Melissa Jones

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.