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Waitlist for INSEAD MBA Sept 2019

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Hideto

Joined: 30 Oct 2018

Last visit: 24 May 2021

Posts: 143

Own Kudos:

[1]

Given Kudos: 64

Location: Singapore

Schools: Insead Sept19 Intake (WA)

GMAT 1: 750 Q50 V40 Verified score

Schools: Insead Sept19 Intake (WA)

GMAT 1: 750 Q50 V40 Verified score

Posts: 143

Kudos: 67

[1]

24 Jan 2019, 22:14

Kudos

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Hi all, setting this up for all waitlisted candidates for Class of 20J. Good luck everyone!

Resources for Waitlisted Applicants

Waitlist Guide
Waitlisted in round 2? Here's how you should proceed.
Waitlist Admissions Tips

Archived INSEAD Discussion

Hi there,

You've stumbled upon an old discussion from our INSEAD Forum that's now outdated and has been archived. No more replies are possible here.

Interested in current discussions? Feel free to dive into our dedicated INSEAD Forum for all fresh things related to the INSEAD MBA program.

Thank you for understanding, and happy exploring!

Mfon

Joined: 17 Jul 2017

Last visit: 05 Jul 2019

Posts: 12

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Location: Nigeria

Schools: IE Jan19 Intake (WD) Oxford"20 (A) INSEAD Jan '19 (D)

GMAT 1: 680 Q44 V39 Verified score

GPA: 3.36

Schools: IE Jan19 Intake (WD) Oxford"20 (A) INSEAD Jan '19 (D)

GMAT 1: 680 Q44 V39 Verified score

Posts: 12

Kudos: 1

25 Jan 2019, 01:19

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Hi,

Were you given a reason for being placed on the waitlist?

Hideto

Hi all, setting this up for all waitlisted candidates for Class of 20J. Good luck everyone!

maxiaolialvis

Joined: 07 Nov 2018

Last visit: 18 May 2019

Posts: 6

Location: Hong Kong

Schools: Sloan '21 (D) CBS '21 LBS '21 Insead Sept19 Intake (WA)

GPA: 3.78

Schools: Sloan '21 (D) CBS '21 LBS '21 Insead Sept19 Intake (WA)

Posts: 6

Kudos: 0

25 Jan 2019, 02:34

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WL is the only reason given...

europembayeah

Joined: 23 Apr 2018

Last visit: 10 May 2019

Posts: 10

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Given Kudos: 3

Schools: Insead Sept19 Intake (WA)

Posts: 10

Kudos: 3

25 Jan 2019, 03:38

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WL+1

Posted from my mobile device

rasithaw

Joined: 12 Sep 2016

Last visit: 25 Jun 2019

Posts: 17

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Given Kudos: 1

Location: Canada

Schools: Insead Sept19 Intake (WA)

GRE 1: Q168 V162 Verified score

GPA: 3.55

Schools: Insead Sept19 Intake (WA)

GRE 1: Q168 V162 Verified score

Posts: 17

Kudos: 2

25 Jan 2019, 07:29

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I don't think they give reasons. Do you guys wanna compare profiles?

Mine is;

Sri Lankan
GRE: 330 (~GMAT 740)
GPA: 3.74/4.2
Worked/Studied in: Sri Lanka, Singapore, France, Canada (current)
Extra Curr: Started a speech club, led a CSR project, Promoted within two years
Current Industry: IT Consulting
Target Industry: Mgt. Consulting

Hideto

Joined: 30 Oct 2018

Last visit: 24 May 2021

Posts: 143

Own Kudos:

[1]

Given Kudos: 64

Location: Singapore

Schools: Insead Sept19 Intake (WA)

GMAT 1: 750 Q50 V40 Verified score

Schools: Insead Sept19 Intake (WA)

GMAT 1: 750 Q50 V40 Verified score

Posts: 143

Kudos: 67

[1]

28 Jan 2019, 18:08

Kudos

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Hi all,

FYI, two R1 waitlisted candidates were offered a place during R2 decisions so let’s keep our heads up!

