Profile Evaluation for INSEAD

Question

Hello,

This is my first post here. I would really appreciate any comment on my profile. It’s a really long post (sorry). I included a lot of details because I don’t know anyone personally who can give me advice on this.

Profile 
- 33 Female (34 at target intake, Sep2022)
- Filipino

Education and GMAT 
- Undergrad is BS in Accountancy. Graduated with honors leadership awards.
- I completed the two-year coursework of Master’s in ASEAN Studies (online) and passed the comprehensive exam. I only need to finish the thesis to get the degree. This is a challenge for now because of the pandemic (unresponsive thesis advisers and lack of focus).
- Will take the GMAT in June and targeting a minimum 700 score

Profession and Work experience 
- CPA and CFA Charterholder
- 7+ years of full-time corporate experience from EY, Citibank, and a growing startup (all in the Philippines). My last corporate experience was as Head of Corporate Planning and Treasury for four years. I joined the company when it was a startup and helped in its successful IPO. I formed my department from the ground up, growing it from a one-man team to a group of over 10 professionals.
- I left my corporate job in 2016 to figure out what I really wanted to do. I became a digital nomad and ended up freelancing. I held a CFO role (virtual and fractional) for a startup hotel developer for three years. I’ve set up the Finance department and managed accountants and consultants in three countries for this role. I also worked on other freelance projects for clients in Asia, Europe, and the USA.

International Experience 
As a digital nomad, I lived in over 40 countries for the last five years, including 1 year in New Zealand, 3 months in Australia, 4 months in Georgia and Armenia, and 6 months in Europe.

Extracurricular Activities 
I volunteered around the world, mainly in smallholdings and farms (I dream of having an organic farm someday). When I was still in the corporate, I volunteer teaching kids in slums, orphanages, and our church. I volunteered in Cambodia and raised funds to cover one semester of expenses for the school.

Career goals/Post-MBA Plan 
I have a Dutch partner who is also a digital nomad. Even before the pandemic, we already decided that 2021 will be our last travel year and settle in the Netherlands. I want to get into a top consulting firm in the Netherlands as I plan to start my own consulting firm 10 years down the road.

Concerns/Questions 
1. My age – The admission committee always has reassuring words that they still consider older applicants, but I still can’t help feeling insecure about this.
2. I’m worried that my freelancing stint will be seen as a long career gap. I was not out of work, but I was also not working full-time for the last five years because I combined traveling, volunteering, and online Masters with my freelance jobs.
3. Will the non-completion of my Master’s degree be taken against me?
4. I’m anxious about not getting in as I don’t really have a Plan B. I feel that INSEAD is a perfect fit for me, and I don’t feel the urge to apply to any other B school.
5. Option to get back to corporate without MBA – Most people take the CFA after the MBA. It’s a recognized global certification, but I don’t think it’s enough to get me into a top consulting firm or a top company in NL. I don’t have international and investment banking experience.
6. I don't have the financial means to pay for an INSEAD MBA. If I don't get a scholarship, my plan is to loan most of the fees. Will it be worth getting in a lot of debt, in case?

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this. I’d love to hear what you think are my strengths and weaknesses and any recommendations.

GyanOne · Answer

Hi  KOB

Thanks for posting. At the outset, it's very refreshing to read about someone who is actually living the digital nomad life that Tim Ferris promised we all could live, but very few people actually do. Kudos on the courage to follow your dreams and live life on your own terms. Your overall profile is quite interesting - there is a good chunk of corporate experience there too, and of course, lots of international exposure. Here are our responses: 
1. It is not so much your age that is the key factor here, but your years of experience. With 7+ years in corporate roles in the Philippines, and 5+ years (though a bit on and off), you have over 12 years of experience. That may be a bit much for INSEAD's full-time MBA. You would need to clarify this point with INSEAD directly. In the past, they have pointed a few people at that level of experience to the Exec. MBA instead.
2. This will need to be seen basis when you were really working and when you were not. For example, if this was more like 10 months of work, and 2 months of travel, it should be largely fine. On the other hand, if it was more of a bunch of freelance assignments with no defined constant work timelines, it would be harder to prove you were working (in the traditional sense of the word) for all 5 years. 
3. Not really. Getting a Master's is your choice. It is neither a criterion to be competitive nor one to be eligible for INSEAD admissions. You could note the reasons why you couldn't get the degree done in your application. They seem quite valid. 
4. Given the fact that you are not the typical MBA applicant, we would advise that you do look at a few other options as well. IMD could be a possibility, for instance. You can still keep INSEAD as your top choice, but for reasons noted earlier, it may not be an easy path to the school. 
5. Would not advise getting the CFA certification right now.   Please also read this article on this topic  . Instead, we would suggest that you try applying directly to corporate roles, including looking up local offices of former employers, if possible. The pandemic has made the job situation quite challenging, so be flexible in accepting roles with relatively smaller companies or startups at this point. 
6. If you do get in to INSEAD, taking the loan would be worth it. A scholarship is possible, but not a given at your experience level and profile. Contact INSEAD first on eligibility, then take the GMAT, and then work on your MBA application plan.

