Last visit was: 28 Apr 2026, 17:37 It is currently 28 Apr 2026, 17:37
Home
Messages
Tests
Schools
Events
Close
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.

Customized
for You

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Track
Your Progress

every week, we’ll send you an estimated GMAT score based on your performance

Practice
Pays

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Go to My Error Log Learn more
Close
Request Expert Reply
Confirm Cancel
User avatar
newsInsead
User avatar
Joined: 20 Nov 2013
Last visit: -
Posts: 1,184
Own Kudos:
33
Posts: 1,184
Kudos: 33
Calling all INSEAD Applicants (Sept 2016 Intake) Class of July 2017!! 30 Aug 2015, 19:01
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
FROM Insead Admissions Blog1: The First Mile
HELLO FOLKS! My name is Anshul Bansal. I am Indian by nationality, and I was raised in the Middle East for a bit. Your typical run-of-the-mill engineer, I spent the last four years working for the consumer goods behemoth Procter & Gamble across India and China in various capacities. Today, I am here to share my thoughts with you as part of the 16J MBA class at INSEAD starting this fall.



These days whenever I talk to people—friends, family, colleagues—questions invariably range around three central themes:

  • Question 1: How did you get through? What did you do?
  • Question 2: How’s the course? How’s life at INSEAD? How are things going?
  • Question 3: What’s next?
Three very important, valid questions which would take another three blog posts to answer. What I want to share with you all today though is the journey from then to now; the first mile so to speak. The first mile, as I am sure, has different origins and connotations for each one of my fellow INSEADers. For me, the origin was the moment I got my acceptance call from the Admissions Committee representative—turning one simple afternoon into one of the best of my life. From that day till today, I have gone through quite a few emotions, or as I like to call it, “phases” ranging from sheer ecstasy to anxiety, fear, excitement and finally, pride.

Joy – Anxiety

The joy and ecstasy of being accepted to such an elite institution was quickly subdued by a sense of anxiety. There were just too many things to do. Making the final decision, securing the seat, informing friends, family, and colleagues. The urgency extended to Facebook invites, Whatsapp groups, meet-ups, drinks and dinners with fellow INSEADers. The fear of missing out (FOMO) had started to play its part after all and I was as much affected by it as the next person!

Anxiety [b]– Humility[/b]

The next phase I experienced was this overwhelming wave of humility. The whole admissions process up till that point had been about me—whether I was a good fit for INSEAD, whether I possessed the qualities that INSEAD looks for and how would I fare in their setup. It was only after my acceptance that I got to know about my fellow INSEADers—my batch mates, their backgrounds, their experiences, even their hopes and aspirations. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t both awestruck and intimidated at the same time. For every quality and experience that I prided myself in, there was someone who had done it all. And then there were some who had dared to do things that I had never even dreamt of. Truly awe-inspiring and humbling!

Humility [b]– Pride[/b]

The last few weeks since have been just super exciting, emotionally draining and hectic—saying goodbyes, packing, moving twice across countries (China – India – France), exploring this beautiful town, meeting new people and old faces, the parties and of course, getting to see the INSEAD campus. It was in the middle of one such season-opening party that I looked around and saw a kaleidoscope of diverse and differing viewpoints yet sharing a camaraderie and bond hard to match elsewhere. And it struck me that I too was part of this family, comprised not just of INSEADers but their partners who had their own stories to tell. All these amazing people were there to welcome me into their lives and make me feel right at home. In pursuit of my dreams, like many others, I may have left my family behind BUT have gained another one here—equally loving and supporting and vastly bigger. I am immensely proud of being part of this family proving yet again why INSEAD is a cut above the rest.

And so as we begin this journey together, I am supremely confident that this will be a journey I shall always cherish with fondness, delight and pride. It will have its ups and downs, trials and tribulations, but if the first mile is anything to go by, it will be a heck of an adventure. One that we shall be on together.
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
User avatar
newsInsead
User avatar
Joined: 20 Nov 2013
Last visit: -
Posts: 1,184
Own Kudos:
33
Posts: 1,184
Kudos: 33
Calling all INSEAD Applicants (Sept 2016 Intake) Class of July 2017!! 30 Aug 2015, 20:00
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
FROM Insead Admissions Blog: The First Mile
HELLO FOLKS! My name is Anshul Bansal. I am Indian by nationality, and I was raised in the Middle East for a bit. Your typical run-of-the-mill engineer, I spent the last four years working for the consumer goods behemoth Procter & Gamble across India and China in various capacities. Today, I am here to share my thoughts with you as part of the 16J MBA class at INSEAD starting this fall.



These days whenever I talk to people—friends, family, colleagues—questions invariably range around three central themes:

  • Question 1: How did you get through? What did you do?
  • Question 2: How’s the course? How’s life at INSEAD? How are things going?
  • Question 3: What’s next?
Three very important, valid questions which would take another three blog posts to answer. What I want to share with you all today though is the journey from then to now; the first mile so to speak. The first mile, as I am sure, has different origins and connotations for each one of my fellow INSEADers. For me, the origin was the moment I got my acceptance call from the Admissions Committee representative—turning one simple afternoon into one of the best of my life. From that day till today, I have gone through quite a few emotions, or as I like to call it, “phases” ranging from sheer ecstasy to anxiety, fear, excitement and finally, pride.

Joy – Anxiety

The joy and ecstasy of being accepted to such an elite institution was quickly subdued by a sense of anxiety. There were just too many things to do. Making the final decision, securing the seat, informing friends, family, and colleagues. The urgency extended to Facebook invites, Whatsapp groups, meet-ups, drinks and dinners with fellow INSEADers. The fear of missing out (FOMO) had started to play its part after all and I was as much affected by it as the next person!

Anxiety [b]– Humility[/b]

The next phase I experienced was this overwhelming wave of humility. The whole admissions process up till that point had been about me—whether I was a good fit for INSEAD, whether I possessed the qualities that INSEAD looks for and how would I fare in their setup. It was only after my acceptance that I got to know about my fellow INSEADers—my batch mates, their backgrounds, their experiences, even their hopes and aspirations. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t both awestruck and intimidated at the same time. For every quality and experience that I prided myself in, there was someone who had done it all. And then there were some who had dared to do things that I had never even dreamt of. Truly awe-inspiring and humbling!

Humility [b]– Pride[/b]

The last few weeks since have been just super exciting, emotionally draining and hectic—saying goodbyes, packing, moving twice across countries (China – India – France), exploring this beautiful town, meeting new people and old faces, the parties and of course, getting to see the INSEAD campus. It was in the middle of one such season-opening party that I looked around and saw a kaleidoscope of diverse and differing viewpoints yet sharing a camaraderie and bond hard to match elsewhere. And it struck me that I too was part of this family, comprised not just of INSEADers but their partners who had their own stories to tell. All these amazing people were there to welcome me into their lives and make me feel right at home. In pursuit of my dreams, like many others, I may have left my family behind BUT have gained another one here—equally loving and supporting and vastly bigger. I am immensely proud of being part of this family proving yet again why INSEAD is a cut above the rest.

And so as we begin this journey together, I am supremely confident that this will be a journey I shall always cherish with fondness, delight and pride. It will have its ups and downs, trials and tribulations, but if the first mile is anything to go by, it will be a heck of an adventure. One that we shall be on together.
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
User avatar
newsInsead
User avatar
Joined: 20 Nov 2013
Last visit: -
Posts: 1,184
Own Kudos:
33
Posts: 1,184
Kudos: 33
Calling all INSEAD Applicants (Sept 2016 Intake) Class of July 2017!! 31 Aug 2015, 22:00
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
FROM Insead Admissions Blog: Because Money Matters!
On the afternoon of 23rd November 2014, when the phone rang with a +33 code, I rushed to pick it up, knowing fully well that my life could be so different on the other side of this call. As I heard the golden word “Congratulations”, I was already two feet above the ground, jumping with joy at the anticipation of what lay ahead—a sea of endless possibilities, where I get to see a different side of the world, learn from people so unimaginably diverse, and explore my potential to a degree that was beyond my own realm of thinking.

The big picture

Once done with the call and rushing to disclose the news to all my dear ones, it suddenly dawned on me how much was needed to be done before I could get started with the course. To start with, I needed to figure out my finances. Finances would include the tuition fee of course, plus the living expenses during the ten month period. Add to that my plan to explore Europe and we were looking at an additional 5,000 to 7,000 euros for the course period, even as a backpacker. I had saved over the years for this dream of mine, which meant my living expenses would be covered by my savings. The rest was to be covered by education loan. The first thing I did was to check on the next deadline for scholarships, because a good scholarship would mean I would be able to reduce my education loan liability



Scholarships

INSEAD suggests that the number of scholarship applications be restricted to no more than five; therefore, I started with shortlisting what those five applications should be. I decided to restrict myself to four, and try and do a thorough job in those. I picked up the ones which gave me a chance to demonstrate my differentiation through elements of my past work, or through relevant ideas that I could bring to the table. I was shortlisted for two scholarships, and finally awarded the L’Oreal Scholarship of 20,000 Euros, which gave my financial planning a big boost.

