
The one-year MBA program offered by INSEAD is quite intense, but the international student body makes it worthwhile.
The MBA application
form for the September 2020 intake of INSEAD’s MBA program is available on
INSEAD’s website now. The essay questions (Job description and motivation
essays ), as well as the video essay component remain the same this year also, so our analysis of the essay questions also remains the same.
Application Deadlines for the September 2020 Intake: Round Application Deadline Decisions Released Round 1
September 18, 2019
November 22, 2019
Round 2
November 6, 2019
January 24, 2020
Round 3
January 15, 2020
March 20, 2020
Round 4
February 26, 2020
April 30, 2020
INSEAD's Admission’s Criteria- Academic capacity
- Leadership potential
- International Motivation
- Ability to contribute
For more
information on application requirements and advice on video essays, please
visit the
INSEAD MBA admissionsINSEAD’s job
description questions and motivation essays allow
candidates to discuss a variety of topics related to their interests and
experiences, thus providing them ample opportunity to present each aspect of
their candidacy- their personal stories, their triumphs and
failures. The “job questions” ask for a factual account of one’s current
position and career progression, as well as short-term and long-term career
goals with an MBA from INSEAD. There is no prescribed word limit for job
questions, so you can use 150-200 words. The three “motivation essays” call for
short reflections and discussion of a variety of topics e.g. strengths and
weaknesses, failures, accomplishments, extra-curricular l
activities etc. With careful thought and planning, you can use these
essays to present your well-rounded personality. Here is
your chance, to be creative and
highlight your experiences. It is important to present your essay precisely,
keeping the soul of your story intact.
According to INSEAD
Admission Team:
“This is a
critical part of our evaluation process. As such, we advise you to spend a
significant amount of time on your application essays. Your responses provide
the best opportunity to be creative and tell us about yourself. We would like
to get to know you and to find out what motivates you. The essay questions are
not meant to be academic articles or business memos, but rather your personal
stories. You can fill in the essay questions online or copy/paste your answers
in the text boxes directly within your application.”
Job description Essays:1. Briefly summarize your current (or most recent) job, including the nature of work, major responsibilities, and, where relevant, employees under your supervision, size of budget, clients/products and results achieved. (short answer)This question
requests a snapshot of the applicant’s current or most recent job. Keeping in
mind that this will be the admission committee's introduction to your
candidacy, you should also provide information to help the reader understand
your place within the organization and the work that occupies your days. Please
stay focused on the details of your present job, nature of work, major
responsibilities, supervision, size of the budget, number of clients/products,
and most importantly, “results achieved”. While detailing out your current job,
you should also focus on the impact you have made on your organization. But
please avoid elaborating your greatest achievement as you will get an
opportunity to do that in the second motivation essay.
2. What would be your next step in terms of position if you were to remain in the same company? (short answer)For this question,
you need to show that your next position should be more challenging than your
current one. But if MBA at INSEAD is your next step, you probably don’t need
your next promotion. Through this question, the admission committee wants to
determine whether you have a clear sense of your career trajectory. You may
outline a next step that would entail increased responsibility in terms of
project size or complexity or number of employees managed. You may also mention
an estimated timeline for promotion into this position, if applicable.
3. Please give us a full description of your career since graduating from university. Describe your career path with the rationale behind your choices. (short answer)This question can
be considered as a walk-through of resume in the essay format. The purpose of
this question is to get an understanding of how you have progressed along your
career path. Your best bet is to focus on each full-time position you’ve held,
the reasons behind each move, increases and changes in responsibility, and the
lessons/ skills learned. It is important to show progress at each stage of your
career, which is straightforward if you have worked for the same company and
received regular promotions. If you have changed companies, make sure to
explain the reason how and why you made your career choice.
4. Discuss your short-term and long-term career aspirations with an MBA from INSEAD. (short answer)This is a fairly
straightforward career
goals essay asking
you to explain your short-term and long-term goals. After detailing out your
career history, explain where you stand now why you believe that an MBA is the
next logical step in your career path NOW? What are those skills that you still
lack which you hope to acquire by an MBA? How an MBA will fill the gaps in your
career?