Hope this helps. Feel free to come back with more questions as needed.

aarde11 · Answer

Thank you so much for your thorough reply. To clear my working experience, I was doing freelance projects continuously just not in a standard 40 hours/week capacity. Sometimes, I have a lot of projects that require me to work 60-80 hours in a week but sometimes it will be a slow week and I only need to render 5 hours of work to finish tasks. For no. 5, I already have the CFA certificate (passed all three levels of the exam). I just feel that despite that I still need to work on my CV more to land a good job in the Netherlands. Will the CFA certificate boost my INSEAD application?

Did you mention IMD because you think my profile has a higher chance of acceptance there or is it because their MBA program is the closest to INSEAD? Regarding the GMAT, do you think I should target a higher than 700 score?

GyanOne · Answer

Hi  KOB

Great! Glad that it helped.

- The CFA certificate is a big plus (even if you don't have the charter yet and have cleared L3). It can help you to find better opportunities. If you can (have the relevant experience), please get the charter too. The CFA certification will also boost your application to any business school, including INSEAD (if INSEAD gives you the go ahead to apply). 
- We mentioned IMD because it is a top European school very comparable to INSEAD. Also, IMD has been known to accept applicants with higher than traditional work experience. You should of course try and look at other B-schools as well. These are only two possibilities. For example, Netherlands has RSM. While ranked well below INSEAD/IMD, it may be a viable option if your objective is to look at jobs in the Netherlands only. 
- You should try and position your work experience in terms of projects than in terms of jobs. Working 40 hour weeks is not mandatory, but having a continuous stream of work to show in those intervening years will be important to establish continued employment.

Hope this helps. Feel free to come back with further questions or clarifications.

MBAandBeyond · Answer

Hi KOB , Thank you for sharing your profile. I must say you have an interesting profile. INSEAD is a great school when it comes to consulting a post-MBA goal. But by saying consulting is not going to work. You'll need to narrow things down to the consultancy industry, the firms you'd like to work with, and then aligning your long-term goals, and so on. Talking about your stats, what is your GPA? You will need to aim GMAT score of 720+ to maximize your chances. On the work front, your work experience is the highlighting part of your profile. Very impactful work experience, working in a startup and contributing its journey to get IPO. You will have to bring impactful stories from this journey. Great international exposure, you will need to share your experience working with different personalities as well as how you managed and enjoyed your digital nomad life. Including your personal life experience will help to diversify your profile. Your ECs are good as well. Your dream of owning an organic farm is truly one-of-a-kind and inspiring. Talking about it will create an interesting discussion between you and the adcoms. Answering your concerns: 1) Even if you're a little older applicant, you are not out of the running for 1-year European programs, which are more flexible. It's really not a concern. 2) It would not cause any problems because your freelance work will bring diversity to your academic profile. You'll need to justify why you quit your job and choose to freelance. Were you productive as a freelancer? You'll need to talk about the clients you work with, the campaigns you've worked on, and the impact you've had. Learning, challenging yourself, and leading to a better world is much more important. Speaking about all of this with enthusiasm would add a lot of value to your profile. 3) There are few questions to ask yourself first, does the degree you were working towards is aligning with your career goals? Is it necessary for your admission to INSEAD? If the answer is No, then it will not affect. Else you can explain why you could not complete your degree so that it should not create any problems afterward. 4) Not having a plan B comes with its own pros and cons. We can discuss that later. And I am glad to hear that you have this passion for INSEAD. You seem like a good fit for the schools, and I don't see your age as a roadblock. If everything done right, it can definitely help your candidature to the school. But neither you have plan B, nor you want to apply to any other school- it can be a risky situation. There are many top schools which can help you reach your destination, but you should have an open mind. Admissions are very uncertain, and you can not hedge all your bets on just one school. You may want to read the article on How to get into INSEAD to get some better insights. 5) You make sense. CFA is already a bridge to help you where you want to reach. But everyone's paths are different, and an MBA may make more sense for you to help you reach your destination. But, I obviously need to hear the full story before suggesting you any recourse. 6) I did my INSEAD MBA on loan. And I can assure you that it's cent percent worth it. The experience you will get is beyond the loan hardship. And with a good application, you can get a scholarship. If you need any direction/guidance over any aspect of your application and have any specific concerns, you can ask us on the forum Ask MBA & Beyond . I hope this helps. Overall you have a good profile. The most important thing about your application is how you link the dots and provide a compelling story to differentiate yourself from the other candidates in the pool. You will need to start early and take a couple of months just to brainstorm. We have an extensive content gathering process where we just spend hours brainstorming to set the story’s theme and narrative. If you’d like, we are happy to hop on a call with you sometime this week to discuss your profile in length and your further chances to b-school. Feel free to book a free session with us as per your convenience. Let’s maximize your chances in Round 1 for fall intake Cheers! Shantanu Sharma Founder and Admissions Consultant, MBA and Beyond Testimonials Email: shantanu@mbaandbeyond.com What s app: +65-97158525

bb · Answer

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