Loans

In parallel, I was pursuing my loan application with Prodigy, where an early start ensured that I had my loan approvals well in place to avoid any last-minute financing anxiety. With the scholarship results, I requested for a reduction in the loan amount, and finished the process several months before the start of the program.

Hidden costs

When you reach town for your MBA, you discover costs that you would have never budgeted for. For example, if you come along with your partner, you spend approximately 300 Euros on the residence permit for France. You may want a bike even if you live close to campus, because going to the bank or a bigger supermarket may need some form of transport. I had accounted for a portion of these,  but I later realized that it would always be good to have a small separate budget parked for the unforeseen.

Financing is a very important part of the MBA program, and in my case, it really helped to have the calculations and procedures worked out well in time. As the time for the start of the course approached, and there were a million other things to sort out, I was glad financing wasn’t one of them!
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
User avatar
newsInsead
User avatar
Joined: 20 Nov 2013
Last visit: -
Posts: 1,184
Own Kudos:
33
Posts: 1,184
Kudos: 33
Calling all INSEAD Applicants (Sept 2016 Intake) Class of July 2017!! 31 Aug 2015, 22:01
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
FROM Insead Admissions Blog1: Because Money Matters!
On the afternoon of 23rd November 2014, when the phone rang with a +33 code, I rushed to pick it up, knowing fully well that my life could be so different on the other side of this call. As I heard the golden word “Congratulations”, I was already two feet above the ground, jumping with joy at the anticipation of what lay ahead—a sea of endless possibilities, where I get to see a different side of the world, learn from people so unimaginably diverse, and explore my potential to a degree that was beyond my own realm of thinking.

The big picture

Once done with the call and rushing to disclose the news to all my dear ones, it suddenly dawned on me how much was needed to be done before I could get started with the course. To start with, I needed to figure out my finances. Finances would include the tuition fee of course, plus the living expenses during the ten month period. Add to that my plan to explore Europe and we were looking at an additional 5,000 to 7,000 euros for the course period, even as a backpacker. I had saved over the years for this dream of mine, which meant my living expenses would be covered by my savings. The rest was to be covered by education loan. The first thing I did was to check on the next deadline for scholarships, because a good scholarship would mean I would be able to reduce my education loan liability



Scholarships

INSEAD suggests that the number of scholarship applications be restricted to no more than five; therefore, I started with shortlisting what those five applications should be. I decided to restrict myself to four, and try and do a thorough job in those. I picked up the ones which gave me a chance to demonstrate my differentiation through elements of my past work, or through relevant ideas that I could bring to the table. I was shortlisted for two scholarships, and finally awarded the L’Oreal Scholarship of 20,000 Euros, which gave my financial planning a big boost.

Loans

In parallel, I was pursuing my loan application with Prodigy, where an early start ensured that I had my loan approvals well in place to avoid any last-minute financing anxiety. With the scholarship results, I requested for a reduction in the loan amount, and finished the process several months before the start of the program.

Hidden costs

When you reach town for your MBA, you discover costs that you would have never budgeted for. For example, if you come along with your partner, you spend approximately 300 Euros on the residence permit for France. You may want a bike even if you live close to campus, because going to the bank or a bigger supermarket may need some form of transport. I had accounted for a portion of these,  but I later realized that it would always be good to have a small separate budget parked for the unforeseen.

Financing is a very important part of the MBA program, and in my case, it really helped to have the calculations and procedures worked out well in time. As the time for the start of the course approached, and there were a million other things to sort out, I was glad financing wasn’t one of them!
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
User avatar
newsInsead
User avatar
Joined: 20 Nov 2013
Last visit: -
Posts: 1,184
Own Kudos:
33
Posts: 1,184
Kudos: 33
Calling all INSEAD Applicants (Sept 2016 Intake) Class of July 2017!! 02 Sep 2015, 20:00
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
FROM Insead Admissions Blog: Down The Rabbit Hole


Tick tock, tick tock. You are late! It was tough getting in, but no time for bruises. You must hurry!

There are folks inside. Some of them seem to know each other. A few have brought along a special someone with them. Others seem to have ventured alone. You feel out of place. But they are all getting ready for something.

You come as you are mostly. Part of you that’s lazy wants to stay in the comfort of home. There is a side of you that’s definitely playing the devil—to be or not to be—here?  Of course you didn’t just rush in, you followed someone’s lead. Someone who is fast, looks like a cloud, knows almost everything. You just need to know what to ask him and he has all the answers, but you can’t seem to get all the answers. He is elusive.

And no one can tell you how it will end. But that’s part of the thrill, isn’t it ? You love the adventure.

And psst, I know your life wasn’t happening anyway. I saw you reading a book in a garden and almost dozing off. Tut, tut. Not to worry. That’s about to change.

You are here because you want to be led on. You want to surrender. You want to discover; figure it out for yourself.

You settle down in the castle by the forest. Cosy, huh? You make friends. There is some hostility, too. But you get in the thick of things. It’s a marathon; you have to immerse yourself to see it through. You have to fight your battles, remember? It’s worthwhile to do so with the others. There is a lot for the mind to go on—too many questions, too few answers. Soon, you realize that you are losing yourself in there. You laugh and cry with the others. You forget home. You belong.

But like all good things come to an end, you have to return at the end of your journey. When you make it back to reality, you will feel richer. Perhaps not literally, but it will change you—for the better. And you will have some answers!

What?! You won’t come back? You want to go on living down there? But darling, they won’t keep you after it’s over! Even mad hatter stays virtually in a cloud somewhere.

Don’t make me drag you back up. darn it! All right, stay, but you are not allowed to tell anyone our secret. The “rabbit hole” is what we call it. To the outside world it’s INSEAD.
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
User avatar
newsInsead
User avatar
Joined: 20 Nov 2013
Last visit: -
Posts: 1,184
Own Kudos:
33
Posts: 1,184
Kudos: 33
Calling all INSEAD Applicants (Sept 2016 Intake) Class of July 2017!! 02 Sep 2015, 20:01
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
FROM Insead Admissions Blog1: Down The Rabbit Hole


Tick tock, tick tock. You are late! It was tough getting in, but no time for bruises. You must hurry!

There are folks inside. Some of them seem to know each other. A few have brought along a special someone with them. Others seem to have ventured alone. You feel out of place. But they are all getting ready for something.

You come as you are mostly. Part of you that’s lazy wants to stay in the comfort of home. There is a side of you that’s definitely playing the devil—to be or not to be—here?  Of course you didn’t just rush in, you followed someone’s lead. Someone who is fast, looks like a cloud, knows almost everything. You just need to know what to ask him and he has all the answers, but you can’t seem to get all the answers. He is elusive.

And no one can tell you how it will end. But that’s part of the thrill, isn’t it ? You love the adventure.

And psst, I know your life wasn’t happening anyway. I saw you reading a book in a garden and almost dozing off. Tut, tut. Not to worry. That’s about to change.

You are here because you want to be led on. You want to surrender. You want to discover; figure it out for yourself.

You settle down in the castle by the forest. Cosy, huh? You make friends. There is some hostility, too. But you get in the thick of things. It’s a marathon; you have to immerse yourself to see it through. You have to fight your battles, remember? It’s worthwhile to do so with the others. There is a lot for the mind to go on—too many questions, too few answers. Soon, you realize that you are losing yourself in there. You laugh and cry with the others. You forget home. You belong.

But like all good things come to an end, you have to return at the end of your journey. When you make it back to reality, you will feel richer. Perhaps not literally, but it will change you—for the better. And you will have some answers!

What?! You won’t come back? You want to go on living down there? But darling, they won’t keep you after it’s over! Even mad hatter stays virtually in a cloud somewhere.

Don’t make me drag you back up. darn it! All right, stay, but you are not allowed to tell anyone our secret. The “rabbit hole” is what we call it. To the outside world it’s INSEAD.
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
User avatar
newsInsead
User avatar
Joined: 20 Nov 2013
Last visit: -
Posts: 1,184
Own Kudos:
33
Posts: 1,184
Kudos: 33
Calling all INSEAD Applicants (Sept 2016 Intake) Class of July 2017!! 03 Sep 2015, 20:00
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
FROM Insead Admissions Blog: Do Entrepreneurs Need an MBA?
“Do entrepreneurs need education?”

If you are an aspiring entrepreneur, considering an MBA, you have heard this question a million times. I know I have. The debate dives into the age-old question: Are entrepreneurs born or made? Examples of successful semi-educated entrepreneurs are brought up: the Gates, the Jobs and the Zuckerbergs of the world. You start doubting your choice of taking a year out to learn in an actual classroom. You now consider just starting and failing quickly. Hold on. Failing?!

