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We offer a wealth of tips and strategies across a range of topics—from application advice on Harvard or INSEAD to acing the GMAT, writing essays, navigating MBA interviews and more.

MBA Loan Forgiveness

How to Get Your MBA Loans Forgiven

Sep. 26th, 2017 | by: College Coach

By: Shannon Vasconcelos, guest writer and Director of College Finance, College Coach If you’re considering a post-MBA career in the public sector, you may have heard about the prospect of loan forgiveness. Enticing as this may sound, the hard truth is that most MBA recipients will, in fact, need to repay their student loans due […]

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LBS & INSEAD: Q&A from a Live Strategy Session with Admissions Insiders

Aug. 7th, 2017 | by: Caroline Diarte Edwards

By Caroline Diarte Edwards There are a lot of good reasons to consider an international MBA. For one, five of the top 10 schools in the FT Global MBA Ranking 2017 are European programs. At the same time, unique factors abound when crafting a winning application. Two directors from our team of former MBA admissions […]

Weak GMAT

6-min Vlog: How to mitigate a weak GPA or GMAT score

Aug. 3rd, 2017 | by: Caroline Diarte Edwards

If you’re worried about low GRE or GMAT scores or GPA, there are still a few things you can do. This 6-minute conversation between Fortuna Director Caroline Diarte Edwards and Expert Coach Jessica Chung, former UCLA Anderson Associate Director of MBA Admissions, explores strategies for mitigating or fixing a lower-than-desirable academic record. View the Full Transcript: Caroline: Hello everybody, my name […]

MBA Tax Breaks

MBA Tax Deductions When Financing an MBA | Fortuna

Jul. 18th, 2017 | by: College Coach

Getting an MBA is expensive. You may be able to defray the cost of business school by taking advantage of one (or more!) of the following tax breaks.

MBA Average Age

7-min MBA vlog: Is Age Just a Number?

Jul. 14th, 2017 | by: Judith Silverman Hodara

Transcript Judith: I’m Judith Silverman Hodara, a founder and director at Fortuna Admissions, which is a boutique MBA admissions consulting firm. So excited to have with us today Cassandra Pittman. Cassandra has both an MBA at Columbia Business School, has worked as an Assistant Director at INSEAD, as well as admissions officer at London Business […]

Quick tips for MBA

MBA Class of 2020: Your 100-Hour Application Strategy

Jul. 14th, 2017 | by: Matt Symonds

  By Matt Symonds, Director, Fortuna Admissions The world’s top business programs have announced MBA admissions deadlines for the Class of 2020 (and if that isn’t futuristic-sounding…). This year, Stanford led the dance, confirming Sept 19, 2017 to be its Round 1 deadline. Wharton’s is the same as GSB, and HBS released a September 6 […]

MBA Strategy

Inside an MBA Strategy Session

Jul. 6th, 2017 | by: Judith Silverman Hodara

  By: Judith Silverman Hodara, Director, Fortuna Admissions Let’s talk strategy: Top MBA programs have just announced deadlines and essay requirements for the 2017/18 cycle. Poets & Quants’ John A. Byrne recently hosted three coaches from Fortuna’s team of former MBA admissions directors and insiders in a live strategy session, which focused on how to […]

MBA questions

VLOG: International MBA vs. US? One year vs. two? How to choose what’s right for you.

Jun. 30th, 2017 | by: Judith Silverman Hodara

When it comes to applying for your MBA, there’s a lot more to consider than school reputation. What about international versus US schools? And how does a one-year program compare to two years? In this 8-minute vlog, Fortuna’s Judith Silverman Hodara speaks with expert coachCassandra Pittman, a Columbia MBA alumnus, former LBS admission officer and […]

CentreCourt MBA

MBA Fair Dos And Don’ts: Stories & Strategy from Former MBA Insiders

Jun. 30th, 2017 | by: Matt Symonds

I was escorted out of my first-ever MBA fair for unruly behavior. It was at a GMAC event in Paris nearly 25 years ago, where organizers didn’t approve of us talking with on-site business schools about the fledgling franchise that we had started – Kaplan Test Prep. Regrouping on the sidewalk on a cold January […]

How to get an MBA

7-min. Spotlight: Early MBA Planning 2-3 Years Out & What to Do Now

Jun. 23rd, 2017 | by: Judith Silverman Hodara

If you are a few years out from applying for your MBA (or even just one), there’s a lot you can be doing right now to increase your chances of acceptance and build a profile that admissions officers can’t overlook. Fortuna Expert Coach Cassandra Pittman, Columbia Business School alumna, former INSEAD assistant director and LBS […]

Typical MBA Application

How to Turn Your Typical MBA Profile into a Stand-out Application

Jun. 21st, 2017 | by: Matt Symonds

You distinguished yourself as a professional wunderkind, rising to the senior ranks at your company in your early 20s. Clocked long hours at work to keep the boss happy and meet client deadlines. Pulled all-nighters in college amid competing commitments to keep your dean’s list standing. Aced your interviews and accepted an enviable position with a world-class […]

MBA Career Goals

Vlog: How to plan for your MBA career goals

Jun. 13th, 2017 | by: Caroline Diarte Edwards

In this short video blog, Catherine and Caroline discuss what it takes to create a compelling career vision for the MBA application, along with the steps to take and questions to ask yourself in the early planning stages. Watch the vlog or read a transcript of their candid conversation, below. Vlog Transcript Caroline: Hello everybody, […]

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