INSEAD WAITLIST September 2014 Intake

Hi guys,

If you ended up here, it's because you were waitlisted for INSEAD. I was also waitlisted for the Sept 2012 R1 intake (13J class), was finally admitted and graduated in July 2013. I thought I would like to retrospectively share some of my thoughts with you.

1) being waitlisted is a success. INSEAD is very competitive and if you got waitlisted, it's because you have the right profile, but there is just an over-supply of other candidates similar to you with slightly better features. E.g. at the time of applying, I was a European engineer with 5y of experience, medium int'l experience, good leadership experience, but under-average GMAT (660). When I joined, I had the chance to meet my alter egos: engineers with experience in Europe and 730+ GMATs.

2) being a waitlisted candidate does not make a you an under-performer at INSEAD if you get admitted, it all depends on what you make of your time at the school. I was for a while worried by this after working with my overachieving P1-P2 group including a bright consultant who left us all amazed with his speed, efficiency and broad knowledge of many subjects. I worked hard and ended up having an above-average GPA at the end of P5. I also discovered that based on my previous experience, I was very strong in OB, marketing and strategy. Many people who were not waitlisted ended up with worse grades than me. Other waitlisted people were amazing leaders, so let this be enough evidence to dispel the idea that being waitlisted makes you a under-par candidate.

3) there is little you can do once you have been waitlisted and it is mostly out of your hands. I was waitlisted in mid-Dec 2011 and got admitted on early Feb, 2012. What I did in the meantime was accept the position in the waitlist and prepare my application for other business schools, preparing for the worse. For what it's worth, I would like to share what I indicated in my letter to accept the position in the waitlist: I said I was happy to be waitlisted because it was an indication that my classmates would be of high caliber. I also provided a description of my new responsibilities and most recent achievements. Finally, I indicated that I was ready to start in Singy rather than Fonty and that I was also open to start in the next intake (Jan 2013). Disclaimer: I don't have proof that this letter made a difference, because you cannot get official feedback from the AdCom and a part of the decision depends on luck (who are the other candidates, do they accept the offer at INSEAD, etc). I'm just saying that small things might make a difference, in the same way that a GMAT score can get you in or out. So I just made sure that I put all the odds in my favor: I applied to R1, attended two open-campus days, spoke with a member of the AdCom, interacted with 7-8 alumni and made sure my essays were perfect.

I hope this helps and I wish you the best of luck!