Calling all Applicants: INSEAD January 2021 Intake !

Hi Farrell,

I am 32. Have a good gmat (770). Have good experience and can probably easily qualify for exec. But, still thinking about taking a year break and doing FT.

Okay, 32 isnt such a catastrophe and statistically you are a very attractive obviously. That said I still encourage you to apply to the full-time program at HEC as well as a backup. If you're going for January intake. IMD Is specifically designed for people your age as well. If you apply in the fall, I would also encourage you to go for Sloan fellows MIT, maybe MSx. One year programs that Kellogg or Cornell might also be possibilities. Just stick with one year programs and European schools, two year programs would be a little dicey but not impossible if you have the right goals and you look marketable.




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Yeah, I won’t apply to HEC. I don’t think it will add anything to my resume; I will rather have an exec MBA.

I am thinking of applying to NW but believe that Sloans Fellow is not the right program for me. Let’s see how it goes.

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What is NW?
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Kellogg (Northwestern). Was too lazy to type a few extra syllables

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Ohhh..
I don't know very much about you or your goals but Kellogg 1-year is definitely a good way to go for older applicants. Who don't need an internship.
I have a former client in that program right now if you need someone to chat with. He likes it.
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WEBINAR PLAYBACK

Did any of you guys attend the Focus on Careers webinar that I posted? ? Well, it was effing great. I really strongly recommend that you watch it. Especially if you are interested in financial services even tangentially.

I think that it's actually good for you to listen, to inform your essays and interviews and show you really know the landscape with career services.
The more you seem informed and prepared the less risk you are - and the more likely you are to be admitted.

https://insead.webex.com/recordingservi ... 62a284b452

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Hi guys, I have a few questions regarding app:

Q1: The International Exposure section in the INSEAD App

The section states: Please list your most significant examples of international exposure that you have experienced, living, studying, working or travelling outside your own country (Region).

There are 6 rows to fill. My most significant examples are 2 internships abroad + 1 summer school term. However, I have already mentioned these 3 in my resume and in the job description section of the App (under part time work/internships).
My question is: Should I mention these here again (as they are my most significant) or focus on other general travels (which are not as significant but show more international exposure)?

Q2: The supporting documents section

1. What exactly is expected in the additional letters section? Could I add an additional letter of recommendation here? (from an INSEAD Alum)
2. In the other documents section, would it be appropriate to add newspaper/ media articles?

Hi All,

Would really appreciate your thoughts on this. I applied to Sept 2020 intake recently and got declined in Round 3 without interview. However INSEAD remains my target school because of the region I want to work in and its 10 month duration. Here is my profile

Engineering(64%) MBA(61%)

Citizenship - India

Age : 32

International Exposure - I work extensively with EU and APAC regions - Have travelled to more than 15 countries for work in US/EU and APAC - I spend roughly 2 months per annum in EU/US with clients

Work : Currently manage a 12 MUSD business with P&L responsibilities, 8 direct reports. I head the Diversity & Inclusion council for my org.

EC : Own and operate a backpackers hostel, long distance running and I work with a school for underpriv children.

GMAT - 700 q49 v37

Recommendations - Two very good ones from Direct supervisor and Indirect supervisor

I would really appreciate if anybody can guide me on my chances for applying in January 2021 round. The INSEAD website explicitly states that re-applicants are discouraged unless there are substantial changes. Please guide.

Hi Resh16,

please, see below some answers in blue.

Q1: The International Exposure section in the INSEAD App

The section states: Please list your most significant examples of international exposure that you have experienced, living, studying, working or travelling outside your own country (Region).

There are 6 rows to fill. My most significant examples are 2 internships abroad + 1 summer school term. However, I have already mentioned these 3 in my resume and in the job description section of the App (under part time work/internships).
My question is: Should I mention these here again (as they are my most significant) or focus on other general travels (which are not as significant but show more international exposure)?
ARL: It'd be better to mention those experiences again, as they're your most significant ones and you also want to make your entire application consistent.

Q2: The supporting documents section

1. What exactly is expected in the additional letters section? Could I add an additional letter of recommendation here? (from an INSEAD Alum)
ARL: Yes, you could. This section is typically used for additional letters of endorsement.

2. In the other documents section, would it be appropriate to add newspaper/ media articles?
ARL: If you believe they are going to add value to your application, then yes, it would be appropriate.

I hope this helps.

Thank you very much.

Warm regards
Alex
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Hi weightedaverage,

I'm sorry to know about your rejection in Round 3.

Historically, INSEAD has not been the most reapplicant friendly of schools, but recently they have become a bit more open to reapplications. That being said, as you have pointed out, there must be significant improvements in a reapplicant's profile, including better test scores (e.g. GMAT, TOEFL...), in order for INSEAD to consider their new application

In your case, besides showing improvements such as an increase in responsibility or a promotion at work, it would be very important to retake GMAT and reapply with a higher score. As you know, for Indian applicants it is always recommended to score at least 20-30 points above the school's average, which in the case of INSEAD, this would mean 730-740. But given that you'll be a reapplicant, it would be good to score even higher. Is retaking GMAT a possibility for you?

