INSEAD Calling all Applicants(SEPT 2015 Intake)Class of 2016

Is anyone with corporate sponsorship applying for scholarships? Scholarship guide states that applicants with sponsorships are discouraged from applying as their need may not be as great (yeah right!). I wonder whether there is any point putting effort into essays since I may be discarded as an applicant not in sufficient need.

I kind of have the same dilemma. I don't have corporate sponsorship but I'm getting compensated pretty handsomely (for now) for working as an expat in a remote location. I have enough in the bank to cover the tuition and expenses for the year, but it's not like I'm really loaded or anything. The expat premium is only only a temporary thing and is earned with blood and sweat. Besides, I've been working for 8 years so naturally I have more savings in the bank than those 26, 27 year-olds. But even the so-called merit-based scholarships require you to demonstrate financial needs.

I guess I'll just continue to work my ass off in the meantime instead of trying to squeeze time for the essays.

Was just looking at the stats... 30 out of the 39 R1 applicants interviewed got accepted. The odds looks pretty good from here (if I can get mine done in time).

For those who have done their interviews, what was the toughest question that you've had to answer?

Happy New Year, everyone.

Could I trouble the admits for an MBAConnect update with a nationality breakdown?

what nationalities? anyway confirmation payment is due this week, so I guess you'll get more meaningful numbers next one...

FROM Insead Admissions Blog1: Of MBAs and Motherhood – A practical guide from INSEAD’s super moms

DISCLAIMER: For those who know me, “I am not a mom yet and NO, this does not mean I am expecting”. Last, I wrote on juggling social and academic lives at INSEAD. Soon after, I happened to be sandwiched between two classmates who were also moms at a Women in Business club dinner. They had a simple addition – “Try doing all of that and taking care of a kid. Maybe someone should write about being a mother while at INSEAD.” This is a small tribute to four super-moms: Hats off! *** “Talk to other parents in INSEAD to share learnings” – Supriya, 15J A mother of a two-and-a-half-year spunky toddler who is fulfilling her long-term dream of an MBA. Her partner supported her through the application process while they were still figuring out the complex joys of becoming parents. What went through your mind when deciding on MBA: The critical decision was our son’s potential move to Singapore. Education and healthcare were the top two concerns. I managed to find other parents and realized that not everyone was bringing their kids along. I decided to leave my son with my husband and in-laws in India. While I am envious of the strong father-son bonding while I am away, I am proud to see how well my son has adjusted. Best support system: Definitely my partner and extended family. Knowing other parents helped, too. One has to perfect balancing priorities and time zones to ensure time with kids as well as contribute to group assignments and academics. Favorite hack for mothers @ INSEAD:  My husband dutifully sends daily videos of my son so I don’t miss out the playful antics that only a 2-year old can conjure up! That and Facetime app with my son make my day. *** “I learned through motherhood how to balance things, how to relax so that I don’t stress myself out, and how to let things go and stop trying being the best. All these helped me to sort things out in my crazy MBA life” – Emma, 15J  What went through your mind when deciding on MBA: I originally applied for 14D, but deferred to 15J as I found I was pregnant again. We initially thought about moving the family to Singapore, but as I am away from working and investing a lot in this program, we just couldn’t afford to risk my husband’s career. So I came to Singapore by myself. That was not easy. When I left Shanghai, my oldest son was two-and-half and his little brother was seven months. In fact, I had just stopped breastfeeding my newborn the day before my departure. There were quite some heart-breaking moments while counting days I could spend with them before the “goodbye”. The first few days were bad. I always felt like crying when I called home. But things got better later on. Best support system: My husband and my kids. Surprisingly, the kids adjusted better than I did. With the help of grandparents, my husband is taking charge of the house! I really appreciate their support and would never be able to make it without them. Favorite hack for mothers @ INSEAD:  Technology has made life a lot easier. We can talk on the phone, do Facetime and exchange pictures easily. I can also shop online for my kids. I ordered my oldest son’s Halloween costume on Taobao! Doing MBA is challenging, but being a mom is not less. Moms know how to handle a challenge. *** “I believe it is important to identify your values and priorities. This aids in setting your expectations properly and defining achievable goals” – Camilla, 15J A mom who relocated to Singapore with her son, Lucas, to do INSEAD. Her son is now a favorite among the 15Js as he joins her on campus. What went through your mind when deciding on MBA: I wanted to do an MBA back in 2010, but Lucas was a baby and I felt I needed to be full time with him. I will never forget my manager and close friend saying that having a child would not prevent me from getting what I wanted; it would just slow down the process. I decided to postpone my plans until I felt he was more independent and, more importantly, until I was ready to let him go—I knew it would be easier for him than for me. My husband and I always thought it would be an amazing experience for Lucas; he is getting to know another culture, learning a new language, travelling and being spoiled by all the INSEADers. Best support system: My husband, my family and Lucas. Leandro has supported me from the beginning and is a great father. I could not do this without him. My family is handling the distance pretty well and continues to encourage me. And Lucas for his adaptability and communication skills, which make me confident he will be fine as long as we are together. Favorite hack for mothers @ INSEAD:  I believe it is important to identify your values and priorities. This aids in setting your expectations properly and defining achievable goals. Moreover, it helps you to understand to what extent you can engage in all the activities going on at INSEAD. For me personally, it is very important that I spend quality time with Lucas every day. So for example, I prefer to pick him up early at nursery and only do the readings after he goes to bed. Exhausting, but it has been completely worth it. *** “I believe I am at INSEAD not in spite of being a mother, but because I am a mother.” – Priya S, 15J A mother of a two-year old who believes being a mother has helped her to go after her dreams. What went through your mind when deciding on MBA: INSEAD provided a realistic platform for us as a family to make this work.  It was a big decision—my husband and I had just bought our home in Bangalore, and our daughter was well settled in her Montessori school.  We have since uprooted our normal lives turning it upside down; we have moved to another province to be closer to grandparents who are going to be the primary caregivers for our daughter. Best support system: My husband and family. This was going to be an intense year, and we wanted my husband to keep his job, so I moved to Singapore alone. We decided that my husband would travel over frequently with my daughter so that she could experience INSEAD, too. Best skill to develop for moms at INSEAD: There are so many INSEAD kids around, so be involved. My daughter’s first trip outside India was to Singapore, so it must have been an overwhelming experience.  But it was memorable, one she still talks about nearly a month after. I ensured she could feel a part of INSEAD community. The day she landed, we had a play date with other parents and met over brunch. This was a great ice-breaker for my daughter to meet other kids. We had pool sessions, went on a zoo trip and brought her to the INSEAD family room where she had a lot of fun. I believe this has been an enriching experience for her, and we are looking forward to her experiencing Fonty when I do the campus switch. Do I feel I rocked the boat? Yes. Do I feel that our lives could have been easier without INSEAD? Yes.  But easy wasn’t good enough. Sometimes the best things in life happen because we embrace risks and choose options that are out of our comfort zones. And it has been completely worth it.