As a wannabe entrepreneur and a big fan of analytics, I spent countless number of hours online trying to find decent statistics on probability of failure without education. I could not find any. I found, however, a number of successful companies founded and led by MBAs (or equivalent). The list seemed to be much longer than the list of ventures started by hustlers without formal business education. Case in point: Gerry Ford, founder and CEO of the very successful coffee shop chain Caffè Nero. Ford graduated from INSEAD in 1984 and subsequently started a private equity firm in the UK before diving into the coffee hospitality industry. Today, the company operates more than 600 stores and turns over nearly EUR 316 million per year.

And this is just the beginning: in my research through INSEAD’s entrepreneurial impact, I came across a number of inspiring trend-setters: from disruptive technology, through bespoke apparel, to fine bakery. As my research continued, I contacted several of these alumni entrepreneurs to get their side of the story. None of them had any doubts that the MBA played an instrumental role in their success.

This sealed the deal for me: MBA it is. But was INSEAD the best choice?

 

Choosing an MBA that works

I am actually quite lucky when it comes to MBA-shopping: I had access to first-hand information and advice and knew what I was looking for.

In my previous job, I worked for EFER, a foundation, which trains university academics to teach entrepreneurship. Started more than 25 years ago by a group of MBA graduates-turned-entrepreneurs, it has allowed me to explore a number of different MBA programmes and compare their approaches, impact and networks.

Furthermore, I have started a few ventures of my own and was able to identify my gaps in knowledge and skills. Learning from failure should never be underestimated!

So, what are the most important MBA features for an entrepreneur?

 

Networks. Networks. Networks.

Strong MBA programmes attract some of the finest talent in the world. You will be exposed to a sea of creativity, leadership, knowledge and diversity. Your MBA peers might make great co-founders, trusted advisors and drivers of innovation inside your company. Some of them will become investors; others will work in complementary industries. Regardless of their journey, your classmates will grow to be impactful leaders, with whom you share that one intimate secret—the MBA journey.

If you doubt any of the above, just take a look at the school’s alumni network. In INSEAD’s case, the sample list of entrepreneurs is already very inspiring. The beauty of alumni networks is that you belong to a special circle of trust—with shared traditions, experiences and emotions. Alumni are always willing to connect. They come back to show appreciation for the MBA experience. Just the other day, INSEAD opened the academic year with a talk by Ben Keswick (MBA ‘02D), a Fortune 500 CEO and driving force behind the growth of his family businesses Jardine Matheson. Later in the week, we met Hemant Aneja (MBA ‘06D), who as an intrapreneur leads Google’s activities in education.

Finally, the close collaboration between companies and business schools will always keep you disciplined about staying up-to-date with the market. Our MBA class is about to meet the leading consulting firms during week one of the programme. Week two gives way to the technology leaders. Week three welcomes banks and financing institutions. And so on, and so forth. Never a dull day—starting with your free copy of the Financial Times in the morning and ending with late-night industry research and networking.

 

Supporting Framework

The purpose of the MBA programmes is to provide well-rounded general management education. The academic scope could not be more relevant: as entrepreneurs, we always face the challenge of achieving customer satisfaction, while creating a sustainable organisation with productive employees and healthy numbers. As an MBA student, you will be required to master the basics of finance, operations, team management, negotiation, marketing and strategic business development.

INSEAD has built additional support for entrepreneurs through a wide selection of electives, which would help shape your academic experience. Many of these courses involve hands-on work, networking and close collaboration with entrepreneurs and investors. The school has attracted some of the leading scholars in entrepreneurship: many of the academics have and/or still run their own ventures.

The student-run Entrepreneurship Club, as well as the schools’ own Entrepreneurship Centre provide many additional opportunities to develop skills and experience: including study treks, bootcamps, networking and workshops. My favourite element is the Entrepreneurs-in-Residence programme, where INSEAD alumni entrepreneurs mentor students in their preferred industry.

 

Credibility of Your Skills

Starting your own company means being in the spotlight: customers, investors and partners will judge your decisions every step of the way. Your credibility will be constantly questioned: Are you too young, too inexperienced, taking too much risk? Do you really know what you’re doing?

In a way, the MBA diploma provides a form of such credibility. Joining a leading school means that you have successfully gone through a rigorous selection. Then, you somehow survived the jungle of alpha-males and females, while acquiring practical knowledge. Investors are reassured that you have the technical skills to run a company and they do not have to hire a CEO. Partners are signalled about your professionalism. The times when the business community would doubt about practicality of education is long gone: the best business schools have proven that they can keep up with the ever-changing world of commerce.

Last, but not least, an MBA degree manages to showcase one very “un-certifiable” skill: your ability to deal with and manage diversity. My INSEAD class of July 2016 brings together ambitious young people from 72 countries. Each of us speaks at least three languages and has lived and worked abroad at some point in life. In our current reality, when growth opportunities are strongly dependent on our ability to manage global operations and international teams, such diversity plays a vital role.

 

Some final inspiration

Through their extensive research over the years, Kauffman Foundation has continuously proven that new jobs are not created by big conglomerates, but by businesses younger than five years of age. I hope that you and I will one day contribute to this impactful trend!

If as an entrepreneur, you still doubt whether an MBA is for you, I would urge you to step away from mainstream media and look into some of the companies whose job-creation impact and innovation capacity you truly admire. The media love an underdog—the college drop-out in a small garage—but there are many more examples where success comes with education.

During my research of entrepreneurial INSEAD alumni in my preferred field of innovation and technology, one name came up several times—that of Wolfgang Marguerre (MBA ‘72J). Mr Marguerre is the Chairman of Octapharma Group, a pharmaceutical company which he founded together with another INSEAD alum, Robert Taub (MBA ‘83J). Today, Octapharma employs more than 5,500 leading medical experts to conduct ground-breaking research and develop new products. An accomplished entrepreneur and now a billionaire, Marguerre is one of those committed INSEAD alumni who give back to the school and support its entrepreneurial spirit. I was lucky and honoured to receive the Marguerre Endowed Scholarship for Entrepreneurial Talent to support my education. This is one of the many funding options, which are available for entrepreneurs at the school.

And if you think I am too INSEAD-biased, I will bring up another very recent case in point: one Mr. Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba (yes, the same e-commerce giant, which went public in late 2014 at over EUR 205 billion market value). Mr. Ma is not only a graduate from one of China’s leading business schools, but also an academic. Now, that’s an inspiring breed!
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
User avatar
newsInsead
User avatar
Joined: 20 Nov 2013
Last visit: -
Posts: 1,184
Own Kudos:
33
Posts: 1,184
Kudos: 33
Calling all INSEAD Applicants (Sept 2016 Intake) Class of July 2017!! 03 Sep 2015, 20:01
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
FROM Insead Admissions Blog1: Do Entrepreneurs Need an MBA?
“Do entrepreneurs need education?”

If you are an aspiring entrepreneur, considering an MBA, you have heard this question a million times. I know I have. The debate dives into the age-old question: Are entrepreneurs born or made? Examples of successful semi-educated entrepreneurs are brought up: the Gates, the Jobs and the Zuckerbergs of the world. You start doubting your choice of taking a year out to learn in an actual classroom. You now consider just starting and failing quickly. Hold on. Failing?!

As a wannabe entrepreneur and a big fan of analytics, I spent countless number of hours online trying to find decent statistics on probability of failure without education. I could not find any. I found, however, a number of successful companies founded and led by MBAs (or equivalent). The list seemed to be much longer than the list of ventures started by hustlers without formal business education. Case in point: Gerry Ford, founder and CEO of the very successful coffee shop chain Caffè Nero. Ford graduated from INSEAD in 1984 and subsequently started a private equity firm in the UK before diving into the coffee hospitality industry. Today, the company operates more than 600 stores and turns over nearly EUR 316 million per year.

And this is just the beginning: in my research through INSEAD’s entrepreneurial impact, I came across a number of inspiring trend-setters: from disruptive technology, through bespoke apparel, to fine bakery. As my research continued, I contacted several of these alumni entrepreneurs to get their side of the story. None of them had any doubts that the MBA played an instrumental role in their success.

This sealed the deal for me: MBA it is. But was INSEAD the best choice?

 

Choosing an MBA that works

I am actually quite lucky when it comes to MBA-shopping: I had access to first-hand information and advice and knew what I was looking for.

In my previous job, I worked for EFER, a foundation, which trains university academics to teach entrepreneurship. Started more than 25 years ago by a group of MBA graduates-turned-entrepreneurs, it has allowed me to explore a number of different MBA programmes and compare their approaches, impact and networks.

Furthermore, I have started a few ventures of my own and was able to identify my gaps in knowledge and skills. Learning from failure should never be underestimated!

So, what are the most important MBA features for an entrepreneur?

 

Networks. Networks. Networks.

