kiura
Hey Guys,
In the process of applying, currently toiling away on my essays.
Here's my profile:
Data: 29, male, French
GMAT: 720 - 67% in Quant, 96% in verbal
TOEFL: Not received yet, should not be an issue
Previous Education: Masters in business from a top 10 French Business School (top 30% of the class, nothing impressive, must say grades weren't a big focus point for me at the time)
Work experience: 5-6 years in a global FMCG based in Cincinnati, in supply chains and operations, planning role in the first 4 years in both France and Geneva, and Warehouse leader in the past 1.5 year in Germany. Managing a team of 66 people. Promotion ahead of peer group, and included in high potential program.
Recommendation letter: Both should be very good, and coming from my former director and current plant manager.
International experience: Changed country every 3-4 years when growing up, notably spent 2 years in UK, and 4 years in the US. Worked in France, Switzerland, and Germany so far. Speak French/English fluently, German to a good working level, and Spanish at a decent level (Lived 3 months in Madrid and 3 months in Mexico DF).
I do have a question on the essays, after consulting with one of my old colleagues who did INSEAD (now mckinsey) he suggested I use a professional service to review and proofread the essays. Apparently it is something that is commonly done by applicants. Any suggestion on this one, seems expensive for a proofread, but if it really brings added value to the application then it is a small price to pay. Any recommended service to use?
cheers,
Using a professional service is entirely up to you. I didn't use one and simply got family members to proofread and check that the essays did "sound like me" and I got accepted to INSEAD. INSEAD really wants to know who you are, whether you've really thought about your career and have a clear idea of where you want to go with an MBA (very important due to the short length of the program), and whether or not you'll fit with their culture. As long as your story comes through and you have a strong profile (which you do), using a professional service is entirely optional. Personally, I feel that professional services are usually more tailored towards American schools where they're looking for extra polish/marketing glean because everyone else is doing it (so you need to as well to keep up).
For European schools, I would use a professional service if a)you really don't have much of a story to tell b) you're in an over-represented group or c) if you're not very confident in your writing/story-telling abilities. In these 3 scenarios you'd probably find you'll get more of your money's worth.
Good luck!