Calling all INSEAD MBA Applicants: (Sept 2018 Intake) Class of 2019!!

Hi there,

I am also planning to apply to INSEAD Sep 2018 intake R1 deadline. I am a reapplicant. Had applied last year in R2 for Sep 2017 intake and got dinged without an interview call.

I know INSEAD does not encourage reapplicants but I have spoken with many alumni who have had many repplicants in their respective batches. So, just hopeful!

My Profile below -

32/M/Indian
GMAT - 750 (Q50, V40)
Total 8 years of Work Exp. (2 years pre-MBA, 6 years post MBA)
previous MBA in HR from XLRI (India's premier b-school for HR)
3 years in human capital consulting with EY and 3 years with American Express
Currently lead Compensation & Benefits for India and Japan markets
International experience across Europe and Middle East
Co-curriculars include running marathons, badminton, photography and lots of volunteering experiences, was also member of b-school placement committee

INSEAD is my first choice of school. I don't want to apply to any other school in R1 for various reasons. Firstly this will help me concentrate only on my INSEAD application, which will help me focus and improve the quality of the essays, LORs etc. Secondly, if I were to apply to other schools which were lower down my pecking order and if I were to get an admit as well - all this while waiting on a decision for INSEAD - I would have to pay a confirmation fee to most schools while I'd still be waiitng on a reply from INSEAD, I don't want to be in a position where I pay another school a non-refundable confirmation fee of 7000 GBP or 10000 Euros and then get an admit from INSEAD. I'm basically throwing the kitchen sink at a prospective admit from INSEAD .

I know this sounds risky, but I'm really really inclined towards INSEAD. If I were to not get a call for an interview or a dinge mail after my interviews, I'd go all out in R2 and apply to all the other colleges I have on my list.

Does this make sense? Should I be change my strategy? Open to any contrasting views. Any feedback would be very helpful. Thanks!

Hi Souvik, what are you up to? Ready to apply now?

And everyone!

What worked for me, well I guess: research, research, research, and then talk about it all on my essays:

- INSEAD was my first choice and the only school I was targeting in R1. So I decided to go all in! I spent quite some time researching each and every aspect of the school. Moderating the INSEAD forum here also really did help with that! I dug up everything I could find on the internet (and I mean everything!! ). So glad I didn’t have to go through that again for another school. Pretty sure I wouldn’t have had the time nor the energy to research as much.

- I got in touch with many students and alums, for guidance on my application, and to figure out how the school would be a match for me. Actually before deciding it was INSEAD, I got in touch with other students/alums from a couple of other schools too. Response rate was really really low, whereas alums and students from INSEAD took the time to answer, and in a quite enthusiastic manner. (perhaps my geographical proximity with the school did help, will never know). Whichever the case, they all urged me to apply, talked about what a great experience it had been for them, and how much the school would be a perfect fit for me. That just made INSEAD a no brainer for me.

- I visited the school on a couple of occasions and got the chance to have a firsthand experience, on the teaching methods and the school vibe. Participated in classes and chatted with professors and students. All the positive feedback I got from them on my profile ended up in my essays.

- I had a one on one consultation with INSEAD’s admission team. They reviewed my profile and urged me to apply.

- Then I got in touch with admissions consultants (Admissionado) to help blend all my stories in and brand me.

- After I submitted my application, and before invites to interviews came out, I went to INSEAD again for an In-House Event ( I chatted with one AO, it was Stephanie Hanny) and said, “Hi, I just submitted my application, going to do the video thingy soon, any guidance? Also, just came to say hi and express my love for INSEAD! Please remember that when you review my profile”
- After that I just spent the rest of my time on GmatClub, in agony, exchanging with other R1s (most of whom are now my future classemates ), until the end!
That's about it.
If you have any question, don’t hesitate. And good luck everyone!

PS: just edited your first post by the way Souvik. Now you are good to go

This was a 100% my strategy too! Go for it! And good luck!

Hi Icecream87 thank you so much for contributing. Are you all geared up for the inauguration? I hear that the inauguration is basically a week of partying. What have you heard? I'd be curious to know about your interviewing experience as well. Were you switching careers and did that come up in your interview? I am asking this because a large part of the 2 year program pitch is to create experiences that make transitioning into a new career easier so I am curious to know your experiences.

Hi Icecream87 thank you so much for contributing. Are you all geared up for the inauguration? I hear that the inauguration is basically a week of partying. What have you heard? I'd be curious to know about your interviewing experience as well. Were you switching careers and did that come up in your interview? I am asking this because a large part of the 2 year program pitch is to create experiences that make transitioning into a new career easier so I am curious to know your experiences.

[redacted]

I have a small query.

I'm from India and my entire education has had English as the language of communication. I scored a 39 on my verbal in my GMAT. Will I have to take the IELTS test?

I have asked around and have had a mixed response and nothing conclusive. Even the INSEAD FAQs are not very clear about this.

Is there anyone here who can clarify this?

Hi Harshet,

If your university can provide a "Certificate of English as Medium of Instruction," you don't need to take additional exams such as IELTS.

More information on INSEAD's language policy can be seen below:
https://www.insead.edu/sites/default/fi ... cy2016.pdf

Hi,

Any idea when the application for Sept 2018 will come online?

Cheers!
SG

Hey, thanks for this.

I wrote a mail to INSEAD regarding the same. For the benefit of anyone who had a similar query, this was the reply I got - "If you have completed your university degree in India, you only need your transcript as proof as Admissions Team understands that English is the medium of instruction across all universities in India. Taking an English test is not necessary."

