Karen Hamou Reviews

Karen was a phenomenal ally to have throughout the application process.

I connected with Karen relatively late in my process (approx. 4 weeks before submission), after I had my story down and prelim essays already drafted.

However, I am so glad I reached to Fortuna and Karen. My writing was very clinical, and Karen’s insight/thoughts really helped me pull out my personality and inner voice to put onto the page. I think this really was the differentiating factor that helped my story pop.

Karen was great to work with. Even during the busy holiday season, she was able to get back to me with feedback or answer any questions often within a day.

After I got the interview invite, Karen helped me prep with a mock interview and was super patient with all of my at times neurotic questions. Ended up with an offer from CBS. Would highly recommend!

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When I first started looking at MBA programs, I didn't even consider applying to top schools as I didn't think I had a shot. I was originally looking to apply in round 3 2020 (last minute decision) and after the 30 min consultation with Karen, she gave me a lot of confidence about applying to top schools. That was really the sign for me (in addition to Karen's positive attitude) to chose Fortuna instead of the other firms I had a free consultation with. For the 7 months I've been working with Karen since then, I have had nothing but great experiences! She always has the right things to say, the right answers to my questions, she's always available and is the greatest cheerleader and supporter. From the beginning, Karen always made it a point to show me how much she believed in me and my chances of getting into the top schools I am applying to (even with a not so stellar GMAT or GPA). She knew that with my great professional background, lined-up recommenders and personal story, I could make a good compelling case for myself. She found the best way to tell my story, something I don't think I would have thought of or even would have know where to begin with without Karen. She also always made herself available any time I had a question, was nervous about something or felt down about my GMAT scores.

I would hands down recommend Karen to anyone looking for great guidance, support and encouragement throughout the MBA application process. I did the comprehensive school package, but since Karen is so immensely helpful, effective and efficient, I would say, get whatever package works best for you and I guarantee you'll be very happy you went with Karen.

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It's difficult to put into words how incredible Karen is. There are so many things that I could say about her that come to mind - intelligent, strategic, thoughtful, organized, focused etc. But what stood out the most during the MBA application process was her unwavering belief in me. I came into the the process unsure of my chances - I had strange background with a number of career jumps that I thought would be my downfall. And I was very vocal about my doubts, often poking holes constantly in my story and background. But throughout my anxiety and despair, Karen was steadfast in her belief that my story was strong and that I was worthy of admission to the school of my dreams. Her unwavering confidence washed away my doubts and pushed me to put my best foot forward. I've come out of this process not only with an admission to my top school (Columbia) but also more confident in my own capabilities, all thanks to Karen.

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I was referred to Karen by a friend who is currently at CBS. I am the first in my family to go to business school. While I had many friends go through the application process, I didn't have one person who I could look to as a trusted guide throughout the process. Karen was so incredible in helping me navigate the school selection process, the application process throughout the unprecedented times of the COVID-19 pandemic and pushed me to attain a GRE score I could have never imagined attaining. She also was so fundamental in crafting an application that clearly put forward my story/ vision. With Karen's help I've been admitted to CBS.

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My journey is slightly different as it took over a year for me from the first day I contacted Fortuna. It was late into the admission process in 2019 (Round 2 deadline was approaching) and I had not taken my GMAT at the time. I reached out to Fortuna anyway and Matt scheduled an initial introductory call to learn about my background. I decided to go with Fortuna and was then paired with Karen as one of my choices was CBS. Nevertheless I did not get the GMAT score I wanted (it was December) and decided to delay my application until June this year (2020).

Right from day one Karen has been fantastic and very friendly. Karen was incredibly timely in her response and the whole process was very structured. First we had a call and Karen mapped out an action plan for me going forward; she suggested which aspect I should focus on first and the timeline for each aspect (brief for recommenders, resume editing, essays – and that I should focus on one school at a time). Karen helped fine tune my resume and tighten the story without changing my narrative. Her feedback and questions helped me organize the key points in my essays. She was very encouraging throughout the process and was always ready to answer any questions that I may have had. One thing I really like about Fortuna is that they have mid-point review: once my essays were in good shape, they were passed to one of the directors, in my case Judith, who gave the essays another review. It was comforting to know that a former adcom reviewed and approved my essays. Once I was invited to interview Karen had a mock interview session with me beforehand. She acted as an interviewer and gave me constructive feedback at the end of the session that boosted my confidence for the real interview.

Even though I am still waiting to hear results from one other school, I am extremely happy to have been admitted to CBS and I cannot thank Karen enough! Throughout the months of our interaction Karen was my pillar of support, who alleviated a lot of stress from this daunting process. Overall I really enjoyed working with Karen and I wholeheartedly recommend Karen to MBA aspirants!!!

