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MBAkarma
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Calling all Applicants: INSEAD Jan 2020 Intake (Class of Dec 2020) 27 Jan 2019, 02:45
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Hello kalraswati

It will highly depend on what your profile is- Work Experience (Depth & Quality- career progress and achievements), Academic credentials (Strength of the degree/brand and grades, if your past grades are poor, you might need a slightly higher GMAT score), Diversity (through experiences and extracurricular) and Career goals (clear and realistic).
On the face of it 710 is at par with average scores of INSEAD and you will need other spikes in your profile to stand out (considering the competitive Indian pool you belong to). With not information on the aspects mentioned above, it is virtually impossible to give a meaningful answer.
You may want to read here on what matters in a profile and here to add to your research on career goals.

Best
Varun Sharma
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kalraswati
Hello!

Thank you for starting this forum- it's extremely insightful.

I'm an Indian, with 3.5 years of work-ex (management consulting and healthcare). I have a 710 in GMAT (V40, Q48). My Quant percentile is unfortunately only 67%.
I'm planning to apply in Round 2. Do you think my GMAT score will be a deal breaker? My current job is extremely intense, and I doubt I would have time to take the test again. Also, math isn't my strongest suit so I'm actually terrified that my score will go down.

Any suggestions?

Thanks a ton!
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Calling all Applicants: INSEAD Jan 2020 Intake (Class of Dec 2020) 28 Jan 2019, 10:31
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Hi Farrell,
Yup, with the language requirements covered I can spare some time to polish my French with no pressure ;)
Regarding the 1-yr program, there is nothing about it particularly appealing to me. I like the fact that it would be fast paced (since it's kind of a rushed course) but if INSEAD had only a 2 year program I would do it either way. I hear alumni comparing the experience to "trying to drink water from a firehose" and since I have a fast paced life in general, I believe I would be bored with a lighter schedule. Returning to the workforce early is of course a plus, but it's not crucial to me.

INSEAD is my only option :)


MBAPrepCoach
Hi Julia, thank you so much for introducing yourself. I hope everyone follows suit. Brazilian living in Argentina it sounds like you have the language part of this completely sorted :-) yay! Is there a specific reason that you want to do a 1-year program? Are you applying to any other schools? We wont tell them :-) shhh

https://mbaprepcoach.com
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Calling all Applicants: INSEAD Jan 2020 Intake (Class of Dec 2020) 28 Jan 2019, 13:14
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Hello! I am applying for the INSEAD Jan 2020 intake. However, I haven't had the chance to attend any of the application workshops or in-person events organized by the school. How valuable is it for me to make an effort to travel to a different city to attend an event organized by INSEAD?
Looking forward to your thoughts - thank you!
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Calling all Applicants: INSEAD Jan 2020 Intake (Class of Dec 2020) 29 Jan 2019, 05:23
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Hi WaitlistMuch,

thank you for posting your question.

I always say that attending those events is very valuable, and I encourage all applicants to attend at least one. This applies for all b-schools, not just INSEAD.

Attending such events will enrich your application as you'll be able to talk about your motivation for the school in a more personal way.

I also encourage all applicants to reach out and talk to as many current students and alumni as possible. Tools like LinkedIn are quite useful for this. But you can also reach out to INSEAD's Recruiting and Marketing department and ask them to put you in touch with some current student or alumni (preferably with similar background and/or career goals to yours).

Another positive side of attending those events is that most likely there will be some alumni representing the school (I personally represent INSEAD every chance I have). So it is great way to meet alumni in person, and add them to your contact list.

I hope this helps.

Good luck!
Alex
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Calling all Applicants: INSEAD Jan 2020 Intake (Class of Dec 2020) 29 Jan 2019, 09:48
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ARLeeConsulting
Hi WaitlistMuch,

thank you for posting your question.

I always say that attending those events is very valuable, and I encourage all applicants to attend at least one. This applies for all b-schools, not just INSEAD.

