{"id":30782,"date":"2015-10-07T11:10:45","date_gmt":"2015-10-07T18:10:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/?p=30782"},"modified":"2016-07-27T16:03:02","modified_gmt":"2016-07-27T23:03:02","slug":"insead-2016-mba-essay-tips-deadlines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/insead-2016-mba-essay-tips-deadlines\/","title":{"rendered":"INSEAD 2016 MBA Essay Tips &#038; Deadlines"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #0000ff;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/reports.accepted.com\/top-mba-essay-tips\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-4677 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.accepted.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Picture2-300x198.jpg\" alt=\"Check out the rest of our school specific essay tips!\" width=\"300\" height=\"198\" \/><\/a>INSEAD continues to buck a trend \u2013 whereas many b-school applications have recently leaned toward \u201cminimalist\u201d essays and\/or just require one, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.accepted.com\/mba\/insead.aspx\">INSEAD<\/a> still asks you to write several thought-provoking and challenging essays. \u00a0In the program with perhaps the most intensive global focus, verbal acuity matters, because the ability to reflect on, synthesize, actualize, and communicate complex ideas across cultures is central to global leadership. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #0000ff;\">One way INSEAD has followed a trend, however, is by removing the previous job description essays and making them short-answer questions in the application. \u00a0That leaves what they term \u201cMotivation Essays.\u201d \u00a0Keep that word \u201cmotivation\u201d in the forefront of your mind as you draft those essays; the concept should appear directly or indirectly in each. \u00a0It means that the adcom wants to know what drives you; what propels your choices, decisions, and actions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Motivation Essays:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>1.<\/strong> Give a candid description of yourself (who are you as a person), stressing the personal characteristics you feel to be your strengths and weaknesses and the main factors which have influenced your personal development, giving examples when necessary. <em>(approximately 500 words)<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #0000ff;\">For a question like this I recommend two strengths and one weakness. If you can choose one anecdote that reveals both the strengths and the weakness, it\u2019s efficient with space and can strengthen the essay. Don\u2019t forget to discuss how these qualities influenced your personal development. For more on INSEAD 1 and writing about weaknesses, please see this video:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/cdz-IdwFty4?rel=0\" width=\"420\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #0000ff;\">A word on weaknesses. Be honest without going overboard. Don\u2019t make up a phony weakness. I attended an HBS info session a few years ago. One of the alumni said that he discussed a \u201cphony weakness\u201d in his essays (required for HBS that year), and his interviewer focused right on it, and basically said, \u201cCome on. What\u2019s a real weakness?\u201d The applicant had to get real in a hurry. Take advantage of the essay: Give it some thought and respond with the benefit of that reflection. For more information, please see \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.accepted.com\/2013\/08\/07\/flaws-make-you-real-2\/\">Flaws Make Your Real<\/a>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #0000ff;\">At an AIGAC conference a couple of years ago one of the adcom members remembered that an applicant in response to a similar question had listed his weakness as \u201cpitching new ideas in a meeting.\u201d The adcom member felt that the applicant was specific, real, and showed self-awareness by revealing this flaw. In fact, by demonstrating these qualities in addition to the requested weakness that he was working on, the applicant actually enhanced his chances of acceptance with his response.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #0000ff;\">Don\u2019t write about \u201cweakness in pitching new ideas in meetings\u201d as your flaw just because you saw it here. It will become the lame, stale example everyone uses. However, you all have weakness. Just be thoughtful enough and honest enough to reveal yours.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #0000ff;\">(NOTE: There is potential for duplication in this essay with Essay 2, so look at both questions together and organize content before writing them so that you eliminate or at least minimize overlap.)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>2.<\/strong> Describe the achievement of which you are most proud and explain why. In addition, describe a situation where you failed. How did these experiences impact your relationships with others? Comment on what you learned. <em>(approximately 400 words)<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With only 400 words to describe two significant experiences, and the specified discussion points, you need to use stories that can be told without a lot of background information. \u00a0And keep in mind Essay 1 \u2013 don\u2019t use stories that reflect exactly the same messages. \u00a0\u201cAchievement of which you are most proud\u201d is a high bar, and it can be from either work or outside of work. It also should be something that reveals qualities or attributes about you that are positive and relevant. I suggest using something from the last two to three years. \u00a0Luckily you don\u2019t have to write about the failure about which you are most ashamed\u2026\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Discuss a failure that is specific, fairly recent (but it doesn\u2019t have to be yesterday), and meaty enough to have rattled you a bit. \u00a0Again, work or non-work topic is fine.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #0000ff;\">In discussing what you learned from the experiences and how they impacted your relationships, identify one specific thing for each point for each story \u2013 there isn\u2019t room for more. \u00a0And there isn\u2019t need for more, because one can be very powerful if it\u2019s insightful.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>3.<\/strong> Tell us about an experience where you were significantly impacted by cultural diversity, in a positive or negative way. <em>(approximately 300 words)<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #0000ff;\">In choosing your topic story, think about \u201cimpact\u201d \u2013 often people describe being surprised or emotionally challenged by encountering new or different cultures, but that\u2019s not enough to make this a good essay. \u00a0Impact is what happens after the initial response: how did the experience change your behavior, or change your perception, or inspire you to learn something, or cause you to reconsider beliefs\/ideas \u2013 these are impacts.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #0000ff;\">Narrate the story succinctly, vividly portraying the impact on you. \u00a0The adcom wants to see that you are thoughtful, resourceful, and responsive in encountering cultural diversity, because it is a key attribute of their program.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>4.