Posted from my mobile device

Hideto

Joined: 30 Oct 2018

Last visit: 24 May 2021

Posts: 143

Own Kudos:

Given Kudos: 64

Location: Singapore

Schools: Insead Sept19 Intake (WA)

GMAT 1: 750 Q50 V40 Verified score

Schools: Insead Sept19 Intake (WA)

GMAT 1: 750 Q50 V40 Verified score

Posts: 143

Kudos: 67

06 Feb 2019, 01:30

Kudos

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Hi everyone,

It has been a tough two weeks for all of us I am sure. Hope all of you are still doing fine!

Just a heads-up that the R2 deposits will be due in another two weeks so there might be some movement off the WL at the end of February. Let's keep each other updated on this thread and fingers crossed that all of us will get to hear some positive news from +33 soon!

chickpig

Joined: 06 Oct 2018

Last visit: 31 Jul 2020

Posts: 21

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Given Kudos: 3

Location: Singapore

Concentration: Strategy, General Management

Schools: Insead Sept19 Intake (M) HBS '21 (D) Wharton '21 (D) Stanford '21 (D)

GPA: 3.7

Schools: Insead Sept19 Intake (M) HBS '21 (D) Wharton '21 (D) Stanford '21 (D)

Posts: 21

Kudos: 7

10 Feb 2019, 01:17

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Just a suggestion/thought to the R2 Sep 2019 intake waitlisters at this juncture.

It might also be worth considering the R1 Jan 2020 intake, since the deadline is coming soon on 20 Feb. For some, perhaps getting considered at R1 stage might make a difference.

Have any of you tried asking your AO about being considered as part of the R1 Jan 2020 application pool?

Hideto

Joined: 30 Oct 2018

Last visit: 24 May 2021

Posts: 143

Own Kudos:

Given Kudos: 64

Location: Singapore

Schools: Insead Sept19 Intake (WA)

GMAT 1: 750 Q50 V40 Verified score

Schools: Insead Sept19 Intake (WA)

GMAT 1: 750 Q50 V40 Verified score

Posts: 143

Kudos: 67

10 Feb 2019, 01:44

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chickpig

Hi chickpig,

Thank you for chiming in. Good to hear from you and congratulations again for successfully making it out of the R1 waitlist!

I am extremely keen to be part of the September intake so I probably won’t be taking that option at the moment. I remain optimistic and still hold out hope that the +33 acceptance call will come through over the next few weeks / months.

It might be a plausible option for waitlisted candidates who are flexible on the course start date but as I am no expert on this, the gurus might be in a better position to advise on this. In my opinion, I think it might be a bit too early to do so since we only got the waitlist notification about two weeks ago.

Cheers!

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Santaborg

Joined: 09 Feb 2017

Last visit: 09 Oct 2020

Posts: 11

Given Kudos: 16

Location: India

Schools: HEC Jan20 Intake (A) HEC '22 (A) Johnson '22 (WL) Kenan-Flagler '22 (WL)

GMAT 1: 720 Q49 V38 Verified score

GPA: 3

Schools: HEC Jan20 Intake (A) HEC '22 (A) Johnson '22 (WL) Kenan-Flagler '22 (WL)

GMAT 1: 720 Q49 V38 Verified score

Posts: 11

Kudos: 0

18 Feb 2019, 01:02

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When do you think the R2 admits finalize their decisions/ deposits? Any idea?

I have been on the waitlist since November (R1). This wait is so painful.

So i updated my AO (twice) and asked her about the waitlist procedure (the first time). She told me that the reason for me being on the WL is not due to any shortcomings but rather due to the diversity requirements for the class structure. A decision can be made any time between now and beginning of the course. There's no WL number or queue.

Vague reply.

So based on this year's WL movement (which does not follow last year's trends AT ALL) i believe the most likely date of movement would be either deposit deadlines for R2 or decisions for the next round.

Any thoughts?

Hideto

Joined: 30 Oct 2018

Last visit: 24 May 2021

Posts: 143

Own Kudos:

Given Kudos: 64

Location: Singapore

Schools: Insead Sept19 Intake (WA)

GMAT 1: 750 Q50 V40 Verified score

Schools: Insead Sept19 Intake (WA)

GMAT 1: 750 Q50 V40 Verified score

Posts: 143

Kudos: 67

18 Feb 2019, 01:12

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Santaborg

Hi Santaborg,

I have spoken with some of the R2 admits and I can confirm that the deposit deadlines for most R2 candidates are in End-Feb. I was initially expecting it to be this week since it has been 4 weeks since R2 Decisions.