Attending such events will enrich your application as you'll be able to talk about your motivation for the school in a more personal way.

I also encourage all applicants to reach out and talk to as many current students and alumni as possible. Tools like LinkedIn are quite useful for this. But you can also reach out to INSEAD's Recruiting and Marketing department and ask them to put you in touch with some current student or alumni (preferably with similar background and/or career goals to yours).

Another positive side of attending those events is that most likely there will be some alumni representing the school (I personally represent INSEAD every chance I have). So it is great way to meet alumni in person, and add them to your contact list.

I hope this helps.

Good luck!
Alex
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Thank you so much for your response Alex, appreciate your feedback!
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Calling all Applicants: INSEAD Jan 2020 Intake (Class of Dec 2020) 01 Feb 2019, 01:53
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tsuxinhah
Hi Farrell,
Yup, with the language requirements covered I can spare some time to polish my French with no pressure ;)
Regarding the 1-yr program, there is nothing about it particularly appealing to me. I like the fact that it would be fast paced (since it's kind of a rushed course) but if INSEAD had only a 2 year program I would do it either way. I hear alumni comparing the experience to "trying to drink water from a firehose" and since I have a fast paced life in general, I believe I would be bored with a lighter schedule. Returning to the workforce early is of course a plus, but it's not crucial to me.

INSEAD is my only option :)


MBAPrepCoach
Hi Julia, thank you so much for introducing yourself. I hope everyone follows suit. Brazilian living in Argentina it sounds like you have the language part of this completely sorted :-) yay! Is there a specific reason that you want to do a 1-year program? Are you applying to any other schools? We wont tell them :-) shhh

https://mbaprepcoach.com
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Only choice...that's a little brazen, I just want to make sure you've thought that through.

What you are saying is this: you would rather not attend business school at all anywhere this year then go to a school other than INSEAD.

LBS is so similar in many ways I wonder why you would not consider applying there at least?

Sometimes my clients want to apply to one school because they think this type of "loyalty" will improve their odds.

But I generally have to talk them off the ledge with that and explain this is a campaign and they want to maximize visibility and opportunities to get an admit.

I certainly don't question your decisions I just wanted make that point for the benefit of all.

https://mbaprepcoach.com
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Calling all Applicants: INSEAD Jan 2020 Intake (Class of Dec 2020) 01 Feb 2019, 02:02
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WaitlistMuch
Hello! I am applying for the INSEAD Jan 2020 intake. However, I haven't had the chance to attend any of the application workshops or in-person events organized by the school. How valuable is it for me to make an effort to travel to a different city to attend an event organized by INSEAD?
Looking forward to your thoughts - thank you!
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Hi WaitlistMuch
It would be a valuable experience for you to attend a live event and network with alumni there. However if it's a major burden for you to travel and make time to do this, LinkedIn is a terrific tool. By reaching out to INSEAD alums there my clients end up discovering quite a bit and really get a good sense of the school. I would also urge you and everyone to join online sessions - these are in March https://www.insead.edu/master-programme ... nts/online
Cheers
Farrell
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Calling all Applicants: INSEAD Jan 2020 Intake (Class of Dec 2020) 01 Feb 2019, 05:28
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Thanks for your insight!

You definitely got it right with the "I'd rather not attend BS at all this year". However, it's not as harsh as "it's INSEAD or nothing". I would definitely apply to HEC Paris and LBS and maybe some US schools if I get dinged. The reason I don't want to do everything at the same time is 1) it is very expensive (I earn in Argentine pesos so one admissions fee is already a huge hole in my budget) 2) I work in finance, workload is heavy and I want to dedicate the free time that I have to make sure that I make the best application possible to my dream school. If it doesn't work out, I'll apply to the others next year :)

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tsuxinhah
Hi Farrell,
Yup, with the language requirements covered I can spare some time to polish my French with no pressure ;)
Regarding the 1-yr program, there is nothing about it particularly appealing to me. I like the fact that it would be fast paced (since it's kind of a rushed course) but if INSEAD had only a 2 year program I would do it either way. I hear alumni comparing the experience to "trying to drink water from a firehose" and since I have a fast paced life in general, I believe I would be bored with a lighter schedule. Returning to the workforce early is of course a plus, but it's not crucial to me.

