Calling all IMD Applicants (Entry January 2020) Class of Dec 2020

Hello Everyone, I have made this thread for all the people who are applying to IMD for the January 2020 intake.

Deadlines

• February 1,2019
• May 1, 2019
• August 1, 2019
• October 1, 2019

Essays Questions

• Describe a situation in which you failed as a leader. What did you learn from it? (Word limit 300)
• Is there any additional information that is critical for the Admissions Committee which has not been covered elsewhere in this application? (i.e. re-application, health, grades, etc.) (Word limit 50)
• How do you intend to finance your MBA at IMD? How much of your total budget estimate will you be able to provide without loans or scholarships? (Word limit 50​)
• What other programs are you considering? Of the programs you are considering, what can IMD bring to you as a differentiator? (Word limit 100) Here's an expert's advice on how to handle this essay.

IMD CV Guide

I am applying in R1. Looking forward to speaking with other candidates




_________________

Thank you sjas31 for starting this topic. I've added a data table to your post that shows applicant stats. Let us know if you need any help maintaining this thread.
_________________

Hello helas92 thank you for starting this thread! How far along are you with the application? I am glad they simplified it a lot and brought down the number of recommendations from 3 to 2. When I get a moment I will provide some insight on the new essay questions.

For those just getting started, what I would recommend is reviewing the recommendation questions and considering anecdotes that would demonstrate what they are seeking: leadership, teamwork problem solving, innovative thinking etc. Consider your brand, what you are best known for, and make that your key communication objective. Less is more; you want to go more deep than wide with this so it is memorable.

Then set up a lunch or coffee date with each recommender and go over these stories. It can also serve as a kind of brainstorming session. After the meeting summarize the key parts of the story (use STAR format : situation, task, action, result.) and send them to your recommender to make things easier for him/her.

The admissions committee takes what your recommender says about you more seriously than what you say about you - so it is well worth the time and effort to make sure there are no surprises. Many people think, "oh, what they say will be good/favorable." But that is not the game we are playing here; adjectives or rehashed work reviews without real stories containing VISUAL-IZABLE examples lack impact. And that makes your application less competitive.

No one has yet posted the recommendation questions for 2019 and so I am wondering if you or someone could send a link to a recommender and report back. I would have a client do it but they are knee deep in IESE and INSEAD applications right now.

These are the ones from last year - their objective is to understand your leadership qualities which is the highlight/focus of the program.
Seeing that they cut back the essays even further from last year, I wonder if they are leaning on recs to tell the story or if they are streamlining those too.

Recommendations - all responses are 1000 characters maximum

1. How long have you known the applicant and in what capacity?


2. What do you consider to be the applicant’s top three strengths (feel free to use the “skills” on the grid below as guidance)?


3. Describe the applicant’s role in your organization. What has his/her single most important contribution been to the organization?


4. In terms of future leadership potential for a senior management position in your company, what role would you consider the applicant to play in 10 years’ time if he or she were still employed with your company?


5. What do you consider to be the applicant’s weaknesses or opportunities for improvement?


6. Please give us your appraisal of the applicant in terms of the qualities listed below. Rate the applicant in comparison with other persons of his/her age whom you consider to have a clear potential for leadership in management.

7. Teamwork is very important in the IMD MBA. Can you give an example that shows the team skills of the applicant?


8. Based on your interaction with the applicant, how would you describe his/her ability to deal with ambiguity? Please give a concrete example if possible.





_________________

MBAPrepCoach

I have been working on the application for 1 week now. There is no information on the website regarding the recommendation questions. Thank you for sharing your insights on the recommendation.

Hi, yes I realize there is no information on the recommendation questions on the website, you have to send the link to your recommenders and ask for them to share those with you. I know that for some people this is a bit unconventional but even MBA programs encourage you to coach your recommenders. So if they're willing to work with you on sharing those questions that would be very helpful so that you can coach them on what you would like to highlight, it's best to make it a collaborative process rather than a potentially nasty surprise that Torpedoes your candidacy.

https://mbaprepcoach.com
_________________

I have the 2019 IMD recommendation questions in hand...
*no word limit is indicated. 

​​What is your relationship with the applicant? (drop down)

1. How long have you known the applicant and in what capacity?

2. Describe the applicant's role in your organization. What has his/her single most important contribution been to the organization?

