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13 Jan 2016, 18:00
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| FROM Insead Admissions Blog: Am I InSEAD? Or a Sense of Belonging |
So here we go, the first few days of the INSEAD MBA Programme are over, and it’s time to reflect on whether one did the right choice in joining the The Business School For the World. Am I truly InSEAD? But who am I actually? What are my dreams and objectives? What is the story of my life that brought me to the Amphi Doriot? What am I expecting from this year: a career promotion? Unforgettable chateau parties? The award of academic honours of the Dean’s List? The orientation week was thus utterly devoted to identifying our core values and aspirations. Each one of us was encouraged to follow one’s particular path, distinguish herself or himself and avoid “making a dream of the neighbour your own one”.  Wow. After having worked in Investment Banking for about four years it was the first time I was told that following my personal dream was considered a Key Success Factor. I was asked not to follow, but to lead. The objective of the MBA course was not to make outstanding consultants or M&A associates from us, but to help to define our utmost qualities and find each one’s Ikigai – the Reason for Being (find an occupation “which you love”, “which you are good at”, “which the world needs” and “which you can be paid for”). I had a warm feeling that I was really in the right place.  This sense of belonging was further enhanced by the diversity of my fellow colleagues. In spite of all international conflicts and unfairness in the world, INSEAD managed to resemble people who are eager to go beyond prejudices. Having lived in four countries and speaking five foreign languages, I was surprised by the variety of nationalities that students represented. The 16D class happened to be an amazing mix of Russian-speaking Israelis and US-educated Saudis, together with Taiwan-born Canadians and French Chinese. In order to boost cooperation, the class was divided into small study groups selected by a special algorithm that picked up “incompatible profiles”. It was a pleasure to see how my study group of Lebanese and Greek engineers, an Indian banker and a Jordanian consultant was handling the first task of creating an advert for sober driving!  And of course, parties. I definitely belong there, too . The season was opened by a 100+ festive meeting at Chateau Fleury, which is 14km away from Fontainebleau. Surprisingly, it’s not only free alcohol that motivated guys and girls from Ukraine, Pakistan, Spain, Singapore and many other countries to find a non-drinking student and come through the night forest by car. I realised that all of us were driven by the same values of achievement and natural curiosity towards the unknown. Each of us was eager to share his or her life story, drowning out the music. Although we barely knew each other, the feeling of belonging was there. We were all InSEAD. |
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13 Jan 2016, 18:01
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| FROM Insead Admissions Blog1: Am I InSEAD? Or a Sense of Belonging |
|
So here we go, the first few days of the INSEAD MBA Programme are over, and it’s time to reflect on whether one did the right choice in joining the The Business School For the World. Am I truly InSEAD? But who am I actually? What are my dreams and objectives? What is the story of my life that brought me to the Amphi Doriot? What am I expecting from this year: a career promotion? Unforgettable chateau parties? The award of academic honours of the Dean’s List? The orientation week was thus utterly devoted to identifying our core values and aspirations. Each one of us was encouraged to follow one’s particular path, distinguish herself or himself and avoid “making a dream of the neighbour your own one”. Wow. After having worked in Investment Banking for about four years it was the first time I was told that following my personal dream was considered a Key Success Factor. I was asked not to follow, but to lead. The objective of the MBA course was not to make outstanding consultants or M&A associates from us, but to help to define our utmost qualities and find each one’s Ikigai – the Reason for Being (find an occupation “which you love”, “which you are good at”, “which the world needs” and “which you can be paid for”). I had a warm feeling that I was really in the right place. This sense of belonging was further enhanced by the diversity of my fellow colleagues. In spite of all international conflicts and unfairness in the world, INSEAD managed to resemble people who are eager to go beyond prejudices. Having lived in four countries and speaking five foreign languages, I was surprised by the variety of nationalities that students represented. The 16D class happened to be an amazing mix of Russian-speaking Israelis and US-educated Saudis, together with Taiwan-born Canadians and French Chinese. In order to boost cooperation, the class was divided into small study groups selected by a special algorithm that picked up “incompatible profiles”. It was a pleasure to see how my study group of Lebanese and Greek engineers, an Indian banker and a Jordanian consultant was handling the first task of creating an advert for sober driving! And of course, parties. I definitely belong there, too . The season was opened by a 100+ festive meeting at Chateau Fleury, which is 14km away from Fontainebleau. Surprisingly, it’s not only free alcohol that motivated guys and girls from Ukraine, Pakistan, Spain, Singapore and many other countries to find a non-drinking student and come through the night forest by car. I realised that all of us were driven by the same values of achievement and natural curiosity towards the unknown. Each of us was eager to share his or her life story, drowning out the music. Although we barely knew each other, the feeling of belonging was there. We were all InSEAD. |
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it.
-BB
18 Jan 2016, 18:00
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| FROM Insead Admissions Blog: Leading up to the Start of Your MBA |
 Tick Tock… the clock was counting down and I was racing to finish packing my suitcases while also spending quality time with friends and family in Toronto, Canada before my flight to Singapore. I was scheduled to arrive in Singapore one week before classes start and just in time for New Year’s Eve to see the world-renowned firework celebrations. Through various channels of social media, I had a brief idea of fellow students who may be in Singapore for New Year’s Eve and for the week before classes but had no concrete plans by the time I landed in Singapore. Once I landed, I thought to myself, “I don’t even know anyone here, what am I going to do for a whole week?” Within a day, I met a handful of other students looking to start exploring the city. A student, whom I had never met before, even reached out to me and said “I’m in Singapore now, actually lived here for the past 7 years, let me know if you want to meet up before school starts and I can show you around the city”. I was extremely surprised, grateful, and truly began to feel part of the INSEAD family. Our classmate and expert volunteer tour guide showed another student and myself how the subway/metro system works, local shops and delicious cuisine, and gave us many other tips typically only known to locals. This kindness is what epitomizes the INSEAD family. In the days after this city tour, we had a number of student organized events including a dinner with over 100 students before our first day of orientation. Arriving early is a great way to get to know many of your classmates and to clear any administrative tasks (student visa, cell phone, bank accounts, etc.) before classes start. Once classes start, it’s a fun and exciting challenge! Remember to have a pre-matriculation strategy and to take some time off to recharge before starting your transformational MBA experience! Until Next Time, Aly Photo Source: Pixabay public domain (edited by Aly Madhavji) |
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it.
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