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09 Apr 2025, 01:59
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Hi,
I am a corporate lawyer from India and I wanted to someone to evaluate my profile for the 2026 intake.
I have had 14 months of work experience as a mergers and acquisitions lawyer. I quit my job last year in August due to a medical emergency in the family for which I had to shift back to my hometown. I utilised the gap to prepare for GRE and got a score of 320 (162Q, 158V).
INSEAD has a limit of 24 months work exp for MiM. I just wanted to confirm if that means actual work ex or time post graduation. If I apply in August 2026, will my work experience be construed as more than 24 months because I graduated in July 2023 and it would have been two years since graduation? Or, assuming I work for the next 3-4 months, will it be taken as 18 months?
Other Specifics:
I am a 2023 graduate from National Law University, Jodhpur. I have a decent CGPA, two publications and a ton of experience in teamwork and leadership. I am also passionate about social work and started my own gender equality initiative through which I reached 10,000 school students. Additionally, I was a part of a college journal and cultural committee. I have also participated in moot court competitions, including an international moot.
On the work front, I interned with 4 law firms in their M&A teams to gain practical exposure during my bachelor's degree.
Career Goal:
To transition into the M&A segment of investment banking.
It would be great if someone could evaluate my profile and eligibility for the 2026 intake to top business schools, like INSEAD and LSE.
Thank you!
I am a corporate lawyer from India and I wanted to someone to evaluate my profile for the 2026 intake.
I have had 14 months of work experience as a mergers and acquisitions lawyer. I quit my job last year in August due to a medical emergency in the family for which I had to shift back to my hometown. I utilised the gap to prepare for GRE and got a score of 320 (162Q, 158V).
INSEAD has a limit of 24 months work exp for MiM. I just wanted to confirm if that means actual work ex or time post graduation. If I apply in August 2026, will my work experience be construed as more than 24 months because I graduated in July 2023 and it would have been two years since graduation? Or, assuming I work for the next 3-4 months, will it be taken as 18 months?
Other Specifics:
I am a 2023 graduate from National Law University, Jodhpur. I have a decent CGPA, two publications and a ton of experience in teamwork and leadership. I am also passionate about social work and started my own gender equality initiative through which I reached 10,000 school students. Additionally, I was a part of a college journal and cultural committee. I have also participated in moot court competitions, including an international moot.
On the work front, I interned with 4 law firms in their M&A teams to gain practical exposure during my bachelor's degree.
Career Goal:
To transition into the M&A segment of investment banking.
It would be great if someone could evaluate my profile and eligibility for the 2026 intake to top business schools, like INSEAD and LSE.
Thank you!
MBAGuide
Joined: 24 Jul 2019
Last visit: 11 May 2026
Posts: 2,406
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 28
Location: India
Concentration: Operations, Marketing
Schools: Insead Sept'18 (A$$) ISB '19 (A)
09 Apr 2025, 04:31
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anushka_mathur Happy to answer in detail here
If your actual work experience is around 14 plus 3 or 4 months, then you need not worry about INSEAD’s experience duration criterion. You should also provide any proof to justify the gap period and explain what you did and how you utilized the time during the career break. I am sure the schools will be very understanding.
I think you have some quality work experience, which will be an absolute advantage if you speak about your understanding of the M&A space, the challenges you have observed through various internships/ projects, and how you plan to contribute in the short to mid term after an MiM.
What courses are you looking at at LSE? My observation is that the specialized MSc courses at LSE are better positioned than its MiM to take you to good companies. Most of these programs feed into entry-level positions where a major part of your responsibilities will involve data analysis and quantitative insights in a specialized field. So at least in finance and consulting roles, hiring is typically done from top-ranking MiM programs or top specialized master’s programs which are highly academically oriented, like the LSE. If you are only looking at MiMs, you must consider LBS in addition to INSEAD.
Please improve your GRE, particularly the Quant score, if you can.
Best wishes
Aanchal Sahni (INSEAD MBA alumna, former INSEAD MBA admissions interviewer)
Founder, MBAGuideConsulting
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aanchal-sahni-83b00819/ |WEBSITE: https://mbaguideconsulting.com/| Message(WA): +91 9971200927| email- [email protected]
If your actual work experience is around 14 plus 3 or 4 months, then you need not worry about INSEAD’s experience duration criterion. You should also provide any proof to justify the gap period and explain what you did and how you utilized the time during the career break. I am sure the schools will be very understanding.
I think you have some quality work experience, which will be an absolute advantage if you speak about your understanding of the M&A space, the challenges you have observed through various internships/ projects, and how you plan to contribute in the short to mid term after an MiM.
What courses are you looking at at LSE? My observation is that the specialized MSc courses at LSE are better positioned than its MiM to take you to good companies. Most of these programs feed into entry-level positions where a major part of your responsibilities will involve data analysis and quantitative insights in a specialized field. So at least in finance and consulting roles, hiring is typically done from top-ranking MiM programs or top specialized master’s programs which are highly academically oriented, like the LSE. If you are only looking at MiMs, you must consider LBS in addition to INSEAD.
Please improve your GRE, particularly the Quant score, if you can.
Best wishes
Aanchal Sahni (INSEAD MBA alumna, former INSEAD MBA admissions interviewer)
Founder, MBAGuideConsulting
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aanchal-sahni-83b00819/ |WEBSITE: https://mbaguideconsulting.com/| Message(WA): +91 9971200927| email- [email protected]
anushka_mathur
14 Apr 2025, 00:47
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Hi anushka_mathur
Thanks for posting. Always good to see another lawyer looking at B-school.
- Your 14 months of experience will not be an impediment. You can apply to the INSEAD MiM. Alongside, also look at options like the LBS MiM or the ESSEC and HEC programs.
- Your background in law provides differentiation and relevance for getting a B-school education. Your work in M&A as a lawyer is directly relevant, though the market for M&A IB in Asia/Europe is not at its best right now. Think a bit more about the goals; they need not only be aligned to your prior work directly.
- If you feel you can increase your GRE, please do so. While a 320 does not put you out of contention, a 323+ (preferably 325+) would enhance your chances. You have outstanding ECA and leadership and this will no doubt help, but a 320 is slightly below your potential.
- Also have a look at this article. Though this is more about the MBA, it will give you a good glimpse into post B-school opportunities: The MBA for lawyers
Thanks for posting. Always good to see another lawyer looking at B-school.
- Your 14 months of experience will not be an impediment. You can apply to the INSEAD MiM. Alongside, also look at options like the LBS MiM or the ESSEC and HEC programs.
- Your background in law provides differentiation and relevance for getting a B-school education. Your work in M&A as a lawyer is directly relevant, though the market for M&A IB in Asia/Europe is not at its best right now. Think a bit more about the goals; they need not only be aligned to your prior work directly.
- If you feel you can increase your GRE, please do so. While a 320 does not put you out of contention, a 323+ (preferably 325+) would enhance your chances. You have outstanding ECA and leadership and this will no doubt help, but a 320 is slightly below your potential.
- Also have a look at this article. Though this is more about the MBA, it will give you a good glimpse into post B-school opportunities: The MBA for lawyers
anushka_mathur
