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Heidi Hillis graduated from the Stanford Graduate School of Business in 1998, where she was the student chair of the Global Management Program (GMP) and helped craft the first Global Management Immersion Experience (GMIX) to China in 1997. For several years she served as an alumni interviewer for the Stanford GSB.
Heidi’s 24-year career in business has taken her across the globe, helping her to develop a truly international perspective on the value of a business education. She has worked as a director of micro-finance for a nonprofit in Russia, a amanagement consultant for McKinsey & Co. in London, a senior product manager for a European e-commerce company, and a finance director for a major South American telecom. Most recently she helped launch an industrial minerals company in southern Chile.
In the course of her career Heidi has created several business internship programs and has interviewed hundreds of job applicants. In addition to the MBA she holds an MA (1991) and BA (1990) from Stanford University.
Product Fortuna Admissions Comprehensive School Package
Consultant Heidi Hillis
I started working with Heidi as a very nervous and unknowledgeable client – I didn’t know much about how to sell myself, write essays, or what the AdComs were looking for. Honestly, I didn’t know much about the process in general. And so, when I started looking for a consultant, I not only wanted to work with someone who could fill all these gaps, but I also wanted to feel heard and honestly, have a bit of emotional support in the journey. Heidi not only met all my expectations but excelled at them in all. She is kind, patient, professional, and super clever. She definitely knows how to bring someone’s best story forward and how to make you shine for the AdComs and all of that in very strict word limits! I’m very happy to say that I was admitted to a dream school with an 80K scholarship that I could not have gotten without Heidi’s guidance. I'm very grateful that I chose to work with her. Thanks, Heidi!
Product Fortuna Admissions Comprehensive School Package
Consultant Heidi Hillis
I was an applicant with a non- traditional background. I didn't do my undergrad from Harvard/ Stanford/ Ivy- league/ Oxbridge etc. I came from a humble academic background in terms of my alma mater. There was no MBB on my resume etc. So I always felt the odds were totally against me of gaining admission to any MBA school let alone HBS and Stanford GSB. I spoke to various people in my run up to beginning my application to gauge what they thought my chances were and all of them told me I had no chance of getting into HSW. Time started to pass as hope dwindled and I was only a few months away from the application deadline. Then I met Heidi...
Heidi listened to my story carefully, she didn't interrupt me as I opened my heart out, told her about my fears, why I thought I didn't have a chance but still wanted to give it a go, what my hopes and aspirations were for the future. She took the time to understand me, made no assumptions and after half an hour of the first chat Heidi was the first person to not only encourage me to apply in that application round but also provided a realistic understanding of where I stood- no raising false hopes/ no exaggerating my accomplishments to make me feel good or destroying my self confidence (whatever I had left of it) by highlighting weaknesses in my profile.
Heidi was the guiding light I needed- highly structured, enthusiastic, methodical, detailed, caring. I never once felt that I could not open my heart to Heidi. She was the consummate professional, happy to be challenged, willing to listen, open to ideas, flexible in her approach. I was able to start from the beginning with her breaking down my entire life story and through that process came a self- realisation and awareness of how to tell my story. The process with Heidi was more than just an application it was a process of enlightenment. I learned more about myself in a few months than I had done over my entire life and that helped unlocked my application potential. She guided me through the entire process as an inspirational mentor and talented teacher. I was able to draw on stories in my life that I had forgotten about and others I hadn't realised the significance of both to me and the application, all thanks to Heidi.
I beat the odds and the naysayers. I got into HBS and GSB. There is only one person that believed in me, who never lied to me, never falsely raised expectations or belittled my chances, the only person that was real and committed to helping me put the best application forward that I could muster, only one person that was willing to take a chance on me- Heidi. This is something I will forever be grateful to her for.
What else can I say? Heidi is a superb admissions consultant. Anyone would be lucky and blessed to have her as a consultant.
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Product Fortuna Admissions Comprehensive School Package
Consultant Heidi Hillis
Any student who wants to succeed in the admissions process should work with Heidi from the Fortuna Admissions - no one is more professional, serious, and pleasant than she is!
In my case, I began the process at a late stage after I had already started a process with another consultant who I found unprofessional and incorrect. Heidi guided me through the process in a kind and sincere way, listened to what I had to say, and guided me in the best way. The initial process we had to go through (which was very arduous) paid off in the end when I was able to write excellent essays in a short time and fill out the forms for five different schools - in the end, I was accepted to four of them!
My experience with Heidi was invaluable, and I highly recommend working with her. There is no doubt in my mind that you will not be disappointed.
Product Fortuna Admissions Comprehensive School Package
Consultant Heidi Hillis
Heidi was integral to my MBA application success! I didn't even have a good idea of what schools I wanted to pursue when I initially approached Heidi. She pushed me to get more tactical in understanding my MBA goals and selecting the schools that would allow me to achieve those goals.
