Calling all Applicants: INSEAD January 2021 Intake !

Is it a bad idea to apply in Round 4 for January 2021 intake?

Go through all the posts in this link. Looks like a troublesome situation for the Jan 2021 intake applicants since the school seems to be making deferrals to this round resulting in stiffer competition with fewer slots.
https://gmatclub.com/forum/round-4-january-324907.html

This is definitely troubling. The school should probably issue a public statement on what this means for the 21D applicants (like Harvard stating they may increase the size of the intake to balance things). The fact that R1 acceptances were probably sent out before clarity on the deferrals could also mean that the available seats would be proportionately lower in R2/R3/R4 vs. R1. Ofcourse, now that I've applied, there's nothing much that can be done. But nonetheless, not cheerful news ?

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Any estimate on how many people have been given deferrals?

If its a large number, I guess the chance of getting an admit would reduce significantly (if the batch size remains the same).

If I had known this before applying, I would have applied in R1 sept, since INSEAD is not re-applicant friendly! - Can't do much now!

Not sure of the exact numbers but I would assume it to be quite high considering the delay in start is just about 3 months (September intake has been postponed to an October start) unlike the US schools where it would be 1 year. So logically, a deferral would mean a 3 month delayed start plus an internship opportunity, which is definitely an advantage considering the current situation.

I would have probably chosen to apply in R1 as well considering this information. But yes, considering the available information, that was the best choice I could make. Fingers crossed and hoping for the best!

Hi all, again, I would appreciate if anyone has any specific information on those "deferrals", I could not find any evidence of them, neither in the application track or in forum posts.

I understand that it is an assumption, so let's not make an assumption on its size before we have details, no?

I assume there will be some, but I do not see why INSEAD should grant them if they are moving the start date (facilitating the visa and movement, so reducing the need for deferrals).

Regards,
Pablo

I can't give you the specific numbers but while talking to some current students as well as students who got admit in Sep batch, I've heard from multiple folks who have been granted deferral. Yes, INSEAD has extended the start date but most people are facing different kind of situations due to COVID'19. Additionally, there are countries where it's impossible to start the visa process right now or the backlog is just too big. During my very first call with the admissions team, itself, they made it very clear to me that they'll consider a deferral request due to ongoing situation. This was back in mid April. I'd recommend you to get in touch with folks who got the admit for September batch and you should be able to get a better picture regarding the exact number.

Deferrals will be by those already admitted to the Sep2020 intake, I don't think they will come back to the forums and update their status since they are already admitted (and have reported their status then).

As for those admitted in 2021J R1, we have a https://gmatclub.com/chat chat group that includes most of them. There are a number in the chat group who mentioned that they are deferrals from 2020S intake. In any case, there may be more applications for the next few intakes if the economic situation doesn't improve, but who knows.

Hello everyone,

I recently applied to INSEAD's fulltime MBA R2 J21.

I have a master's degree in finance 3.74 GPA from top business school in my country and Masters degree in Law and Accounting from LSE (London).

I work for one of the big 4 with 3 years of experience in the middle east in addition to 1 year as a financial analyst in London.

Reference letter from LSE professor and Director Big 4 where I work.

Target GMAT 650-680 given schedule restraints in test centre openings due to global situation and work balance.

Any thoughts? Would appreciate it.

Hey guiseppe that question may be better answered here: https://gmatclub.com/forum/profile-eval ... 5-800.html

Anyway, I think you have a standard profile, you can make it in but will depend a lot on your essays and letters.
Why the LSE professor as a recommender? Did you recently do the masters? Usually is better advised to have two professional recommenders, moreover if you have overall 4 years of experience.

Another important aspect would be further international experience and leadership/extracurriculars.

Regards,
Pablo

Ok, thanks for the explanation.

Anyway out of 500, even if they would defer 20 or 50 it may not impact much on the numbers for each round.
Hopefully we can have more clarity from INSEAD soon.

Regards,
Pablo

Any interview tips from admitted candidates?

There are many excellent online resources that you can refer to, such as these:

- GMATClub interview debriefs (https://gmatclub.com/forum/insead-201/i ... brief.html)
- Clearadmit INSEAD interview guide (https://www.clearadmit.com/wp-content/u ... t-2015.pdf)
- Tips shared by admission consultants such as MBAPrepCoach in earlier threads (eg. https://gmatclub.com/forum/calling-all- ... 9-320.html)

In general, make sure you are familiar with the details of your submitted essays/CV and be consistent with them. As INSEAD's interviews are done by its alumni, the way it is conducted varies depending on the interviewer. Prep the usual MBA interview questions with talking points (eg. Why an MBA? Why now? Why INSEAD? Would you not have reached your goals without an MBA? Tell me more about you, etc). A big part of the INSEAD experience is working with people with vastly different backgrounds, so there may be questions on how you manage conflict resolution.

In the case the interviews are done through video-call, also ensure the prep work for the call is done (eg. lighting etc).

All in all, relax, make the interview conversational, don't be too stilted.

Thanks. This is helpful. Of course I know about the debriefs on the forum.

I've read in the HBS Interview Guide to keep the answers short. How about for INSEAD?

I believe that is a good practice for all kinds of interviews. The answer, if simpler and shorter (without losing meaning) the better.
Despite that, I think that INSEAD Alumni value that you keep it more conversational rather than answering just to the point.

Regards,
Pablo

Thanks Pablo. I think you are dead right!

The wait is killing me...am I the only one?

You are not the only one.

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