FROM Insead Admissions Blog1: The Philosophy of Statistics

Out of all the classes from P1, statistics was the class I surprisingly learned the most from about life. One of the most powerful lessons I learned was that everything is random. In the beginning of our statistics class, the professor asked how many of us actually knew we would be at INSEAD five years ago? Not surprisingly, almost no one raised their hand. This raised the next question – do we really know where we will be in 5 years? What does this tell us about the future? Statistics quickly became a philosophy class where life lessons overtook the mechanics of regression and hypothesis testing itself. This class made me think twice about given “facts” and more cautious about how I interpreted data. Don’t judge people by outcomes because outcomes are random, judge them by process. We tend to pay more attention to familiarity than merit. We are more anchored on the past than we should be. Insight comes from extremes therefore never ignore the outliers. Everything is possible, some things are less or more likely. Thankfully the professor made the class very digestible with stories about monkeys, elephants, weirdness, bullsh*t, etc. Furthermore, INSEAD really lived up to its “work hard, play hard” reputation because our section of 70 students celebrated the end of this class with zorba dancing with our Greek professor! Although many lessons sound intuitive, this statistics course put many things into perspective. Our gut feeling is messed up so never jump to conclusions too quickly because we should always ask ourselves: do we really know what we think we know?

With the Round 3 deadline a week away, I am yet to begin my application.
Can anyone suggest if its better to apply in R3 or R4 or R1 of Jan intake? I can get the recos in time.
Another qn: What are the major differences between Sep intake and Jan intake?

FROM Insead Admissions Blog1: The human side of the MBA

I love my section. Everyday I feel lucky to be in a class full of fun, smart, energetic, ambitious, interesting and collaborative classmates. In P1, our section successfully pulled off several fun class pranks on our professors that scared (in a good way) some while amused others. My 70 classmates from my section come from over 40 countries. While I’ve always known that each person has a fascinating story, I really didn’t know just how incredible each one was until last week. The new initiative, “Talk IN”, made me appreciate INSEAD and my classmates even more. It was inspired by the Stanford GSB MBA talk where students share intimate stories about themselves—beyond the standard questions of “where are you from,” “what did you do before,” and “what do you want to do after MBA?” It’s certainly not for everyone since it can be uncomfortable for those who are more private so only those brave enough to share their stories will volunteer to speak. Not many classmates knew what to expect with the talk but in just 20 minutes, the first speaker stunned the class by exposing her past failures and insecurities. It was shocking for many of us to hear that our seemingly perfect classmate had such a tumultuous past. On the surface, she seems like the model MBA candidate: driven, intelligent, confident, international and accomplished. However her intimate stories exposed a different person – someone who also has fears and vulnerabilities. It took incredible courage to share a story like hers and it allowed our class to get to know her at a completely new level. With just one story, she broke down the superficial barriers by reminding us we are all human. The next day, more students opened up and shared stories in our business ethics class. My fellow classmates shared stories about their experience with war, medical ethics, theft, etc. We soon concluded ethics is highly subjective depending on the culture we’re in. The in class discussion that our classmates shared were even more profound than those in our business ethics case studies and I learned so much just from listening to their stories. What surprised me most was that some classmates who appeared to be extremely positive actually had major hardships in their lives. Also some shy classmates I have never really talked to revealed touching stories that made me see them in a completely new way. Coming to business school, students often forget that behind the facades of success, we’re all human. Initially, most students only show off their best sides; vulnerability, however, is sometimes even more powerful and genuine than a perfect façade. We are all human—we make mistakes; we yearn for belonging; and we want to feel loved. For me, the biggest lesson of this week was never to judge others by my first impressions of them. I’ve met so many people in the past two months that it’s easy to make quick conclusions about a person. Talk IN reminded me to give each person a chance to share their story beyond their standard “MBA story.” Just listen. You’ll be surprised at how each person, especially those you least expect, has something remarkable to say.