I hope this helps.

Thank you very much.

Warm regards
Alex
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Thank you so much for your help!



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Hi All,

I would appreciate your thoughts about my application, I'm planning to apply for Jan'21 intake for INSEAD, because i would like to change carrer after the MBA.

Moroccan, 30 yo with 6 years of experience.
GMAT: 700 (Q49, V36)

International exposure : i worked in middle east (Qatar, Dubai and Abdhabi for the last 5,5 years) for a big US corporate consultant company in the construction, for major clients across MEA and on iconic projets.

Work : currently working as lead of section, managing 3 Engineers.

Recommendations: two very good ones, one from an INSEAD EMBA alumni.

Thanks in advance and i will really appreciate your thoughts on my chances to get in.

Hi AhmedB

I like to evaluate profiles based on their 4 criteria.

Academics: not sure about your undergrad institution or grades, but the GMAT score is decent. A bit lower than the class average, and applicants from francophone countries are a bit overrepresented at INSEAD. So the rest of the app needs to be good. However I like that you have a very solid quant score, and a balanced score. They require 70%-75% for each section. Would be helpful to know more about your academic background.

Leadership: this is what needs more fleshing out. I like that you are leading 3 engineers, how can you get across that you are doing so effectively? Consider anecdotes you can share in job essays and recommendations (and via your CV) that will help establish how you have made a positive impact on your team, your reports and the organization.

I like to ask the question, how did you help them make money, save money, save time or achieve greater ease/efficiency? These tap into universal motivators. Consider how you can demonstrate teamwork, leadership and problem solving skills. Think not about the whole job as an aggregate but specific stories and instances you can share that the reader can visualize.

Contribution: you do have substantive work experience to share, from the vantage point a part of the world that is becoming increasingly relevant. They will be trying to assess how you will or won't be an active student and active alum. Were you an active student in undergrad, and what have you done to contribute outside of work since then? Think broadly about this, it doesn't necessarily have to be super "official" but show you as engaged and well-rounded.

International orientation: it seems you have spent 5.5 years working outside of Morocco, which is great. What did you learn from that, which you could pass on to members in your small group? What perspective have you obtained working in MENA for a US consulting company? How will you need a UN style business school experience to fulfill your goals?

One note - it is a plus that you work for a big company and prestigious clients but INSEAD is looking primarily for proof of positive impact more than status.

I really like that you have recommenders with an INSEAD EMBA; not necessary but definitely a plus. Not only can they speak to how you would benefit from an MBA but also how you would fit with the culture and benefit from what INSEAD offers uniquely.

INSEAD is a really long application and a huge investment; to leverage that, I encourage Francophone applicants to hedge their bets by also applying to HEC and IMD if applying to January term.

Cheers,
Farrell


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So sorry to hear this weightedaverage, I can imagine how disappointing this must have been. I totally agree with Alex; the unfortunate fact is that despite having a great profile, there will almost always been an Indian applying who has an equally amazing profile and also a stellar test score. It's a drag. I would encourage you to bump up your test score for INSEAD adcom to really look at you with fresh eyes. Are you sure that INSEAD is the one and only solution for you? Your current GMAT might work for some other European schools that might also be a good fit. You are not "old" necessarily but would want to expedite ASAP.


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Hi AhmedB

First of all, great work on the profile there! And just in time to make it for MBA at INSEAD!

Looking at your profile, I can say that you have diverse experience, international exposure and leadership skills bit covered quite well, but that’s an average candidate’s application to INSEAD. To really make your application stand out, you would need to dig a little deeper and start thinking about how you are different and better than the others.

How about you start nudging yourself with this simple question- “What value can you add to your group at INSEAD?”

All the best mate!

Cheers!
Shantanu Sharma
MBA and Beyond Consulting
Schedule a Free Intro Session here.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/shantanu-sharma-b7938431/

Hi Folks, Two weeks left to submit apps in R1. Good luck to all who are working on their apps.

We have started a chat group for Jan intake applicants to facilitate real-time conversations among applicants during tensed periods such as app submissions or interview/result release. Feel free to join https://gmatclub.com/forum/mchat.php?ro ... TYCgIRMaPt

Hi.

I hope everybody who's applying in R1 is on time with their application. I am in the process of refining my essays. Can anyone tell me how strict is the suggested word guideline for every question? Can you go a bit above the suggested word count to preserve the essence of the story? Any help is appreciated.

All the best!

Ronak

Hi ronak1003,

word count limit for both Job Description and Motivation essays is strict. If you go over by even one word, the system will throw an error and you won't be able to submit your application.

I hope this helps.

Thank you very much.

Warm regards
Alex
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