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admitStreet
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Joined: 14 Mar 2023
Last visit: 19 Nov 2025
Posts: 1,635
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Location: India
Concentration: Strategy, Finance
Schools: HEC Jan 2018 Intake (A$) ISB '19 (A)
WE:Management Consulting (Consulting)
Schools: HEC Jan 2018 Intake (A$) ISB '19 (A)
Posts: 1,635
Kudos: 571
2 Key Changes to INSEAD's Essay Prompts: My Takeaways 10 Jul 2024, 13:04
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INSEAD has just made two key changes to its essay prompts, after (likely many many) years.

I've highlighted the changes below and shared my takeaways and tips on how you can use it to your advantage as an INSEAD applicant.

INSEAD's Latest Essay prompts and 2 Key Changes

Motivation Essays

MOTIVATION ESSAY 1 (No change)

Give a candid description of yourself, 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. (500 words max) 

MOTIVATION ESSAY 2 (Changed)

Earlier essay prompt: 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. (400 words max)

New essay prompt: Consider a situation where you failed to achieve your objective(s). How did you handle failure? What did you learn about yourself and/or your interactions with others from this situation?  (400 words max)

MOTIVATION ESSAY 3 (Removed)

This essay has been removed now: 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? (300 words max)

MOTIVATION ESSAY 3 (New) = PREVIOUS MOTIVATION ESSAY 4 (Optional)

Optional: Is there anything else that was not covered in your application that you would like to share with the Admissions Committee? (maximum 300 words)

Career Essays

CAREER ESSAY 1 (No change)

Briefly summarize your current (or most recent) job, including the nature of work, major responsibilities, and where relevant, employees under your supervision, size of budget, clients/products and results achieved. (200 words, maximum). 

CAREER ESSAY 2 (Technically no change, but the bolded part has been added)

What would be your next step in terms of position if you were to remain in the same company instead of going to business school? (200 words, maximum)

CAREER ESSAY 3 (No change) 

Please give a full description of your career since graduating from university. Describe your career path with the rationale behind your choices. (300 words, maximum)

CAREER ESSAY 4 (No change) 

Discuss your short and long term career aspirations with an MBA from INSEAD. (100 words, maximum)

CAREER ESSAY 5 (No change) 

If you are currently not working or if you plan to leave your current employer more than 2 months before the programme starts, please explain your activities and occupations between leaving your job and the start of the programme. (Optional)

My (admitStreet's) Takeaways 

  • Motivation Essay 2 is now focused only on failure - it was earlier 'Achievement + Failure'. However, the word count hasn't changed. Some tips for Motivation Essay 2:
    • INSEAD wants you to deepdive into your failure, how you handled it, and what you learned from the situation both due to your self-introspection and interactions with other stakeholders
    • Aim to discuss the setbacks, emotions, and lessons learned from your failure. Reflect on how it influenced your personal growth, resilience, and ability to adapt
    • Explore how the failure experience shaped your traits and values. Maintain a balanced approach that highlights your resilience, learning, and personal development
    • While the 'Achievement' angle is technically removed from this essay, Motivation Essay 1 (e.g. strengths), Career Essay 3 (e.g. career path) and Optional Essays are avenues to highlight any pressing/ standout achievements
    • Pro-Tip: Conclude the 'Failure' essay by highlighting how the lessons you learned can be applied to your MBA journey and in your life/ career post MBA 
 
  • The previous Motivation Essay 3 (Extracurriculars) is now removed
    • While this technically gives less room to explicitly write about your Extracurriculars (EC buffs might be disappointed), this will likely be covered in INSEAD's KIRA video essay questions
    • With one less essay overall, it's some weight off your shoulders! 
    • Pro-Tip: If there are any Extracurriculars that really stand out in your profile and are core to who you are e.g. you're a national-level athlete or a musician, the Motivation Essay 1 (or Career Essay 1/ 3) are great avenues to write about it, weaving a tight narrative
 
  • All other essays remain the same
    • While the updates to the two Motivation Essays are worth paying attention to, the rest of the application largely stays the same
    • As always, think of the INSEAD application as a canvas where you can paint a holistic picture of yourself
    • Pro-Tip: The canvas is wide, and depending on how good and honest a painter (or writer!) you are, a beautiful portayal of yourself can emerge!

If you're applying to INSEAD, check out my following articles for candid insights and tips:

Feel free to reach out if you'd like personalized support on your B-school application journey.

­Regards,
Arvind
Founder, admitStreet | Request a free 30-min consultation
W: https://admitstreet.com | LinkedIn | E: consultingteam@admitstreet.com­