perspective from a LBS standpoint, and helped me be ready almost a month before the application was due. I got into both schools! The excitement Melissa and I shared was amazing since we had worked so hard together through this process. I am now deciding where to go and continue to bug her with questions, and she, as usual, continues to get back to me within less than 24 hours. I have even picked up the phone and called her multiple times, and she is as responsiveness and respectful, even if she has multiple other commitments. The MBA application process is one of real soul-searching and is by far one of the hardest processes to go through and it really helps to team with someone who is not trying to get elements of your story and fit it to the ‘ideal candidate’ garb (as several other leading consulting companies I spoke to pushed me to do), instead Fortuna’s process really helped me get my thoughts together and the team I worked with brought me out as an individual keeping in perspective the school all the time (it also really helps that they were such leaders at the schools in question that they knew almost everything inside out!). A long winded way of saying – at least in my experience for INSEAD and LBS – do not think twice to contact Fortuna and work with the dream team I had the opportunity to work with.

As a film producer with a background in PR, I knew setting my sights on the top MBA programs in Europe was going to be a challenge. I had the literal fortune of finding Fortuna Admissions, and on the heels of a great initial conversation with Matt Symonds, I knew that Fortuna was the firm that would help me achieve my MBA aspirations. Once I spoke with my advisors Melissa and Caroline, I was certain I had made the right choice. They are the perfect combination of positive and realistic, warm yet demanding, and help you bring nothing less than your best self to the table. They were able to help me build a narrative that highlighted my unconventional skills and achievements in a way that was both compelling and attractive, and helped me understand exactly what each school I applied to was looking for. Thanks to their exceptional guidance, I was admitted into INSEAD, Cambridge Judge and Oxford Said, and was offered interviews for both IE and ESADE. Working with Fortuna is the single best decision I made before applying and I would strongly encourage anyone looking to apply to an MBA to choose Fortuna. Their collective experience working on the inside of the world’s top business schools, their keen insight into the specifics that will make candidates stand out, and their meticulous process in crafting applications, is truly a winning combination. For me, it resulted in the best possible outcome and I am truly grateful for having had such a strong, dynamic and wonderful team on my side.

I decided to go with Fortuna after another consultant suggested that I set my goals lower than INSEAD. I wasn’t going to pay someone a whack of money if she didn’t have the same vision as me. My initial discussions with Melissa, Matt, and Caroline at Fortuna made me realize that I did have a great story – we just needed to frame it in the right way. I want to thank Fortuna for believing in me – because with Melissa’s help, I was able to assemble a winning application package for INSEAD in less than 6 weeks. She took the time to get to know me, then highlighted the aspects of my profile that would be most attractive to the admissions committee. She leaves no stone unturned when reviewing essays, putting herself in the shoes of the admissions committee. However, the most important part is that she invests herself in her client’s dreams: my goal of attending INSEAD became her goal as well. The entire experience with Melissa, Caroline, and Matt at Fortuna was first class.

Emma and Melissa were key and instrumental in my successful applications to both INSEAD and LBS (and a few other schools across EU and US!). I always felt like I had their full attention when working on my essays and interview prep. Even after I received my offers they continued to guide me through my decision of school and things I should consider. I highly recommend Emma and Melissa not only for their expertise, but they are essentially providing a peace of mind as all Fortuna consultants have actual admissions experience in top b-schools. Great service and highly, highly recommended!

It has been a pleasure to work with my coach Melissa Jones. Thanks to her and her encouragements, I was able to transform my essays into a winning application. No stone is left unturned from the school selection, CV review, data application form, the countless essay reviews, the interview preparation and the final decision. The access to Fortuna’s network of former admission directors and officers is invaluable when you have questions regarding other schools. I very enthusiastically recommend Melissa and Fortuna to any MBA applicant. I would not have made it without their support.