Should I go to INSEAD?

Question

Hi guys, I (28y, male) need to make a decision in the next 2 days and would like to get your opinions/advice.

Context:

I'm in MBB in Southeast Asia, will likely get a promotion to post-MBA role in the next 6 months regardless of whether I do the MBA. I used to be obsessed with getting an MBA when I was in college because I went to a no-name school and hence desired a prestigious school brand. I didn't get in HBS (dinged after interview) and GSB (no interview) and got an offer from INSEAD.

I'm debating whether to attend INSEAD. I didn't receive sponsorship but only some financial support from my firm, hence the cost is ~USD$90k - which I feel is quite steep for what I might get out of the MBA.

I kind of want to get a break from work (will go back to my firm afterwards), and the idea of going to Europe and relax for a year is appealing (I've never been to Europe) but I'm not sure how the experience will be in this COVID environment. I guess meeting people from different countries and mindset will help my personal growth - but I don't know if that will actually happen. Professionally, I don't know whether the INSEAD brand is valuable for me long-term (I want to end up in tech/entrepreneurship in SEA).

Overall, I guess I don't know if somewhere down the line, I would regret that I didn't do the MBA (for both personal and professional reasons).

Would appreciate any advice here!

DjayoezGMAT · Answer

Hi, I would advise you to take INSEAD. You can always go back to work in MBB or do entrepreneurship at any age. But getting a full-time MBA is now or never (as there is an age limit). Not to mention the prestigious brand stamp in your resume that will last forever. (Do not consider part-time or executive MBA as they are much less prestigious) FYI, I have a lot of friends who are successful founders in the fintech space, and they started the business after taking INSEAD

- INSEAD boasts a huge SEA alumni base and you can leverage them to find a cofounder or even an angel investor to kickstart your entrpreneurship journey. Good luck!

rvgmat12 · Answer

INSEAD is a great school. My recommendation would be to go for it.

Good luck

GyanOne · Answer

Hi  momenton

Congratulations for making it through the INSEAD MBA!

You should probably go for it. The long-term advantage of the INSEAD MBA will be substantial, especially in consulting. It may be even more valuable if you end up raising money for your tech venture later on. We doubt the INSEAD MBA will really be a 'break' from work though. It is a very intense experience.

AnonymousGuy · Answer

I don't agree that the Executive MBA is any less prestigious than the MBA itself - The same argument can be made for 1 year vs 2 years MBA programs.
In fact, I feel that the EMBA may be regarded to be better than an MBA.
Unlike the MBA, a good, upward career trajectory is vital to get into EMBA programs offered by the top business schools.

Using INSEAD as an example, it's EMBA students and graduates are mostly already in senior management positions and founders of startups / listed corporations.
The quality of the professors would also be more demanding for EMBA programs.
If networking is an important element in your decision to get an MBA, then networking with senior managers would make more sense than aspiring students.

In terms of the learning experiences, MBA students will learn the theories and models while EMBA students will challenge the effectives of these theories and models in practice.
With limited financial support, the school fees plus opportunity costs (for e.g. forgone salaries) will be pretty steep for you to take up the MBA option - I'll work on the ROI if I were you. 
Seeing that you are from MBB, you should already be termed as prestige. If its a break you want, better to take sabbatical leaves than to take up a MBA program.

bb · Answer

Should I go to INSEAD?

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