3. What do you consider to be the applicant's top three strengths?

4. What do you consider to be the applicant's weaknesses or opportunities for improvement?
_________________

Hi, everyone! Thanks for starting the topic, helas92!
I've just started the application process and now preparing to take the GMAT by the end of Feb.
I've chosen the May 1st deadline. I'll keep you guys posted on whatever is relevant to share.
Pleased to be in touch and hope I can be of any help.

Hi Bruno, sending you well wishes on the GMAT...! Post any questions that come up for you.
_________________

Hello,

Could someone confirm the TOEFL/IELTS is really mandatory for 2020 applicants? Did someone contact admission if there is a way to skip it, except having Masters on English?

I asked
I am applying to IMD MBA 1st application deadline for the class of 2020.
I am an Indian, and have done my studies in India
Btech Civil engineering
Mtech Civil engineering
Both courses were in English.
Do I need to submit a TOEFL score?
If the score is not required, does submitting one improve my chances of getting selected for the program.
I got a reply from IMD
If it is clearly stated that the courses were all in English then that is fine. In this case you are exempted from the English test and having one will not improve your chances.

Hope this helps

Posted from my mobile device

Is your undergrad was not entirely in English then yes it is absolutely compulsory, and if you check out the website under admissions criteria it states that they recommend you have 108, which is relatively High. Sorry if this comes as a disappointment. You said 2020 applicant do you mean the class of 2020? I don't think they will be changing the standard over the coming year. However if you are applying next year obviously you have plenty of time to retake take the exam

https://mbaprepcoach.com
_________________

Hi,

I’m asking because TOEFL/ILTS was not a requirement for the past IMD applicants. I have 5 years overseas work experience on English, would it be considered? Looks like it is better to ask admission.

Llexxey where did you hear that it was not a requirement for past IMD applicants?
Check out this site; I think it would not be a good look to ask them questions regarding things that are posted online as admissions criteria
https://www.imd.org/mba/admissions/one- ... -criteria/
sorry for the disappointing news. Their suggested TOEFL score is 108, even higher than INSEAD (105) so I sense this is important and not up for discussion.

TOEFL/IELTS: the entire program is taught in English. If English is not your native language and you have not previously studied in English, then you will need to submit a TOEFL or IELTs score. There is no minimum requirement. Ideally, we recommend 108+ on the TOEFL (IBT) or an IELTS score of 7.5 or above. Our TOEFL IBT Code is – DI (C301).

Once you meet these criteria, you are ready to continue with our Admissions Process.


_________________

Hi nobimj yes if all instruction was in English, and it is clearly stated as you said, no TOEFL required. Good luck and keep us posted on your R1 application. I am working on edits for a client right now for R1.

_________________

For those of you targeting R2 I really encourage you to listen to the Touch MBA podcast posted as a separate thread in this forum. So much you can gather from that to show fit with the program.
_________________

Hi. I've submitted my application on Jan 26 (Feb 1 deadline) and received a mail that I hadn't sent them the official score report. I did that and got a mail the next day that my application was now complete.

The mail also said that they would take 3 weeks to get back to me. However, the interview results deadline is Feb 15 i.e. in 2 weeks. So I'm a bit stumped.

Sent from my ONEPLUS A5000 using GMAT Club Forum mobile app

I really don't have any specific explanation for you, and have not run across as before. However I will say that sometimes schools kind of put Indians on hold so that they can see the whole body if all the Indians that applied. And this might particularly be the case with IMD were there are only 90 seats. Maybe they are giving themselves an extra week to see what shakes out with other Indian candidates who receive an invite? It's possible that in other circumstances they evaluate applicants without having to compare so much. This is just a guess.

https://mbaprepcoach.com
_________________

This doesn't make sense since dates for assessment days are fixed. They can't inform me 2 days before the Assessment Day to fly to Dubai for it. What's could've been a probable theory is that they send out invites for interview, see who all accept and basis obtained yield they invite more Indians.

However, they release interview invitations and decisions on fixed dates - Feb 15 and March 29 respectively for the Feb deadline so that theory is unlikely to be true as well. Or am I missing something?

Sent from my ONEPLUS A5000 using GMAT Club Forum mobile app

I have no idea, but I encourage you to reach out to them for further clarification and be assertive while also trying to turn this into a positive encounter. I think you have an incredibly valid point with regards to travel and anyone who thinks you would be pestering them to obtain that information is just nuts. Definitely reach out.

https://mbaprepcoach.com
_________________

Good luck to all of you who have applied R1 hoping for an interview on Friday! Very hopeful for a positive result for my client.

https://mbaprepcoach.com
_________________