Strong MBA programmes attract some of the finest talent in the world. You will be exposed to a sea of creativity, leadership, knowledge and diversity. Your MBA peers might make great co-founders, trusted advisors and drivers of innovation inside your company. Some of them will become investors; others will work in complementary industries. Regardless of their journey, your classmates will grow to be impactful leaders, with whom you share that one intimate secret—the MBA journey.

If you doubt any of the above, just take a look at the school’s alumni network. In INSEAD’s case, the sample list of entrepreneurs is already very inspiring. The beauty of alumni networks is that you belong to a special circle of trust—with shared traditions, experiences and emotions. Alumni are always willing to connect. They come back to show appreciation for the MBA experience. Just the other day, INSEAD opened the academic year with a talk by Ben Keswick (MBA ‘02D), a Fortune 500 CEO and driving force behind the growth of his family businesses Jardine Matheson. Later in the week, we met Hemant Aneja (MBA ‘06D), who as an intrapreneur leads Google’s activities in education.

Finally, the close collaboration between companies and business schools will always keep you disciplined about staying up-to-date with the market. Our MBA class is about to meet the leading consulting firms during week one of the programme. Week two gives way to the technology leaders. Week three welcomes banks and financing institutions. And so on, and so forth. Never a dull day—starting with your free copy of the Financial Times in the morning and ending with late-night industry research and networking.

 

Supporting Framework

The purpose of the MBA programmes is to provide well-rounded general management education. The academic scope could not be more relevant: as entrepreneurs, we always face the challenge of achieving customer satisfaction, while creating a sustainable organisation with productive employees and healthy numbers. As an MBA student, you will be required to master the basics of finance, operations, team management, negotiation, marketing and strategic business development.

INSEAD has built additional support for entrepreneurs through a wide selection of electives, which would help shape your academic experience. Many of these courses involve hands-on work, networking and close collaboration with entrepreneurs and investors. The school has attracted some of the leading scholars in entrepreneurship: many of the academics have and/or still run their own ventures.

The student-run Entrepreneurship Club, as well as the schools’ own Entrepreneurship Centre provide many additional opportunities to develop skills and experience: including study treks, bootcamps, networking and workshops. My favourite element is the Entrepreneurs-in-Residence programme, where INSEAD alumni entrepreneurs mentor students in their preferred industry.

 

Credibility of Your Skills

Starting your own company means being in the spotlight: customers, investors and partners will judge your decisions every step of the way. Your credibility will be constantly questioned: Are you too young, too inexperienced, taking too much risk? Do you really know what you’re doing?

In a way, the MBA diploma provides a form of such credibility. Joining a leading school means that you have successfully gone through a rigorous selection. Then, you somehow survived the jungle of alpha-males and females, while acquiring practical knowledge. Investors are reassured that you have the technical skills to run a company and they do not have to hire a CEO. Partners are signalled about your professionalism. The times when the business community would doubt about practicality of education is long gone: the best business schools have proven that they can keep up with the ever-changing world of commerce.

Last, but not least, an MBA degree manages to showcase one very “un-certifiable” skill: your ability to deal with and manage diversity. My INSEAD class of July 2016 brings together ambitious young people from 72 countries. Each of us speaks at least three languages and has lived and worked abroad at some point in life. In our current reality, when growth opportunities are strongly dependent on our ability to manage global operations and international teams, such diversity plays a vital role.

 

Some final inspiration

Through their extensive research over the years, Kauffman Foundation has continuously proven that new jobs are not created by big conglomerates, but by businesses younger than five years of age. I hope that you and I will one day contribute to this impactful trend!

If as an entrepreneur, you still doubt whether an MBA is for you, I would urge you to step away from mainstream media and look into some of the companies whose job-creation impact and innovation capacity you truly admire. The media love an underdog—the college drop-out in a small garage—but there are many more examples where success comes with education.

During my research of entrepreneurial INSEAD alumni in my preferred field of innovation and technology, one name came up several times—that of Wolfgang Marguerre (MBA ‘72J). Mr Marguerre is the Chairman of Octapharma Group, a pharmaceutical company which he founded together with another INSEAD alum, Robert Taub (MBA ‘83J). Today, Octapharma employs more than 5,500 leading medical experts to conduct ground-breaking research and develop new products. An accomplished entrepreneur and now a billionaire, Marguerre is one of those committed INSEAD alumni who give back to the school and support its entrepreneurial spirit. I was lucky and honoured to receive the Marguerre Endowed Scholarship for Entrepreneurial Talent to support my education. This is one of the many funding options, which are available for entrepreneurs at the school.

And if you think I am too INSEAD-biased, I will bring up another very recent case in point: one Mr. Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba (yes, the same e-commerce giant, which went public in late 2014 at over EUR 205 billion market value). Mr. Ma is not only a graduate from one of China’s leading business schools, but also an academic. Now, that’s an inspiring breed!
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
User avatar
newsInsead
User avatar
Joined: 20 Nov 2013
Last visit: -
Posts: 1,184
Own Kudos:
33
Posts: 1,184
Kudos: 33
Calling all INSEAD Applicants (Sept 2016 Intake) Class of July 2017!! 06 Sep 2015, 20:00
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
FROM Insead Admissions Blog: Joining INSEAD
When it all started

My story started in November 2011 when I was scanning the Financial Times rankings of b-schools and came across INSEAD. While looking at the INSEAD application, I realized that with no international exposure, I stood no ground. But having spent about three years in the software industry, I was looking for some more meaningful experience. So in the following months, I made a move from Hyderabad, India to my company’s headquarters in Seattle, USA. After spending the next two years in Seattle, I was ready to apply and get my MBA education. I had secured two great recommendations for my application and with a modest score of 710 in the GMAT, it was time to jump at the essays.

 



 

Essays & Interview

While working on the essays I had several moments of reflection and discovered values that were important to me and experiences that transformed my personality. Apart from the essays on career motivation and achievements, I particularly enjoyed writing the essay on international exposure. This was a unique INSEAD essay as it tied closely with the school’s culture. What would it be like to be among people from 70 countries with various backgrounds? I submitted the application in January 2015 and wished to get an interview call.

In a few weeks, I received an email from INSEAD congratulating me on getting through to the next round of evaluation: interviews. Leveraging the widespread alumni network, the admissions committee found two alumni in my city who were from the technology industry and who had entrepreneurial experiences to match my profile. It was delightful meeting my interviewers who created a friendly environment to bring out the best in me during the interviews.

 

The Decision

With fingers crossed, the wait for the final results had begun. Time seemed to move quite slowly during those weeks. On March 20th, I received a phone call from an international number I had never seen before. My heart had started pounding and the lady’s French accent on the phone further accelerated my heartbeat. It was simply magical to hear her say, “Congratulations! You have been accepted at INSEAD”. I was an INSEADer.

 

Post Decision

In the weeks following the decision, I received several emails from the admissions team on exit language requirement, visas, connecting with the INSEAD community and career services. It was great to see the proactive nature of the school on career services and networking. With the exit language being one of the mandates to get the MBA degree, most students either did the exam or signed up for language classes before joining the school. INSEAD insisted to sort out the French student visa as soon as possible.

 

French Student Visa

In April, I tried to schedule a visa appointment in San Francisco and found out that a visa appointment could not be scheduled 90 days before the departure date. In May, I was visiting India for an extended trip and tried scheduling an appointment there. Unfortunately, since I had not been residing in India for the last six months, the consulate officer mentioned that I could not take the visa appointment in India. On June 21st when I reached Seattle and tried looking for an appointment date, I was shocked to see that the earliest available appointment was for August 5th. I had read that it takes three weeks to get the long-term student visa, and hence, with the given situation, I would not be able to join school on time. Looking at the uncertainty ahead, I asked the admissions committee whether they could move me to the Singapore campus instead of Fontainebleau. The admissions committee had taken up my request for consideration so in the next week I completed the formalities and received my Singapore visa. In parallel, I emailed the French consulate explaining my situation and asking whether there was a way to expedite my case. I was very happy when the consulate officer provided me with an emergency appointment for July 20th. During this time, I completed my campus France forms and received their confirmation documents in two weeks (something which I could have completed earlier). I assumed the formalities were completed until I found out that the application required me to have a residency confirmation in France. Within the next week, I worked with the Office Immobilier agency to find an apartment for myself. By July 17th, I had all my papers. The visa appointment went smoothly, and my visa was delivered in the first week of August. My visa trip to San Francisco had turned out to be even more fun as I got a chance to attend an INSEAD event. It was simply great to meet some of the alumni and know about their experiences at INSEAD. One of my future batch mates whom I met in the event eventually shared the same section with me, and hence, it was great to have developed the initial bond during this meeting.

