Take INSEAD or wait for US schools?

Question

Hi all, I was offered INSEAD which is great but they want a decision and deposit from me by March 23 - a week before application decisions are due from the US R2 schools. What have others done in this situation? Anyway to delay INSEAD or accelerate the US schools?

cheetarah1980 · Answer

I have a R1 admit and am waiting on several R2 schools that I won't hear back from until after the deposit deadline. My advice is to make your deposit and simply be willing to forfeit it later should that be necessary.

Congrats on INSEAD.

Congrats on INSEAD.

sanjuro9 · Answer

cheetrah has the right advice. forfeiture of your deposit is a small price to pay considering your grand plans for a MBA and the overall costs related to the education.

epicfail · Answer

I'm waiting on Wharton, Stanford and MIT. I don't know that I would turn INSEAD down for any of them but it's hard to imagine making a decision without knowing my options. Forfeiting a deposit sounds crazy! Won't schools expedite a decision in these cases?

Posted from my mobile device

Posted from my mobile device

cheetarah1980 · Answer

No, they will not. You are not the only person in this situation and if they make an exception for you they will open the floodgates for these requests. Asking them to speed up their decision making process just for you could get you a fast no instead of a slower yes. It would make you seem very self-involved and entitled to ask for an expedited decision. You might be able to get INSEAD to give you an extension but once again it can come across as rude ("I don't want to pay you quite yet cause I'm waiting for something better to come along"). Schools know the deal and even if this isn't your exact thought process that's how it will be perceived.

You're about to spend over $100K for school. Potentially giving up $1K -$2K isn't a big deal in the grand scheme of things.

epicfail · Answer

How do you know they won't? Have you asked?

And it's ~8000 USD.

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Consulting2Finance · Answer

It's not an accident that the INSEAD deposit deadline is before the R2 decision dates. They want to lock you in as much as they can. They will not extend you payment date and other schools will not expedite your decision.

cheetarah1980 · Answer

Your analogies are killing me today. Ridiculous, yet very accurate.

DGGG · Answer

I'm in the same ship.. However, considering that Booth's decision is 2 days before INSEAD's payment deadline, which would you choose??

rasta · Answer

I've heard INSEAD don't offer extensions. I still findthe combo of INSEAD and 2 Yr US programs a tad strange. Which one's your backup? INSEAD or Booth?

nath99 · Answer

I am in the same boat, admit from INSEAD (R1) and waiting for few US schools (R2). INSEAD did give me a 1 week extension. In general I have heard that they are very generous and it worked for me. (I have already paid the ~8k deposit)

Everyone knows that you apply to multiple places and hopefully they will be generous with you as well.

If you had to choose between INSEAD vs Kellogg,Booth or MIT how would rank them?

nath99

Belyok · Answer

My 2 cents here:

1) INSEAD DOES give an extension on the deposit - at least the gave me one in R1 when I asked. It was a 2-week extension. I also know a candidate admitted from waitlist who'd already paid the deposit at another school and didn't have the money right away, so INSEAD provided that person with a long extension. I think it all depends on how you explain your request, and I guess if you tell them you're waiting for other schools' decisions, they might not give you the extension.

2) It's not correct to compare INSEAD to US schools as it all depends on your goals. I was admitted by INSEAD, MIT and Haas and most likely (90%) will choose INSEAD, because I'd like to study in a highly diverse class and settle in Asia or the EU upon graduation.

pritishbhaskar · Answer

what advice for someone considering 1 yr INSEAD and 1yr Kellogg? got through INSEAD but not sure if i want to head to font and give up evanston ...

Take INSEAD or wait for US schools?

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