Glad I got that cleared up.

I think you can already register and begin uploading all your transcripts, filling in other details etc.The Admission process section mentioned the Essay topics are generally released 3 months before the R1 deadline, so I'm assuming we will have our essay topics 21st July (considering 21st Sep is the R1 deadline)

I am starting the brainstorming about INSEAD essays from last year. I am not in the best shape as I do not have formal international experience, although I have worked elaborately in international teams and often managed people from other countries.

I wonder how much do you underline that and how subtly you do it? I guess the job essays are the ways to do that, but wanted to know if anybody has attempted writing stuff so far? Last year, I feel this was my weakest point, and I want to be stronger this year. Unfortunately, motivation essays will not do well for me to showcase international stuff as most of that is just some Europe travel

Hi Souvik,
always consider the holistic approach of the adcom. A lot of candidates are very strong on all selection criteria and a relative weakness in just one of them can cause problems. You have still time to improve your international experiences.

I lived for 11 years outside my country and am fully proficient in 3 languages. I speak a fourth language but on a beginner level.
My international experience is quite extensive but there must have been another relative weak link in my application...

You can highlight international experience in a lot of different ways:
* my wife is from a different nationality; Maybe you have international friends?
* I completed a 3 year expat assignment in North America; worked on international assignments in Switzerland, Ex-Yougoslavia, Panama and Canada; and recently I got another international assignment outside my country; I have been working in another country for 6 years; Business trips included: UK, Canada, Roumania, Poland, Danmark etc.;
* I am a Chartered Accountant from ACCA (I am not a UK citizen) --> you can highlight studies abroad (refer to exchange programs etc);
* You can start to travel extensively and discover the world;
* You can participate in an international voluntary role? Friends of mine have been building houses and teaching English in Latin America; You can help during the summer months in the US National Parks etc.; Plenty of opportunities if you do some research and you can make it on a low budget;
* Foreign languages;
* Work experience: I work in a MNC. You can talk about corporate culture, the level of international assignments in your company (in my company quite extreme, especially at global HQ were I worked for 3 years). In big MNCs there is often a strong representation of 1 or multiple ethinicities. In my case we have a mix of Indian/Brazialian/Dutch/Belgian/French/Polish - shared service center/Roumania. You can think of major opperations of your company outside of your home country and think about interactions you have or could have with the local management teams/specialists etc.

Hope this gives you some food for thought!
All the best

Cheers

I would really not jump to conclusions that that was why you were dinged last time. It very well could have been that your strengths, in the application, were not articulated properly, which is what I see in 100% of the ding analysis I do.

At least you do have some type of ostensible International experience in the workplace, even though you've not necessarily lived and worked abroad. And I would just really try to maximize that and focus on what you've gained from that. What from that experience has motivated you to attend an international program?

On that one criteria, of course it might not necessarily be competitive with those who have spent 12 years living in another country or two or three of them, however this game is really about selection and not evaluation.

So often candidates are looking to be sufficient in all of the areas, but truly the admissions committees are looking for exceptional and not up to par, this isn't really about evaluating you to see if you're qualified. They are actually selecting people they think they are going to be dynamite!!

So what that really means here is that you should consider the other three criteria where you can impress them. In the area of academics that might be a foregone conclusion but I would put a lot of emphasis on articulating stories around leadership and also research your ability to contribute to the Insead community.

Also just keep in mind that it's International orientation not necessarily experience....it's a good idea to show how you share the values that one would need to have to be part of international program, how you value diversity and how that would impact your future goals. If you articulate all of these other points they actually will be able to look past the fact that you aren't the top of the heap in that one particular criteria.

All of that being said I do feel you're going to have a better shot at getting a fresh re-evaluation if you are to articulate some real upgrades in your career, improve scores, or increase your amount of international involvement. Something meaty. Yes I think they're becoming more warm to reapplicants but what Im mentioning is what I have heard from the horse's mouth and fairly recently. I haven't followed your particular situation but consider the above and make sure this is a good investment of your time. I would apply to LBS if you didn't last year, if you are interested in an international program.

https://MBAPrepCoach.COM

Hi @Sandeep8333 I just posted a pretty long entry that might be beneficial to you

https://MBAPrepCoach.COM

I realize that I'm late in replying here. I think this is a decent strategy but with a caveat.

Normally I really don't suggest that applicants throw their hand with one school, however if you have limited time and energy, yes, you might be better off. It's a huge application and establishing a good fit is a big part of what they're looking for.

And, INSEAD will be announcing Decisions by November 24th....so you have time to apply to other schools after that and still be in a competitive round 2 phase.. even though I'm really not that wild about Indians applying to round 2.

Please consider my following point.

If you have the ability to deck like a * heck of a lot* of time to your round 2 applications between November 24th and the next set of deadlines, this strategy will be okay. Otherwise it will not!

What I don't want for you to do is interview, submit your scholarship applications and just kind of kick back hoping for the best. Of course put all of your effort towards your dream school but then have a plan be locked and loaded and ready to implement as soon as you get your decision in late November.

Not everybody who interviews gets in. I'm not talking about my clients but people who come to me who've been waitlisted and dinged post interview, feeling confused and disillusioned. People tend to avoid a realistic attitude about this because they have a financial incentive to do so.

I hope that provides some food for thought !

https://MBAPrepCoach.COM