 

Social Networking

While I attended one event in the US, it was amazing to see a myriad INSEAD meetup event photos across the globe on social networking sites. The batch of July 2016 had already formed a pretty strong bond over the social networking sites and there was a lot of information sharing on logistics of the pre-MBA trips, moving to Fonty and Singy and general buying and selling of essentials. The admissions team had not only maintained a constant engagement throughout the last four months but had also come up with an effective plan to smoothen out the experience of students coming from various corners of the world by assigning a buddy from the previous MBA class to each student. This enabled students to talk to someone who had recently gone through the first 6 months of INSEAD experience. In my case, my buddy provided me with various tips which helped me save lot of time in the initial weeks of my stay in Fonty.

 

Bon Soirée Fontainebleau

I reached Paris (ORLY airport) on the evening of August 17th and took a cab—a 50-minute drive—to the hotel Napoleon, which was very close to the INSEAD campus. The cool weather and the clouds reminded me a lot about Seattle. I instantly felt at home. On the way to the hotel, I had noticed an Indian restaurant (not a surprise) and I knew where I would be having my dinner. As soon as I reached the hotel, it was time I tested out my French skills. While it was not very difficult to interpret what the receptionist said after “Bon Soire”, I could hardly utter beyond these two words so I fell back to my comfort zone and started talking in English. Next morning, I moved into my studio which was close to the campus, and within the next few days, I was pretty much settled. I spent the next couple of days preparing for my exit language exam while others prepared for language and course exemption exams. In the evening after the exam, I experienced the wave of diversity at INSEAD. I met students from more than 25 countries, few of them from countries which I did not know existed (embarrassing moments). I remembered that there used to be a globe in almost every household in India; suddenly, I felt the need to get one for myself. Next day there was another party—something you get used to as an INSEADer—and once again, I met people from all over the world with extremely interesting backgrounds. It was a humbling experience to meet these people and learn about their experiences.

Diversity is going to result in a truly enriching experience at INSEAD and I am super excited for the coming weeks.
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
User avatar
newsInsead
User avatar
Joined: 20 Nov 2013
Last visit: -
Posts: 1,184
Own Kudos:
33
Posts: 1,184
Kudos: 33
Calling all INSEAD Applicants (Sept 2016 Intake) Class of July 2017!! 06 Sep 2015, 20:01
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
FROM Insead Admissions Blog1: Joining INSEAD
When it all started

My story started in November 2011 when I was scanning the Financial Times rankings of b-schools and came across INSEAD. While looking at the INSEAD application, I realized that with no international exposure, I stood no ground. But having spent about three years in the software industry, I was looking for some more meaningful experience. So in the following months, I made a move from Hyderabad, India to my company’s headquarters in Seattle, USA. After spending the next two years in Seattle, I was ready to apply and get my MBA education. I had secured two great recommendations for my application and with a modest score of 710 in the GMAT, it was time to jump at the essays.

 



 

Essays & Interview

While working on the essays I had several moments of reflection and discovered values that were important to me and experiences that transformed my personality. Apart from the essays on career motivation and achievements, I particularly enjoyed writing the essay on international exposure. This was a unique INSEAD essay as it tied closely with the school’s culture. What would it be like to be among people from 70 countries with various backgrounds? I submitted the application in January 2015 and wished to get an interview call.

In a few weeks, I received an email from INSEAD congratulating me on getting through to the next round of evaluation: interviews. Leveraging the widespread alumni network, the admissions committee found two alumni in my city who were from the technology industry and who had entrepreneurial experiences to match my profile. It was delightful meeting my interviewers who created a friendly environment to bring out the best in me during the interviews.

 

The Decision

With fingers crossed, the wait for the final results had begun. Time seemed to move quite slowly during those weeks. On March 20th, I received a phone call from an international number I had never seen before. My heart had started pounding and the lady’s French accent on the phone further accelerated my heartbeat. It was simply magical to hear her say, “Congratulations! You have been accepted at INSEAD”. I was an INSEADer.

 

Post Decision

In the weeks following the decision, I received several emails from the admissions team on exit language requirement, visas, connecting with the INSEAD community and career services. It was great to see the proactive nature of the school on career services and networking. With the exit language being one of the mandates to get the MBA degree, most students either did the exam or signed up for language classes before joining the school. INSEAD insisted to sort out the French student visa as soon as possible.

 

French Student Visa

In April, I tried to schedule a visa appointment in San Francisco and found out that a visa appointment could not be scheduled 90 days before the departure date. In May, I was visiting India for an extended trip and tried scheduling an appointment there. Unfortunately, since I had not been residing in India for the last six months, the consulate officer mentioned that I could not take the visa appointment in India. On June 21st when I reached Seattle and tried looking for an appointment date, I was shocked to see that the earliest available appointment was for August 5th. I had read that it takes three weeks to get the long-term student visa, and hence, with the given situation, I would not be able to join school on time. Looking at the uncertainty ahead, I asked the admissions committee whether they could move me to the Singapore campus instead of Fontainebleau. The admissions committee had taken up my request for consideration so in the next week I completed the formalities and received my Singapore visa. In parallel, I emailed the French consulate explaining my situation and asking whether there was a way to expedite my case. I was very happy when the consulate officer provided me with an emergency appointment for July 20th. During this time, I completed my campus France forms and received their confirmation documents in two weeks (something which I could have completed earlier). I assumed the formalities were completed until I found out that the application required me to have a residency confirmation in France. Within the next week, I worked with the Office Immobilier agency to find an apartment for myself. By July 17th, I had all my papers. The visa appointment went smoothly, and my visa was delivered in the first week of August. My visa trip to San Francisco had turned out to be even more fun as I got a chance to attend an INSEAD event. It was simply great to meet some of the alumni and know about their experiences at INSEAD. One of my future batch mates whom I met in the event eventually shared the same section with me, and hence, it was great to have developed the initial bond during this meeting.

 

Social Networking

While I attended one event in the US, it was amazing to see a myriad INSEAD meetup event photos across the globe on social networking sites. The batch of July 2016 had already formed a pretty strong bond over the social networking sites and there was a lot of information sharing on logistics of the pre-MBA trips, moving to Fonty and Singy and general buying and selling of essentials. The admissions team had not only maintained a constant engagement throughout the last four months but had also come up with an effective plan to smoothen out the experience of students coming from various corners of the world by assigning a buddy from the previous MBA class to each student. This enabled students to talk to someone who had recently gone through the first 6 months of INSEAD experience. In my case, my buddy provided me with various tips which helped me save lot of time in the initial weeks of my stay in Fonty.

 

Bon Soirée Fontainebleau

I reached Paris (ORLY airport) on the evening of August 17th and took a cab—a 50-minute drive—to the hotel Napoleon, which was very close to the INSEAD campus. The cool weather and the clouds reminded me a lot about Seattle. I instantly felt at home. On the way to the hotel, I had noticed an Indian restaurant (not a surprise) and I knew where I would be having my dinner. As soon as I reached the hotel, it was time I tested out my French skills. While it was not very difficult to interpret what the receptionist said after “Bon Soire”, I could hardly utter beyond these two words so I fell back to my comfort zone and started talking in English. Next morning, I moved into my studio which was close to the campus, and within the next few days, I was pretty much settled. I spent the next couple of days preparing for my exit language exam while others prepared for language and course exemption exams. In the evening after the exam, I experienced the wave of diversity at INSEAD. I met students from more than 25 countries, few of them from countries which I did not know existed (embarrassing moments). I remembered that there used to be a globe in almost every household in India; suddenly, I felt the need to get one for myself. Next day there was another party—something you get used to as an INSEADer—and once again, I met people from all over the world with extremely interesting backgrounds. It was a humbling experience to meet these people and learn about their experiences.

Diversity is going to result in a truly enriching experience at INSEAD and I am super excited for the coming weeks.
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
avatar
PAlex
avatar
Joined: 19 Sep 2014
Last visit: 09 Sep 2015
Posts: 4
Posts: 4
Kudos: 0
Calling all INSEAD Applicants (Sept 2016 Intake) Class of July 2017!! 07 Sep 2015, 09:31
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Dear INSEAD Team

I really want to attend your school and started the application process last year, but then didn't apply. Reason was, that my GMAT scores were horribly low. I did them twice and hardly any improvement, basically I think I would need about 200 points more to even be considered.

My question now is, if a student had a low GMAT score, but then gets a high enough one on the third round, would you still accept him? Or do you look at the past aswell?

Thanks in advance for the answer.

Regards,

Pia
avatar
Bexpat
avatar
Joined: 25 Mar 2015
Last visit: 05 Nov 2015
Posts: 17
Own Kudos:
8
Location: United States
Concentration: Strategy, Technology
Schools: INSEAD Jan '16 (A)
GPA: 4
WE:Information Technology (Finance: Investment Banking)
Schools: INSEAD Jan '16 (A)
Posts: 17
Kudos: 8
Calling all INSEAD Applicants (Sept 2016 Intake) Class of July 2017!! 07 Sep 2015, 09:59
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
I think your latest score is considered.