INSEAD is my only option :)


MBAPrepCoach
Hi Julia, thank you so much for introducing yourself. I hope everyone follows suit. Brazilian living in Argentina it sounds like you have the language part of this completely sorted :-) yay! Is there a specific reason that you want to do a 1-year program? Are you applying to any other schools? We wont tell them :-) shhh

https://mbaprepcoach.com
Only choice...that's a little brazen, I just want to make sure you've thought that through.

What you are saying is this: you would rather not attend business school at all anywhere this year then go to a school other than INSEAD.

LBS is so similar in many ways I wonder why you would not consider applying there at least?

Sometimes my clients want to apply to one school because they think this type of "loyalty" will improve their odds.

But I generally have to talk them off the ledge with that and explain this is a campaign and they want to maximize visibility and opportunities to get an admit.

I certainly don't question your decisions I just wanted make that point for the benefit of all.

https://mbaprepcoach.com
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Calling all Applicants: INSEAD Jan 2020 Intake (Class of Dec 2020) 06 Feb 2019, 07:59
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Hi Farrell,
I wish I would spot this thread earlier

I'm an applicant for January 2020 intake.
I just submitted my application and took video interview.
It turns out I get more nervous after submission :cry:

There are two questions I want to ask.

Q1. How important the video interview?

I'm sure other aspects like demeanor, eye contact, voice, and other non-verbal were good but I made some mistakes.

Two out of four questions ended while I made closing the answers; I guess two or three small words were not recorded for each question.
Also, I sputtered several times. :(

Q2. How various are the interview invite dates of INSEAD?

Is it possible to receive interview invite even earlier like me on end of February or beginning of March? I submitted as soon as I felt my application is fully ready because 'rolling based review in each round' was mentioned on the official website but it seems that interview invites start in particular date; like one week before interview invite deadline. If you have seen any applicants who applied even earlier like me received interview invite early accordingly, please share the cases.

Thanks
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Calling all Applicants: INSEAD Jan 2020 Intake (Class of Dec 2020) 10 Feb 2019, 00:00
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tailwind0617
Hi Farrell,
I wish I would spot this thread earlier

I'm an applicant for January 2020 intake.
I just submitted my application and took video interview.
It turns out I get more nervous after submission :cry:

There are two questions I want to ask.

Q1. How important the video interview?

I'm sure other aspects like demeanor, eye contact, voice, and other non-verbal were good but I made some mistakes.

Two out of four questions ended while I made closing the answers; I guess two or three small words were not recorded for each question.
Also, I sputtered several times. :(

Q2. How various are the interview invite dates of INSEAD?

Is it possible to receive interview invite even earlier like me on end of February or beginning of March? I submitted as soon as I felt my application is fully ready because 'rolling based review in each round' was mentioned on the official website but it seems that interview invites start in particular date; like one week before interview invite deadline. If you have seen any applicants who applied even earlier like me received interview invite early accordingly, please share the cases.

Thanks
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Hi there

Here's my 2 cents on your questions:

Q1. How important the video interview?
Your responses to the video interviews are assessed in conjunction with the written part of your application and not independently. That being said, if your written application is very strong then you make it easier for the AdCom member to gloss over if there were any weaknesses in your video submission. Works the other way around as well. But if it was just two or three words that you couldnt say towards the end and on the whole managed to give a logically sound and confident answer then I wouldn't be too worried

Q2. How various are the interview invite dates of INSEAD?
During my time at INSEAD and +- 3 batches around me I never heard of a case whereby someone received an interview invite earlier than expected. Out of the 15 clients I have worked with who applied at INSEAD (all of who got through btw :) ) none of them received an 'early' invite. From the looks of it all the interview decisions are communicated during the week of the interview decision deadline. Your applications might get reviewed earlier but I think they hold off the communication till the end.