I purchased a 3-school comprehensive package with her and one school on an hourly basis, and she carefully thought through what application to start with to make sure I had a good template essay for the remainder of my schools (even the one I didn't get the comprehensive package for). I really appreciated her candid and responsive feedback throughout the entire process. She made sure that I was happy with the personal narrative I wanted to tell these schools and even when I was waitlisted at one of my schools, she helped me through the process, and I was eventually admitted!
If I had to do this process all over again, I would 100% choose Heidi! I was so insecure about my GMAT score, but she made sure other areas of my profile shined and never made me feel that I was a lost cause because of my score.
Product Fortuna Admissions Comprehensive School Package
Consultant Heidi Hillis
I had such a great time working with Heidi on my applications and eventually get an offer from my dream school, HBS!! Apart from being super supportive and always encouraging me to bring all what I have into the application, Heidi’s insights and details into my essays and overall story were highly valuable. She helped me discover and demonstrate areas of strength that made the difference in a pool of competitive candidates. I highly recommend working with Heidi for those who would like to take their application into the next level and make sure they present the best angle of their profile.
Product Fortuna Admissions Comprehensive School Package
Consultant Heidi Hillis
I talked with tens of coaches before working with Heidi, and I must say, it's the best decision I could ever have taken! I applied to both the GSB and HBS, and got into both!! She was so helpful as a sounding board and always gave honest, in-depth feedback on my material as well as helpful tips on how to frame my story in the most effective way. Not only was she encouraging and honest in her feedback, but she just has this ability to take the stress out of the application process. Anyone who gets the chance to work with her is very lucky! Heidi exceeded expectations in every possible way I can think of, and I can think of not a single weakness. Deferred MBA applications are thought to be even more selective than traditional applications- and the fact that she helped me get accepted to the most selective deferred MBA programs speaks for itself.
Product Fortuna Admissions Comprehensive School Package
Consultant Heidi Hillis
I worked with Heidi last fall for my Round 2 applications with a comprehensive 3-school package, and also leveraged those resources to apply to two other schools. Heidi kept me on track throughout the process, always checking in and turning around feedback in often 24 hours or less. With her extensive experience and knowledge, Heidi’s thoughtful and candid advice was invaluable in crafting a strong and compelling story and pushing my applications to be better. When it came to interview prep, Heidi provided specific, actionable feedback that really helped me feel prepared for the real thing.
Heidi is truly invested in her clients and the results speak for themselves. With her guidance and support, I received acceptances at 5 out of 5 schools (four M7 & LBS) and will be attending HBS this fall. I could not have done it without her!
Product Fortuna Admissions Hourly Consulting Services
Consultant Heidi Hillis
My wife used Heidi during her MBA application process and got into HBS and Lauder. Having seen her up close through my wife's experience, Heidi was a no brainer for me when it came time for me to apply as well.
She was patient with me through the process, providing the strategic review I needed early on about the pros and risks of my profile for my target MBA programs. This helped me to prioritize and tailor my key messages to my schools. When I was receiving conflicting messages in the late stages of finalizing my essay, she made time on short notice to speak through the options and coached me to make the decision which was right for me - I deeply appreciated that her style isnt to tell you what she thinks is best but to coach you to find your voice.
She was also invaluable in my mock interview prep sessions, providing focused and tactical feedback on how I needed to approach them.
I was accepted to HBS and grateful to Heidi for her support through the process.
Product Fortuna Admissions Comprehensive School Package
Consultant Heidi Hillis
Heidi is fabulous and I highly endorse/recommend her!
I applied to 3 top-5 Schools and got accepted to one and waitlisted to another. Heidi was instrumental in helping me achieve these results: she really helped me go deeper and show my best version. Although I knew how I wanted to position my application and why I wanted to study an MBA, she was a great soundboard to discuss alternatives, making my application much stronger. She’s a great thought partner with an excellent knowledge of what Schools are looking for.
Beyond being an amazing professional, she’s an excellent person - kind, open and easy to talk to. All in all, I highly recommend anyone considering applying to Business School to work with Heidi.
Product Fortuna Admissions Hourly Consulting Services
Consultant Heidi Hillis
I got a late start to my applications and the guidance and structure from Fortuna was instrumental in helping me and my recommenders meet the deadlines to apply to 4 schools. I didn't have time to get the support of a full school package, but still got a lot of assistance with strategizing, editing and interview prep. Heidi was extremely responsive and straightforward, often sending back actionable comments to me within a few hours. She came to understand my background, stories and strengths to highlight and encouraged me to create detailed and well rounded responses. She clearly knows the MBA landscape very well and was a valuable resource throughout the process.