If you show marked improvement, that's actually a positive since it shows perseverance.

Good luck
avatar
PAlex
avatar
Joined: 19 Sep 2014
Last visit: 09 Sep 2015
Posts: 4
Posts: 4
Kudos: 0
Calling all INSEAD Applicants (Sept 2016 Intake) Class of July 2017!! 07 Sep 2015, 10:08
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Thank you. I agree that it "should" actually show I improved, but I'm worried that two (reall horribly) low GMAT results will still make admissions think that something is just not right here... If I can be sure I still have a "chance" then I will power through it again... Attend bootcamps... Do all I can!!
User avatar
newsInsead
User avatar
Joined: 20 Nov 2013
Last visit: -
Posts: 1,184
Own Kudos:
33
Posts: 1,184
Kudos: 33
Calling all INSEAD Applicants (Sept 2016 Intake) Class of July 2017!! 07 Sep 2015, 20:00
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
FROM Insead Admissions Blog: The Balancing Act


My name is Dami Jones. and I’m a member of the MBA 2016J class. I grew up in the UK and USA and spent the last six years working in consulting in Nigeria. It was this global perspective, a natural consequence of my international upbringing that informed my decision to apply to INSEAD – The Business School of the World.

Getting into INSEAD wasn’t easy. In addition to the many hours I spent prepping for the tests, writing the essays required a lot of self-reflection and introspection as to why I believed an MBA was necessary, and more specifically why INSEAD was in fact the school for me. It was easy to feel overwhelmed especially while trying to balance work, home life and the applications, but I resolved I would take it one day at a time. After multiple drafts, I was finally able to cobble together a final application that I believe presented my “whole self”, which included the many facets of my personality and career motivations, to the admissions committee.

After clicking the submit button I’ll never forget sitting at my desk, fretting over my odds of getting in, constantly checking various business school forums to get updates from other applicants on their admission updates. It was truly a heart-wrenching and very nervous time for me. So you can only imagine my excitement when I received the call from a +33 number and spoke with my admissions officer—I was over the moon! It was a day I will never forget.

Despite feelings of accomplishment, nervousness began to set in when I began to let the opinions of others distract me from my accomplishment. To provide context, I’m a mother of a two-year-old boy. I had always wanted to pursue an MBA but after I had my son, I didn’t believe it would be possible to pursue a rigorous program like the MBA program. The two seemed mutually exclusive, but one day, something in me clicked and I decided to go for it! I distinctly remember reactions from some family and friends when I told them I wanted to pursue an MBA. Reactions were mixed and ranged from being encouraging to negative. I almost let the negative commentary dissuade me from applying all together.

Fortunately, I had a great mentor who was able to give me credible advice given her role as CEO of a major international manufacturing company and mother of four children. She was very encouraging but also gave me frank advice and strategies on how she made it work. She helped me realize that pursuing an MBA and being a mother were not mutually exclusive, and provided a very real example that it was possible. Being a mother did not mean I had to give up on my career goals and aspirations, instead it just meant I had to be more mindful and diligent with my time management. I decided that going forward I would define success for myself and not let the opinions of others distract me from pursuing my dreams. It was a great life lesson and one I will hold close to me as I navigate throughout life.

I hope to use this blog as a platform to not only encourage applicants but to also provide realistic insights and hopefully a balanced perspective of my experience juggling both school and parental responsibilities throughout the year. I’ll also share the perspectives of my fellow classmates who made the sojourn to INSEAD with their respective families and children, so stay tuned to hear about INSEAD from their perspective. Wish me luck as I try to figure it all out!
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
User avatar
newsInsead
User avatar
Joined: 20 Nov 2013
Last visit: -
Posts: 1,184
Own Kudos:
33
Posts: 1,184
Kudos: 33
Calling all INSEAD Applicants (Sept 2016 Intake) Class of July 2017!! 07 Sep 2015, 20:01
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
FROM Insead Admissions Blog1: The Balancing Act


My name is Dami Jones. and I’m a member of the MBA 2016J class. I grew up in the UK and USA and spent the last six years working in consulting in Nigeria. It was this global perspective, a natural consequence of my international upbringing that informed my decision to apply to INSEAD – The Business School of the World.

Getting into INSEAD wasn’t easy. In addition to the many hours I spent prepping for the tests, writing the essays required a lot of self-reflection and introspection as to why I believed an MBA was necessary, and more specifically why INSEAD was in fact the school for me. It was easy to feel overwhelmed especially while trying to balance work, home life and the applications, but I resolved I would take it one day at a time. After multiple drafts, I was finally able to cobble together a final application that I believe presented my “whole self”, which included the many facets of my personality and career motivations, to the admissions committee.

After clicking the submit button I’ll never forget sitting at my desk, fretting over my odds of getting in, constantly checking various business school forums to get updates from other applicants on their admission updates. It was truly a heart-wrenching and very nervous time for me. So you can only imagine my excitement when I received the call from a +33 number and spoke with my admissions officer—I was over the moon! It was a day I will never forget.

Despite feelings of accomplishment, nervousness began to set in when I began to let the opinions of others distract me from my accomplishment. To provide context, I’m a mother of a two-year-old boy. I had always wanted to pursue an MBA but after I had my son, I didn’t believe it would be possible to pursue a rigorous program like the MBA program. The two seemed mutually exclusive, but one day, something in me clicked and I decided to go for it! I distinctly remember reactions from some family and friends when I told them I wanted to pursue an MBA. Reactions were mixed and ranged from being encouraging to negative. I almost let the negative commentary dissuade me from applying all together.

Fortunately, I had a great mentor who was able to give me credible advice given her role as CEO of a major international manufacturing company and mother of four children. She was very encouraging but also gave me frank advice and strategies on how she made it work. She helped me realize that pursuing an MBA and being a mother were not mutually exclusive, and provided a very real example that it was possible. Being a mother did not mean I had to give up on my career goals and aspirations, instead it just meant I had to be more mindful and diligent with my time management. I decided that going forward I would define success for myself and not let the opinions of others distract me from pursuing my dreams. It was a great life lesson and one I will hold close to me as I navigate throughout life.

I hope to use this blog as a platform to not only encourage applicants but to also provide realistic insights and hopefully a balanced perspective of my experience juggling both school and parental responsibilities throughout the year. I’ll also share the perspectives of my fellow classmates who made the sojourn to INSEAD with their respective families and children, so stay tuned to hear about INSEAD from their perspective. Wish me luck as I try to figure it all out!
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
User avatar
newsInsead
User avatar
Joined: 20 Nov 2013
Last visit: -
Posts: 1,184
Own Kudos:
33
Posts: 1,184
Kudos: 33
Calling all INSEAD Applicants (Sept 2016 Intake) Class of July 2017!! 08 Sep 2015, 20:00
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
FROM Insead Admissions Blog: Cultural Explorations in Uganda
Having studied and worked all my life in and around Montreal, INSEAD is my gateway to international opportunities. So much learned in the first half of the MBA. As practice makes perfect, why not a summer internship to practice all of this?

What one might expect coming in Africa with an outsider’s point of view is to have many misconceptions shattered. Of course, it’s easy to think about Africa as a continent, one continent. But how about viewing it as 54 different countries?

I’m sure you’ll agree that what you can expect from such a large number of countries means an infinite amount of diversity in the landscapes, cultures and people encountered. Even with a full book store, one couldn’t think to fully describe such a rich area in a very comprehensive manner. Here’s a brief look at what summer in Uganda, for a Montrealer, looked like, as I explored cultural experiences and differences in a very hands on way.

Six weeks of summer 2015 spent in Uganda, right on the equator, is a sweet deal. I got to spend my summer break hanging out in the back of a pick-up truck, meandering in the Rwenzori Mountains on the DRC border. I was driven around to interview coffee farmers, with the help of an interpreter, as part of a corporate subsidy program to develop the coffee farming community.

A few days after my arrival, I learnt of my new identity. I was mzungu. Not “Sir”, not “Mister”, not “Excuse me” nor “yes please?”

“Mzungu!” Which means “white man” in Swahili. It’s not a derogatory term around here. It’s just giving back the true vocabulary to words that political correctness stole away, the correctness that plagues Western society. White man indeed! I won’t deny that.

Unmistakably, every time we arrived in a new village, people were attracted by our nice Nissan 4×4. When the mzungu came out of the car, this was when the full house event began. The best of these events were when a school nearby had kids on recess or finishing classes. All of us were in for a real treat! Between 100 and 200 kids circled in, just staring at us—me. Once in a while, I’d look back at them, and they’d start giggling, hiding behind their friends the same way I would if I were a teen groupie meeting Slash or Keith Richards. And if ever I smiled or winked at these kids, they’d run back to their friends and start chatting excitedly covering their mouths behind their hands, maybe unaware I didn’t understand a word they were saying.