Hope this helps! Happy to help you out with your interview process if you make it hopefully!
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Calling all Applicants: INSEAD Jan 2020 Intake (Class of Dec 2020) 10 Feb 2019, 02:59
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Hi All,

INSEAD application question asks: "May we contact your employer?". Is it OK if I answer this with No? I have my line manager writing recommendation for me and INSEAD, of course, has his contact details, but I am not sure whether I shall give them general right to contact the employer. What would you recommend?
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Calling all Applicants: INSEAD Jan 2020 Intake (Class of Dec 2020) 10 Feb 2019, 05:12
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Hi tsuxinhah I see now, sounds like you have smartly assessed your goals and capabilities. As long as the upcoming year will add value to your profile and you are still in the general age range next year, sounds like a great plan. Fingers crossed for you for INSEAD!
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Calling all Applicants: INSEAD Jan 2020 Intake (Class of Dec 2020) 10 Feb 2019, 05:40
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Hi tailwind0617, sorry for the delayed response. I have been swamped with prepping clients for interviews.

First of all, it is a tall order to master prepping for 45 seconds and delivering a response for 1 minute. No one feels like they have completely nailed this, believe me!
I have moderated a lot of INSEAD threads and no one says, yes, perfect 10/10 nailed it. It's weird to talk to wall on a topic you might not have thought about. So please know this is a comparative process and everyone is up against the same obstacles and limitations.

For those of you yet to apply, I advise you to come up with ideas to the past video questions (posted here: https://mbaessaycoaching.com/category/v ... erviewing/) but more importantly get into a flow with this structure.

Also, who knows what really goes on behind the veil, but INSEAD admissions has stated that this is used as a way to include people who might not come across well on paper but they do on camera, NOT to exclude people who did submit a good application on paper. So that is the official position.

With regards to your second question, to be honest, unfortunately I have never had a client or even moderated a thread where there were active participants who submitted their application well in advance of the official deadline. So please keep us posted. But it is not a rolling admissions process where each candidate is evaluated on their own merits, and fill spots first come first serve. They wait to evaluate all the applicants as a batch and then send out interview offers, generally no earlier than 12 days in advance of the official deadline.

Hope this helps and hang in there. Worrying sometimes makes us feel like we are doing something but it never does.The best way to alleviate anxiety is to work on other applications while waiting for results. Applying only to INSEAD will not increase your chances. R3 of 4 is coming up for September batch LBS, IESE, Esade. I do think it is best for Indians to apply as early as possible; there are R2 deadlines coming up for IMD, HEC, and R1 for RSM and SDA.


tailwind0617
Hi Farrell,
I wish I would spot this thread earlier

I'm an applicant for January 2020 intake.
I just submitted my application and took video interview.
It turns out I get more nervous after submission :cry:

There are two questions I want to ask.

Q1. How important the video interview?

I'm sure other aspects like demeanor, eye contact, voice, and other non-verbal were good but I made some mistakes.

Two out of four questions ended while I made closing the answers; I guess two or three small words were not recorded for each question.
Also, I sputtered several times. :(

Q2. How various are the interview invite dates of INSEAD?

Is it possible to receive interview invite even earlier like me on end of February or beginning of March? I submitted as soon as I felt my application is fully ready because 'rolling based review in each round' was mentioned on the official website but it seems that interview invites start in particular date; like one week before interview invite deadline. If you have seen any applicants who applied even earlier like me received interview invite early accordingly, please share the cases.