<\/strong> Describe all types of extra-professional activities in which you have been or are still involved for a significant amount of time (clubs, sports, music, arts, politics, etc.). How are you enriched by these activities? <em>(approximately 300 words)<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #0000ff;\">Simply discuss the range of activities you participate (or have participated) in \u2013 those that are major passions, and those that are \u201cjust fun\u201d \u2013 clarifying their relative role and importance in your life. \u00a0Be straightforward in how they enriched you \u2013 no need to strive for something \u201cdifferent\u201d that no one has ever felt or experienced before\u2026. \u00a0Imagine you are meeting with clients or superiors \u2013 between the business dealings (and perhaps over a drink); you and they might chat about non-work interests \u2013 approach this essay like such a conversation. \u00a0Not quite as casual as with a peer, but still conversational, straightforward, and intended to connect on a person-to-person level.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Optional Essay:<\/strong> Is there anything else that was not covered in your application that you would like to share with the admissions committee?<span style=\"color: #333333;\">\u00a0<em>(approximately 300 words)<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #0000ff;\">Use <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.accepted.com\/2012\/03\/25\/optional-essays-when-and-how-to-write-them\/\">the optional essay<\/a> to explain anything that needs explaining and\/or to give them one more reason to accept you. DON\u2019T use it for a superficial summary, a restatement of your other essays, or anything similarly boring and trite. If you choose to write it, produce a tight, focused essay revealing something you haven\u2019t yet discussed.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>INSEAD Application Deadlines for September 2016 Intake:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/mba.insead.edu\/admissions\/dates_deadlines.cfm\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-34548 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.accepted.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/INSEAD-September-Deadlines.png\" alt=\"INSEAD September Deadlines\" width=\"538\" height=\"273\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>INSEAD Application Deadlines for January 2017 Intake:<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/mba.insead.edu\/admissions\/dates_deadlines.cfm\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-34549 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.accepted.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/INSEAD-January-2017-Deadlines.png\" alt=\"INSEAD January 2017 Deadlines\" width=\"535\" height=\"271\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/reports.accepted.com\/top-mba-essay-tips?utm_campaign=gmatclub&amp;utm_medium=topmbaquestionsreport&amp;utm_source=blogcta\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn2.hubspot.net\/hubfs\/58291\/hub_generated\/resized\/ecb113bf-e853-4408-b305-e93b294e3ba6.png\" alt=\"Top MBA Program Essay Questions: How to Answer them right!\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><em><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.accepted.com\/aboutus\/CindyTokumitsu\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-8104\" title=\"Cindy Tokumitsu\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.accepted.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/cindy.jpg\" alt=\"Cindy Tokumitsu\" width=\"70\" height=\"70\" \/><\/a> By <a href=\"https:\/\/www.accepted.com\/aboutus\/editors.aspx?editorid=3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"author\">Cindy Tokumitsu<\/a>,\u00a0author and co-author of numerous ebooks, articles, and special reports, including\u00a0<\/em><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/info.accepted.com\/mba\/why-mba\" target=\"_blank\">Why MBA<\/a><em><em> and\u00a0<\/em><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/info.accepted.com\/mba\/where-you-should-apply\/\" target=\"_blank\">Best MBA Programs: A Guide to Selecting the Right One<\/a><em><em>. Cindy has advised hundreds of successful applicants in her fifteen years with Accepted.com.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Related Resources:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">\u2022 <a href=\"https:\/\/info.accepted.com\/twelve-terrific-tips-for-mba-applicants\">12 Terrific Tips for MBA Applicants<\/a>\u00a0[Free Guide]<br \/>\n\u2022 <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.accepted.com\/2014\/03\/06\/an-inside-look-at-insead\/\">An Inside Look at Insead<\/a>\u00a0[Podcast]<br \/>\n\u2022\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.accepted.com\/mba\/application-weakness-video.aspx#writing\">Writing about Weaknesses<\/a>\u00a0[Short Video]<\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.accepted.com\/2015\/10\/07\/insead-2016-mba-essay-tips-deadlines\/\">This article\u00a0<\/a>originally appeared on\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.accepted.com\/\">blog.accepted.com<\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/accepted.com\/\">Accepted.com<\/a><em>'s\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.accepted.com\/aboutus\/AboutUs.aspx\">experienced admissions consultants<\/a><em>\u00a0can help you create the most impressive application possible with\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.accepted.com\/Services\/MBAProgramServices.aspx\">comprehensive packages<\/a><em>,<\/em><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><em>or provide targeted assistance from\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.accepted.com\/services\/mba\/admissionsconsulting.aspx\">picking perfect programs<\/a><em>\u00a0to\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.accepted.com\/mba\/admissionsresume.aspx\">designing a dazzling resume<\/a><em>,\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.accepted.com\/mba\/essayediting.aspx\">constructing engaging essays<\/a><em>, or\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.accepted.com\/mba\/interviewservices.aspx\">preparing for intense interview<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.accepted.com\/mba\/interviewservices.aspx\">s<\/a><em>\u2026and more!\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/accepted.com\/\">Accepted.com<\/a><em>\u00a0has guided thousands of applicants to acceptances at top programs since 1994 \u2013 we know what works and what doesn't, so\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.accepted.com\/contactus.aspx\">contact us<\/a><em>\u00a0to get started now!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>INSEAD continues to buck a trend \u2013 whereas many b-school applications have recently leaned toward \u201cminimalist\u201d essays and\/or just require one, INSEAD still asks you to write several thought-provoking and&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,939,775,113,243],"tags":[69,1758,1434,1436],"class_list":["post-30782","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mba","category-accepted","category-admission-consultants","category-applications","category-blog","tag-insead","tag-insead-full-time-mba","tag-insead-mba","tag-the-insead-full-time-mba","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30782","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30782"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30782\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30784,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30782\/revisions\/30784"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30782"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30782"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30782"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}