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My highest recommendation goes to Karen Hamou! To put it simply, her incomparable support and enormous help made it possible for me to gain admission to the most selective MBA program in the world!

As an international student, I was very stressed by the interview process, especially that English was not my native language. Though I have done many interviews in the past, I was not sure how to address the MBA interview and how to communicate effectively. Adding more stress to the matter, I had only three weeks to prepare, while I was working 16 hours a day, since the moment I was invited for the interview.

Luckily, I had my secret weapon - Karen. Karen did not waste any time, and Immediately we started working on my interview skills. We did some tough mock interviews. Karen did not go easy on me, not in the interview and nor in the feedback. She dug very deep and peeled almost every layer that I had. She explained carefully what was right, what was wrong, and how I can improve, always with a smile and a great attitude. She was so engaged in the process, that sometimes it felt that she wanted it more than I did.

Having those sessions with Karen made me very confident. There is no doubt that my work with her was critical for my success. I got accepted to all 3 schools that I applied to, and eventually, I choose to go with Stanford GSB.

Thank you so much, Karen!!!

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I worked with Karen to help me prep for my Wharton and Columbia interviews.

Wharton - Karen put together a group of other applicants and me to run through a mock TBD. This was extremely helpful because it provided a dry run and helped ease a lot of my nerves I had. Karen also watched the mock session and during my debrief she gave me actionable feedback which I was able to employ during my actual interview. Beyond the TBD, Karen also worked with me on the Wharton 1x1 where I was able to work with her to refine my "Why Wharton" and "Why MBA" answer.

Columbia - I also worked with Karen on my Columbia interview. We talked quickly at the beginning of the interview structure and then she acted as the interviewer and we ran through a mock interview. This was also extremely helpful as after the mock was over Karen was able to give me really pointed and helpful feedback. Given that Karen is a Columbia Business School graduate, she was able to give me a lot of background on the school and the different initiatives at Columbia. She also was able to fact check me on my answers to make sure I wasn't saying anything incorrect about the school (This was super helpful because I had the name of a high level administrator wrong). Beyond the interview prep Karen also helped me while I was on the wait list, not hesitating to answer any questions I had.

Overall, I highly recommend working with Karen. She was attentive and very responsive. She was also very supportive throughout the whole process and gave me a lot of confidence when I approached my interviews!

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I worked with Karen to prep for both my Wharton and CBS interviews and found her to be both extremely knowledgeable about the admissions process and incredibly easy to work with. Karen especially played a key role helping me to prepare for the TBD exercise that Wharton requires. Under Karen's guidance I was admitted to both Wharton and CBS and I believe that she played an integral role in making that happen.

Cannot recommend her enough to anybody that is thinking about applying to any MBA program as the advice that she gives will undoubtedly help you ace your interviews.

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Karen helped me throughout the admission process and she helped me telling my personal story in a way that I could not have done by myself. Her comments and feedback are professional, right on point and very constructive. She knows the specificities of all the top schools.

Her advices and help were extremely valuable if you wish to attend to a top business schools. Karen took the time to really understand me, my background, and my ideal career trajectory. She was extremely fast to reply to all my requests and many edits.

I got into my dream school thanks to her.

I strongly recommend her. She is the best.

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I am an international student and I worked with Karen Hamou on an hourly basis for my R3 applications to an M7 school and a few Top 15 schools. I reached out to Fortuna because I had worked with a consultant from another company in R2 and I was disappointed with their service and my results. In contrast, Karen and Fortuna provided a very high quality of service and they were invested in my success.

In addition to helping me navigate the uncertainties associated with Covid-19 and produce high quality applications to my R3 schools, Karen also helped me strategize my waitlist approach for some of my R2 schools (i.e. test retakes, sending updates). Karen helped me structure my essays, coach my recommenders and prepare for my interviews. For my essays, she edited them repeatedly until the stories were strong and compelling. She was extremely efficient and provided high value for the money I spent on the hourly consulting services. Karen was always available whenever I needed her - turnaround time was less than 24 hours on most materials.

There are so many things to do when you are applying to over half a dozen schools and Karen helped me prioritize on the most important tasks so that I was always on top of things. As offers started rolling in, she gave me advice on how to handle them as I waited for my dream school to accept me.

Thanks to Karen's incredible support, I received an offer from Booth and I am excited that I get to attend such a fantastic school! I would not have been able achieve this without her and I enthusiastically recommend Karen and Fortuna admissions for all your MBA application needs!

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