Then explain your
short-term (3-5 years after MBA) and long-term goals (5 - 10 years after MBA).
Please identify the position that you hope to hold immediately after MBA
program, specifying both a job title and 1-2 organizations/companies for which
you would like to work. Then you will discuss your long-term 5-10-year plan,
explaining not just what role you hope to occupy but also the broader impact
you hope to have in this position. Please make sure to demonstrate a logical
connection between your short-term and long-term goals. In other words, explain
how you will move from step 1 to step 2 and so on. Make sure that your goals
are realistic as well as ambitious. That is, if you aim for a technology or a
consulting role, you’ll need to demonstrate that you already possess some
skills/experience in that area and are now aiming to enhance those skills.
Likewise, if you are a career changer, you should provide evidence as to how
your current skill set would facilitate this transition. (Approximately 150-200
words)
5. If you are currently not working or if you plan to leave your current employer more than two months before the programme starts, please explain your activities and occupation between leaving your job and the start of the programme. (optional)This is the seventh
year that INSEAD has included a question
providing unemployed applicants the space to explain their situation. This
shows that INSEAD is not excluding unemployed candidates from admission if they
are utilizing their time productively. So, it provides them an opportunity to
advocate their case and discuss the new skills they are learning, the volunteer
work they are involved in, and any conferences and professional development
workshops they are attending, and other efforts they are making to secure
short-term employment before MBA. This would validate their growth even during
the time they are unemployed.
This question also
includes applicants who are planning to take a break of more than two months
between the time they submit their applications and the time they would join
INSEAD’s program. In this case also, they need to evidence how they are
actively developing skills, making productive use of their time, and
progressing toward their career goals. This essay is also a place for the
applicants who are leaving their current employer to join another one, two
months before entering the program. They should use this essay to discuss their
new employment. This essay is also an opportunity to discuss the actions you
plan to take in preparation for MBA such as getting involved in voluntary
activities, attending conferences, and engaging in any other activities for
professional development before beginning the INSEAD MBA program.
here to learn
some useful techniques to help you say ‘more’ in ‘less’).
Motivation Essay #3: Describe all types of extra professional activities in which you have been or are still involved for a significant amount of time (clubs, sports, music, arts, politics, etc.). How are you enriched by these activities? (approximately 300 words)The
extra-curricular is an important element
of how INSEAD evaluates the candidate on one of its four key admissions
criteria: ‘ability to contribute’. They want to know if you are an applicant
who will not only contribute to the class room but also to the life of the
community outside the classroom as a student, and later, as a member of the
alumni network. Candidates who have other interests/hobbies that they are
passionate about, and who perhaps have some achievement in sports, music, arts,
etc. will go on to become students who will take the lead in student clubs and
will be actively involved in the alumni network. When describing your
extracurricular activities, please make sure to focus on social or
community-based activities instead of solo involvements, such as reading,
working out in the gym, or watching movies, as admission committee is seeking
applicants who can contribute to the INSEAD community by collaborating and engaging
with their peers through various clubs.
Motivation Essay #4: Is there anything that was not covered in your application that you would like to share with the Admissions Committee? (approximately 300 words)An optional essay
is an opportunity for you to give the Admissions Committee relevant information
that you could not give in other essays or other parts of your application.
This question is also meant to shine a spotlight on
an experience or a side of your personality that has not
been revealed in the other parts of your application: essays, recommendation
letters, and resume.
Even though INSEAD
has provided you enough ground to cover about your candidacy, you may still use
this essay in a variety of ways to further strengthen your candidacy. More importantly,
you should also use the optional essay to address a weakness in your
profile, such as low GPA or GMAT, a gap in your job history, or your
inability to get a recommendation from your current supervisor.
For further assistance in developing your application essays, you may
review the general
EssayTips.
For essay analysis of other
schools by MER, click
here.
Since 2011, MER (
myEssayReview) has helped applicants get
accepted into top 20 MBA, programs, including INSEAD.
Click
here for INSEAD admit, Mansi's
interview.
This
articlewas first published in
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