jan intake has opportunity for summer internships

Jan intake is a better option in my view...take your time to write a solid application than cramming it through in a week!

Great idea !

Has someone created it yet ?

Couldn't find. I can create one but will need someone's facebook profile so i can invite him/her. It takes atleast two people to create a group.

FROM Insead Admissions Blog1: ‘Predictably Irrational’

It’s 10:31pm. In 89 minutes time we will embrace the first day of P3. P1 and P2 passed in a flash, and to be frank, it is difficult to translate the experience into words adequately. Nonetheless, I feel somewhat compelled to share a few perception shifts I experienced in the past four months, and I hope that gives a glimpse of what INSEAD has to offer. Managing Uncertainty Prior to INSEAD I managed my life via apps, calendars and spreadsheets, and I was not bad at it. That sense of control I depended on was challenged at INSEAD, with an intense schedule and multiple events taking place at the same time. I tried to fight it by doing more spreadsheets, adding more calendar entries, and having less sleep, and soon I was burned out. Eventually I realised that the schedule was not meant to be exhausted. I have to choose between a company presentation and lunch, a weekend in Belgium and a finance tutorial, and a night of peaceful sleep and a halloween party. INSEAD taught me how to refine my judgements when faced with ambiguity, and how to adapt to a fast-pace environment with composure. Managing Network In the years of my working life, I interpreted the term ’networking’ as much as I needed to impress my direct report. I gave little thought to it in part due to my introversion and in part due to an occasionally negative connotation I felt towards the term. Coming to INSEAD changed my view. After attending over a dozen of networking events, reading, and discussing cases with fellow classmates, I came to realise that networking is not only about growing LinkedIn connections or making small talks at cocktail parties. It is about listening, asking well-thought questions and making people like you. Managing Self-Development I have a habit of writing goals down and revising them regularly to track progress, and I used to derive satisfaction from ticking off the list. A week ago I reflected on the goals I set for INSEAD. They were met, but the satisfaction was not there. It then dawned on me that I was doing it all wrong. GPAs and job titles are only validations to serve my insecurities; they do not provide real development. I experienced growth when I succeeded in cracking an unfamiliar subject, when I was able to dissect a case study from different angels, and when I shared a laugh with others whom I barely knew. INSEAD MBA has more than a job and a certificate to offer, and to grow from the experience one must be willing to let go of presumptions and maintain an open mind. Just as Daniel Ariely pointed out in Predictably Irrational, our assumptions about making decisions based on rational thought may be flawed. I now truly come to appreciate my ‘irrationality’ and I look forward to more interesting turmoils in the coming months.

Anyone pursuing the Prodigy and willing to share experience?

https://www.facebook.com/groups/770211699727337

Here you go. INSEAD 16 J admits group. Have kept it moderated.

FROM Insead Admissions Blog1: INSEAD application reflections

Life is filled with precious moments that money can’t buy. Receiving INSEAD’s admission letter is one that I will treasure for a long time. To thank those who helped me, I want to share a few key lessons I learned throughout the process. Be consistent and coherent. From the outset I asked myself what my three most important values are and I used them to form the backbone of my essays. The coherence it created made it easier to incorporate experiences that best demonstrate those values. Attempting to showcase everything will only make your profile unmemorable, so be selective and tell a good story. Focus on strengths. One of the mental obstacles I had to overcome was to stop worrying about my weaknesses. During the initial stage of research much of my focus was on how to address the weaknesses in my profile, but soon I noticed others were doing much of the same thing. I came to realise that expanding on my strengths pays more dividends than trying to become the ‘perfect’ candidate, and I shifted my focus immediately . How you write gives away your confidence, so focus on what you are good at and really shine. Persistence trumps talent. I went to at least a dozen MBA related events, and they were filled with people of extraordinary intellect. Talent alone may get you lucky once, but to be consistently ‘lucky’ it takes persistence and work. I don’t have a high GMAT score or a flawless resume, and I started my application from scratch and learned from trial and error. If I can do it, so can you. Overall, the pursuit of an MBA is a rewarding journey in itself regardless of the outcome. I guarantee that if you put your heart into it you will experience self-discovery along the way, and that in itself is well worth the effort.