Thanks
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Calling all Applicants: INSEAD Jan 2020 Intake (Class of Dec 2020) 10 Feb 2019, 05:47
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Hi@gianarma, I would strongly and emphatically encourage you to say yes. Otherwise, it might seem you are trying to hide something. Most recommendations end with something akin to, "contact me should you have any further questions" and so this is an extension of that. Also, they should be able to validate your work experience with HR

gionarma
Hi All,

INSEAD application question asks: "May we contact your employer?". Is it OK if I answer this with No? I have my line manager writing recommendation for me and INSEAD, of course, has his contact details, but I am not sure whether I shall give them general right to contact the employer. What would you recommend?
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Calling all Applicants: INSEAD Jan 2020 Intake (Class of Dec 2020) 10 Feb 2019, 10:16
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MBAPrepCoach
Hi@gianarma, I would strongly and emphatically encourage you to say yes. Otherwise, it might seem you are trying to hide something. Most recommendations end with something akin to, "contact me should you have any further questions" and so this is an extension of that. Also, they should be able to validate your work experience with HR

gionarma
Hi All,

INSEAD application question asks: "May we contact your employer?". Is it OK if I answer this with No? I have my line manager writing recommendation for me and INSEAD, of course, has his contact details, but I am not sure whether I shall give them general right to contact the employer. What would you recommend?
Show more

Thanks MBAPrepCoach!

One more question: there are many questions asking for period of time (from/to) and does not have "till present" as an option. Shall I leave "to" section blank or include applicationsubmission date?
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Calling all Applicants: INSEAD Jan 2020 Intake (Class of Dec 2020) 10 Feb 2019, 11:06
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MBAPrepCoach
Hi@gianarma, I would strongly and emphatically encourage you to say yes. Otherwise, it might seem you are trying to hide something. Most recommendations end with something akin to, "contact me should you have any further questions" and so this is an extension of that. Also, they should be able to validate your work experience with HR

gionarma
Hi All,

INSEAD application question asks: "May we contact your employer?". Is it OK if I answer this with No? I have my line manager writing recommendation for me and INSEAD, of course, has his contact details, but I am not sure whether I shall give them general right to contact the employer. What would you recommend?
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Hi Farrel!

I have a couple of questions about this topic:

1) I think I am not the only one who doesn't want his company to currently know about his intention to pursue an MBA. I mean, they would not be so happy to know that I want to leave the company, and in case of rejection from BS, it would be kind of uncomfortable to continue to work in that place. Obviously referees must be informed, but I was planning to keep the thing between the three of us, and for sure not to inform HR department!!!

2) Which kind of background check is INSEAD performing? I mean are they going through details like M7 do (using external companys after your accepance) or are they just checking things like employement dates, undergraduates/graduates degree and stuff like that? I am asking because I have just realized that there are some discrepancies between contractual job titles and effective ones. I try to explain better: I work in a project oriented company and through the development of a project I happened to cover different roles, with different job titles and different responsibilities. However these changes bring a modification in the contract job title only if they imply a change in the salary or in the department which I belonged. Therefore, if someone compares the official list of job title I covered with the one I am declaring, he would find some kind of differences. I hope the question is clear.

Thanks you
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Calling all Applicants: INSEAD Jan 2020 Intake (Class of Dec 2020) 10 Feb 2019, 13:37
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gionarma
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Hi@gianarma, I would strongly and emphatically encourage you to say yes. Otherwise, it might seem you are trying to hide something. Most recommendations end with something akin to, "contact me should you have any further questions" and so this is an extension of that. Also, they should be able to validate your work experience with HR

gionarma
Hi All,

INSEAD application question asks: "May we contact your employer?". Is it OK if I answer this with No? I have my line manager writing recommendation for me and INSEAD, of course, has his contact details, but I am not sure whether I shall give them general right to contact the employer. What would you recommend?

Thanks MBAPrepCoach!

One more question: there are many questions asking for period of time (from/to) and does not have "till present" as an option. Shall I leave "to" section blank or include applicationsubmission date?
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Calling all Applicants: INSEAD Jan 2020 Intake (Class of Dec 2020) 10 Feb 2019, 13:40
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MadhaviRS
Hello all,

I'm another Indian applicant for the insead Jan 2020 intake. I'm extremely nervous though, because I have to retake my GMAT and can only apply in R2.