As we left the village, there was the ‘encore’ or curtain call. All the kids started running after us, and they finally got their voice back, yelling, “How are you?!” “Mzungu!” “Bye bye!” They were absolutely thrilled to give me a high five through the car window. Whoa! Is this how Rocky felt when he was running with the 200 kids in the streets of Philadelphia, right before climbing up the Rocky steps? At one point, an elderly woman actually told my colleague, “Thanks for bringing a mzungu with you.”

The insightful part began when I started talking with my Ugandan colleague. He told me that the population got really excited when they would see a mzungu in person. I understand that many kids might have never seen one before and they may end up totally beside themselves with joy and excitement. The other locals, on the other hand, are excited because of what we represent to them. They just seem really happy to see, talk, meet and shake hands with a mzungu.

My colleague would then continue, ”You know, because of our colonial past, we are used to perceiving the mzungu as being able to lift the community welfare, and we look up to them. We usually see the mzungu coming around in nice cars. In a country where we might have 10 to 15% of the population that can afford a car, this is definitely not trivial.”

All kidding aside, it is not without a certain level of discomfort that I analyze and absorb the situation. I really wish those kids looked up to me for an objectively better reason than because I was born in a mzungu’s body, from mzungu parents. Indeed, if you’re reading this, you may have picked up on the fact that I was born in a fortunate situation, where I have never lacked anything, neither material nor immaterial. I am not prone to being a target of racism, sexism, discrimination because of sexual orientation or religious beliefs, not even for economic or political beliefs. Smooth sailing. Smooth sailing.

I would feel a lot more comfortable, and I might even enjoy the high fiving and ego trip a little bit had I negotiated a treaty ensuring long lasting peace in the Middle East. Or found the cure to world hunger. But still, my colleague carried on, “You inspire these kids. They look up to you, and the mobility you have is a source of motivation for them—for us.”

Then I put my thinking cap on. I haven’t really discussed the following with lots of other people yet. You reading it is sort of a prime time, if you wish.

The reason why the locals look up to the mzungu is probably for all the wrong reasons, such as the colonial past, global famine relief efforts from the late 70s and 80s, or the fact that white people generally live in “rich countries”. But let’s be constructive. In a broader context, let’s agree it probably doesn’t matter why or how one inspires people, or even how people end up looking up to someone. The bottom line is that you end up having a certain impact or effect over a group of people. In my case, this temporary impact was over kids who have both the strength and vulnerability of being moldable and easily influenced. In the end, all that matters is what I did with this situation.

Of course, I might eventually feel better if I discover the cure to HIV. But it doesn’t matter how I feel. When in this position, shouldn’t it being about others? How about making something good out of this possible impact?

I really look forward to discussing this with colleagues, family and friends, especially those who do have this inside look from Africa. But until then, next time someone looks up to you, try and do something positive out of it, and don’t fret too much about the why. You might have more impact than you think in helping shape others’ future. This might be happening on a small scale, but it may also be happening in some sort of mystical butterfly effect. Either way, this does lead you to having the power to change the world for the better. One step, one kid, or one opportunity at a time.
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
User avatar
newsInsead
User avatar
Joined: 20 Nov 2013
Last visit: -
Posts: 1,184
Own Kudos:
33
Posts: 1,184
Kudos: 33
Calling all INSEAD Applicants (Sept 2016 Intake) Class of July 2017!! 08 Sep 2015, 20:01
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
FROM Insead Admissions Blog1: Cultural Explorations in Uganda
Having studied and worked all my life in and around Montreal, INSEAD is my gateway to international opportunities. So much learned in the first half of the MBA. As practice makes perfect, why not a summer internship to practice all of this?

What one might expect coming in Africa with an outsider’s point of view is to have many misconceptions shattered. Of course, it’s easy to think about Africa as a continent, one continent. But how about viewing it as 54 different countries?

I’m sure you’ll agree that what you can expect from such a large number of countries means an infinite amount of diversity in the landscapes, cultures and people encountered. Even with a full book store, one couldn’t think to fully describe such a rich area in a very comprehensive manner. Here’s a brief look at what summer in Uganda, for a Montrealer, looked like, as I explored cultural experiences and differences in a very hands on way.

Six weeks of summer 2015 spent in Uganda, right on the equator, is a sweet deal. I got to spend my summer break hanging out in the back of a pick-up truck, meandering in the Rwenzori Mountains on the DRC border. I was driven around to interview coffee farmers, with the help of an interpreter, as part of a corporate subsidy program to develop the coffee farming community.

A few days after my arrival, I learnt of my new identity. I was mzungu. Not “Sir”, not “Mister”, not “Excuse me” nor “yes please?”

“Mzungu!” Which means “white man” in Swahili. It’s not a derogatory term around here. It’s just giving back the true vocabulary to words that political correctness stole away, the correctness that plagues Western society. White man indeed! I won’t deny that.

Unmistakably, every time we arrived in a new village, people were attracted by our nice Nissan 4×4. When the mzungu came out of the car, this was when the full house event began. The best of these events were when a school nearby had kids on recess or finishing classes. All of us were in for a real treat! Between 100 and 200 kids circled in, just staring at us—me. Once in a while, I’d look back at them, and they’d start giggling, hiding behind their friends the same way I would if I were a teen groupie meeting Slash or Keith Richards. And if ever I smiled or winked at these kids, they’d run back to their friends and start chatting excitedly covering their mouths behind their hands, maybe unaware I didn’t understand a word they were saying.



As we left the village, there was the ‘encore’ or curtain call. All the kids started running after us, and they finally got their voice back, yelling, “How are you?!” “Mzungu!” “Bye bye!” They were absolutely thrilled to give me a high five through the car window. Whoa! Is this how Rocky felt when he was running with the 200 kids in the streets of Philadelphia, right before climbing up the Rocky steps? At one point, an elderly woman actually told my colleague, “Thanks for bringing a mzungu with you.”

The insightful part began when I started talking with my Ugandan colleague. He told me that the population got really excited when they would see a mzungu in person. I understand that many kids might have never seen one before and they may end up totally beside themselves with joy and excitement. The other locals, on the other hand, are excited because of what we represent to them. They just seem really happy to see, talk, meet and shake hands with a mzungu.

My colleague would then continue, ”You know, because of our colonial past, we are used to perceiving the mzungu as being able to lift the community welfare, and we look up to them. We usually see the mzungu coming around in nice cars. In a country where we might have 10 to 15% of the population that can afford a car, this is definitely not trivial.”

All kidding aside, it is not without a certain level of discomfort that I analyze and absorb the situation. I really wish those kids looked up to me for an objectively better reason than because I was born in a mzungu’s body, from mzungu parents. Indeed, if you’re reading this, you may have picked up on the fact that I was born in a fortunate situation, where I have never lacked anything, neither material nor immaterial. I am not prone to being a target of racism, sexism, discrimination because of sexual orientation or religious beliefs, not even for economic or political beliefs. Smooth sailing. Smooth sailing.

I would feel a lot more comfortable, and I might even enjoy the high fiving and ego trip a little bit had I negotiated a treaty ensuring long lasting peace in the Middle East. Or found the cure to world hunger. But still, my colleague carried on, “You inspire these kids. They look up to you, and the mobility you have is a source of motivation for them—for us.”

Then I put my thinking cap on. I haven’t really discussed the following with lots of other people yet. You reading it is sort of a prime time, if you wish.

The reason why the locals look up to the mzungu is probably for all the wrong reasons, such as the colonial past, global famine relief efforts from the late 70s and 80s, or the fact that white people generally live in “rich countries”. But let’s be constructive. In a broader context, let’s agree it probably doesn’t matter why or how one inspires people, or even how people end up looking up to someone. The bottom line is that you end up having a certain impact or effect over a group of people. In my case, this temporary impact was over kids who have both the strength and vulnerability of being moldable and easily influenced. In the end, all that matters is what I did with this situation.

Of course, I might eventually feel better if I discover the cure to HIV. But it doesn’t matter how I feel. When in this position, shouldn’t it being about others? How about making something good out of this possible impact?

I really look forward to discussing this with colleagues, family and friends, especially those who do have this inside look from Africa. But until then, next time someone looks up to you, try and do something positive out of it, and don’t fret too much about the why. You might have more impact than you think in helping shape others’ future. This might be happening on a small scale, but it may also be happening in some sort of mystical butterfly effect. Either way, this does lead you to having the power to change the world for the better. One step, one kid, or one opportunity at a time.
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
User avatar
newsInsead
User avatar
Joined: 20 Nov 2013
Last visit: -
Posts: 1,184
Own Kudos:
33
Posts: 1,184
Kudos: 33
Calling all INSEAD Applicants (Sept 2016 Intake) Class of July 2017!! 10 Sep 2015, 03:00
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
FROM Insead Admissions Blog: Around the world in 10 months at INSEAD


To all the people hesitating between an MBA and a one-year trip around the world, I now have the official solution—go to INSEAD! 

Before last year, I thought that I either had to focus on my career and education, or think about my personal enjoyment and travel the world. In short, I couldn’t combine personal and professional growth. Well, that was true until I found out about “planet INSEAD”, and until I stepped foot on the “Fonty” campus a couple weeks ago.

You hear how international it is from alumni; you see the stats from the school’s website; but until you get here, you just don’t really get it. The fact is, when you gather open-minded, curious and fairly brilliant people from over 80 nations with all types of backgrounds looking to get some inspiration, to explore and to go on adventures, some pretty amazing things happen, and a place like Fontainebleau—which is not known in France as the most exciting place on the planet—becomes as enriching as the world.

Let me underline this internationalization with a simple example. In all business schools, students always start a conversation by asking those 2 questions: “What do you do?” and “Where are you from?”. What differentiates INSEAD from other Business Schools is that we cannot answer the 2 questions separately.

It is amazing to see how much people have traveled to study and/or work, and how curious they are about other cultures. This makes us genuinely interested in getting to know each other. We don’t do it for networking reasons because we think that this person could eventually help us professionally in the future (even though they will actually help you), but because we know that their life stories are going to be a special one—an inspiring one.

All the “lost in translation” people out here, the ones who haven’t felt quite at home anywhere since leaving their home country for the first time, have finally found a place filled with people like them, and a new home at INSEAD.

Everything here is international: from the campuses (one in Fontainebleau, one in Singapore, and one in Abu Dhabi), to the members of our study group, to the food at the cafeteria, to the cases you study in class. It is a tiny planet. Like mini-me in Austin Powers.

I, for example, live with nine housemates in “Fonty”: three from India, one from Canada, one from Brazil, one from China, one from Bulgaria, one from Luxembourg, and one from Thailand. I live in France and I am the only French guy! And what I experience is not special here, as most INSEAD houses are filled with people from different countries.

The international richness also creates some awkward/funny situations:

  • The handshake. Oh the handshake. That could be added as a module of our “Organizational Behavior” class given how bad we are at it. An American girl trying to give a side hug to a French guy trying to kiss her on both cheeks can also be quite interesting.
  • Parties. Well, you’ve seen nothing until you witness an Indian fella dance with a Peruvian girl to French pop
  • Communication. Since more than 80% of us speak English as a second language, there can be some miscommunication at times, which means that we must be on track to beat the world record of the word “Whaaaaat?”
  • Classes. The students are international—and so are the teachers! So far in this term, all my teachers are from abroad: USA, Greece, Germany, England and Portugal. Tell me about diversity!
  • Costume parties. The theme of the very first party I attended was “your country’s cliché”. Which means that at some point, I was having a discussion with an Indian guy with a butler outfit, an Indian girl doing a fake call center accent, a Brazilian girl with a carnival dance outfit, and a French man holding a baguette and wearing a beret and scarf. Tell me about diversity again!
Being here, you realize some clichés are actually kind of true: Yes, Indians tend to be very outgoing and straightforward. Yes, British people tend to be more sarcastic. Yes, Americans say “Ya I was like, you know” at the start of most sentences. And yes, Italians speak with their hands and think that they are good at soccer. But you also understand that a lot of clichés aren’t true, that there’s not one right way to do things, and that working with people with different perspectives can open up a world of possibilities.

Overall, let me just say this to sum up my vision of the INSEAD experience so far: whatever we’ve done, whatever we want to do after we graduate, we all know we have something in common: we’re at INSEAD; we want to learn, grow, explore and live uniquely.

I’ve personally been here for two weeks, which seemed like two days, but at the same time I feel like I’ve been here for six months. I don’t know exactly what’s coming up, but I am sure that this year is going to be a memorable one, and like all my fellow 16J classmates, I sure want to make the best of it!
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
User avatar
newsInsead
User avatar
Joined: 20 Nov 2013
Last visit: -
Posts: 1,184
Own Kudos:
33
Posts: 1,184
Kudos: 33
Calling all INSEAD Applicants (Sept 2016 Intake) Class of July 2017!! 10 Sep 2015, 03:01
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
FROM Insead Admissions Blog1: Around the world in 10 months at INSEAD


To all the people hesitating between an MBA and a one-year trip around the world, I now have the official solution—go to INSEAD! 

Before last year, I thought that I either had to focus on my career and education, or think about my personal enjoyment and travel the world. In short, I couldn’t combine personal and professional growth. Well, that was true until I found out about “planet INSEAD”, and until I stepped foot on the “Fonty” campus a couple weeks ago.

You hear how international it is from alumni; you see the stats from the school’s website; but until you get here, you just don’t really get it. The fact is, when you gather open-minded, curious and fairly brilliant people from over 80 nations with all types of backgrounds looking to get some inspiration, to explore and to go on adventures, some pretty amazing things happen, and a place like Fontainebleau—which is not known in France as the most exciting place on the planet—becomes as enriching as the world.

Let me underline this internationalization with a simple example. In all business schools, students always start a conversation by asking those 2 questions: “What do you do?” and “Where are you from?”. What differentiates INSEAD from other Business Schools is that we cannot answer the 2 questions separately.

It is amazing to see how much people have traveled to study and/or work, and how curious they are about other cultures. This makes us genuinely interested in getting to know each other. We don’t do it for networking reasons because we think that this person could eventually help us professionally in the future (even though they will actually help you), but because we know that their life stories are going to be a special one—an inspiring one.

All the “lost in translation” people out here, the ones who haven’t felt quite at home anywhere since leaving their home country for the first time, have finally found a place filled with people like them, and a new home at INSEAD.

Everything here is international: from the campuses (one in Fontainebleau, one in Singapore, and one in Abu Dhabi), to the members of our study group, to the food at the cafeteria, to the cases you study in class. It is a tiny planet. Like mini-me in Austin Powers.

I, for example, live with nine housemates in “Fonty”: three from India, one from Canada, one from Brazil, one from China, one from Bulgaria, one from Luxembourg, and one from Thailand. I live in France and I am the only French guy! And what I experience is not special here, as most INSEAD houses are filled with people from different countries.

The international richness also creates some awkward/funny situations:

  • The handshake. Oh the handshake. That could be added as a module of our “Organizational Behavior” class given how bad we are at it. An American girl trying to give a side hug to a French guy trying to kiss her on both cheeks can also be quite interesting.
  • Parties. Well, you’ve seen nothing until you witness an Indian fella dance with a Peruvian girl to French pop
  • Communication. Since more than 80% of us speak English as a second language, there can be some miscommunication at times, which means that we must be on track to beat the world record of the word “Whaaaaat?”
  • Classes. The students are international—and so are the teachers! So far in this term, all my teachers are from abroad: USA, Greece, Germany, England and Portugal. Tell me about diversity!
  • Costume parties. The theme of the very first party I attended was “your country’s cliché”. Which means that at some point, I was having a discussion with an Indian guy with a butler outfit, an Indian girl doing a fake call center accent, a Brazilian girl with a carnival dance outfit, and a French man holding a baguette and wearing a beret and scarf. Tell me about diversity again!
Being here, you realize some clichés are actually kind of true: Yes, Indians tend to be very outgoing and straightforward. Yes, British people tend to be more sarcastic. Yes, Americans say “Ya I was like, you know” at the start of most sentences. And yes, Italians speak with their hands and think that they are good at soccer. But you also understand that a lot of clichés aren’t true, that there’s not one right way to do things, and that working with people with different perspectives can open up a world of possibilities.

Overall, let me just say this to sum up my vision of the INSEAD experience so far: whatever we’ve done, whatever we want to do after we graduate, we all know we have something in common: we’re at INSEAD; we want to learn, grow, explore and live uniquely.

I’ve personally been here for two weeks, which seemed like two days, but at the same time I feel like I’ve been here for six months. I don’t know exactly what’s coming up, but I am sure that this year is going to be a memorable one, and like all my fellow 16J classmates, I sure want to make the best of it!
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
avatar
MBA2016xyz
avatar
Joined: 24 Jul 2014
Last visit: 18 Jan 2016
Posts: 31
Own Kudos:
1
Given Kudos: 1
Concentration: Marketing, Strategy
Schools: Oxford'17 (A) Insead July'17 (D)
GMAT 1: 690 Q48 V36
Products:
My Reviews
Schools: Oxford'17 (A) Insead July'17 (D)
GMAT 1: 690 Q48 V36
Posts: 31
Kudos: 1
Calling all INSEAD Applicants (Sept 2016 Intake) Class of July 2017!! 14 Sep 2015, 23:02
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Hi All,

I am a Round 1 applicant.
My recommenders seem to be facing problem while uploading the files in the link sent to them.
I have written to the admissions assistance team, yet to hear back from them .

Please let me know if anyone else facing similar problem ? Any solution ?

Regards,
Veena
   1   2   3   4  ...  30   
Moderator:
GMATNinja
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
7391 posts