My profile is briefly as follows and would be grateful for any inputs or suggestions you may have.

Education - 5 year law from Bangalore University and professionally qualified as a Company Secretary.

Work experience - (5+years) worked as a consultant with a local law firm and company secretary firm for about 2+ years. Trained to be a company secretary with a chartered accountancy firm for 1+ years. Currently working with a fortune 500 company as in house counsel and CS since 2+ years. Was promoted before1.5 years. I work with the senior management and manage the Board of Directors. My exposure has been in litigation, financial reporting, consumer and service related matters, business negotiations, Board Management, government reporting, legal compliances and all regular legal work. I also worked as a grammar consultant for a Swiz based company that taught English to non-English speakers across the world. (this was during my initial career days).

I have international exposure based on the contracts I have worked on with my company,but no travel abroad (just a vacation).

I'm yet to begin working on my applications and will be able to apply only for R2. Based on the above, any inputs are welcome if you can spare the time.

Thank you.

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Hi, please post in the profile evaluation thread, they are disallowed here. You will get help there.

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Calling all Applicants: INSEAD Jan 2020 Intake (Class of Dec 2020) Updated on: 13 Jul 2022, 01:13
Originally posted by MadhaviRS on 10 Feb 2019, 21:52.
Last edited by MadhaviRS on 13 Jul 2022, 01:13, edited 1 time in total.
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Calling all Applicants: INSEAD Jan 2020 Intake (Class of Dec 2020) 11 Feb 2019, 22:29
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It's absolutely perfectly fine for you to keep your intentions secret, however if you like the previous poster are obtaining recommenders from your current job, then it would be suspect to state that you don't want them to contact the company. In your case you would want to articulate in the additional information section that your job would be in jeopardy should they learn if your plans. So there's no problem there especially if you're in an industry where in MBA is not necessarily expected at this stage in your career. That said it would be good to get an old manager on board or someone who knows you in a professional capacity for at least one recommendation.

I will be completely honest with you I am not up to date on what they are currently doing for the background checks, yes for the best of my knowledge they do not use Revera or Kroll similar to US schools. They do spot check and Google, and investigate anything that seems suspicious.

I understand the principle of a working title But you know better than I do if it's honest or not; if what you put for job title is a fair representation of the job content. My recommendation would be to over disclose because there will be a much greater chance of you being disqualified should you omit something and it seems that you were behavior deceptively. Contact admissions if you have any doubt.

Wrongchalice
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Hi@gianarma, I would strongly and emphatically encourage you to say yes. Otherwise, it might seem you are trying to hide something. Most recommendations end with something akin to, "contact me should you have any further questions" and so this is an extension of that. Also, they should be able to validate your work experience with HR

gionarma
Hi All,

INSEAD application question asks: "May we contact your employer?". Is it OK if I answer this with No? I have my line manager writing recommendation for me and INSEAD, of course, has his contact details, but I am not sure whether I shall give them general right to contact the employer. What would you recommend?

Hi Farrel!

I have a couple of questions about this topic:

1) I think I am not the only one who doesn't want his company to currently know about his intention to pursue an MBA. I mean, they would not be so happy to know that I want to leave the company, and in case of rejection from BS, it would be kind of uncomfortable to continue to work in that place. Obviously referees must be informed, but I was planning to keep the thing between the three of us, and for sure not to inform HR department!!!

2) Which kind of background check is INSEAD performing? I mean are they going through details like M7 do (using external companys after your accepance) or are they just checking things like employement dates, undergraduates/graduates degree and stuff like that? I am asking because I have just realized that there are some discrepancies between contractual job titles and effective ones. I try to explain better: I work in a project oriented company and through the development of a project I happened to cover different roles, with different job titles and different responsibilities. However these changes bring a modification in the contract job title only if they imply a change in the salary or in the department which I belonged. Therefore, if someone compares the official list of job title I covered with the one I am declaring, he would find some kind of differences. I hope the question is clear.

Thanks you
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