I believe you are right to say that the most likely date of movement would be during the period of R2 deposit deadlines (End-Feb) or R3 Decisions (latest 15th March). 2 of the R1 waitlisted candidates heard back during R2 Decisions so stay optimistic Santaborg!

MBAPrepCoach

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18 Feb 2019, 02:01

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Santaborg are you Asian or Indian by chance? In that case they really are hoping to achieve diversity and that means they will put you on hold, to see what else the rounds bring.

It doesn't seem very fair but they only have so many spots available for people from those ethnicities and together represent probably the majority of the application pool.

The quality of the experience you will receive there is determined by the diversity of the people in that class, if you were to walk into that class and it was only Asians and Indians then what they have to sell would be of lesser quality. And so for that reason they need to be extremely judicious and have a quota frankly on how many people of that type of profile they will allow.

What they are signaling is we like your profile but we'd like to date other people before making a commitment. And I would suggest to you that you continue to date other people as well LOL.

Put in other applications at other schools like HEC or other similar programs that have January batch intake so that you're not sitting waiting wringing your hands waiting for the phone to ring. Which is not a very empowering place and it's really unnecessary because creating options for yourself is the absolute best way to get through this. Worrying or pinning all hopes on one school will not get you accepted it's a fact.

Create options for yourself that will improve your bargaining position.

I do think that there's going to be some movement after the R2 deposit deadline comes up, they will reconvene at that point and take a look at who they have on the waitlist but I will tell you there's a good chance that you will have to keep waiting. It's likely they will accept people on the waitlist who are more diverse.

They meet every month make decisions, just continue to say that you are willing to have them keep you on the waitlist if that's your inclination.

Also please stop updating them. I recommend that people put together as one big update letter together with their strongest points and something that leads the whole memorandum that has some significance. That could be more International scope in your job, or work project that is very International or puts you in a position of leadership, a promotion, some type of test score changed, or additional leadership in your community service profile. Like becoming part of a board or something like that.

But if you update them with things that are not so material they will stop listening to you and just perceive you as someone who is desperate and has poor judgment. So please take that to heart.

Yes you can update them but if they are telling you to stop updating then it might be your updates are not adding value.

If you are overrepresented you might seriously consider doing some things that would separate you from your peer group.

So if you are Indian then we'll do some of the hobbies that you engage in that might separate you? Not Cricket LOL. something that might be interesting for your fellow colleagues. They want to make sure that your presence is going to be very enriching for those around you.

So consider what can you bring to the school that nobody else could? What is the perspective that you have that nobody else would have? What kind of background do you have that no one else does? This is how you rise to the top of the pack of people in your profile group.

https://mbaprepcoach.com

Santaborg

Joined: 09 Feb 2017

Last visit: 09 Oct 2020

Posts: 11

Given Kudos: 16

Location: India

Schools: HEC Jan20 Intake (A) HEC '22 (A) Johnson '22 (WL) Kenan-Flagler '22 (WL)

GMAT 1: 720 Q49 V38 Verified score

GPA: 3

Schools: HEC Jan20 Intake (A) HEC '22 (A) Johnson '22 (WL) Kenan-Flagler '22 (WL)

GMAT 1: 720 Q49 V38 Verified score

Posts: 11

Kudos: 0

18 Feb 2019, 03:59

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MBAPrepCoach

Loved the dating analogy.

Yes I am an Indian and i do happen to have a lot of extra curriculars that i have highlighted in my app. I hate Cricket. My work experience is pretty diverse when it comes to industries and international locations. My area of expertise is cyber security strategy. I know that my GMAT is sub-par at 720 but thats the most i can do.

I didnt bombard them with updates actually. Only sent 2. One in December and one last week. My first update was academic-related, a PG Diploma that i started while simultaneously working at my current job, and the other update was a reward i received for a recent development at an international client.

Thank you for your advice. I am thinking of applying to other schools that have January intake. Lets see how that goes

MBAPrepCoach

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18 Feb 2019, 04:11

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Santaborg

MBAPrepCoach

Okay so what's happening here is they like your profile but they want to see if they can find somebody who has an equal or better profile with also a more competitive test score.

Is that event I would honestly, you're going to hate to hear this but really consider trying to get your GMAT up....used to be a verbal tutor for 18 years I know the power of getting one-on-one help. In any area of your life if something isn't working you change what you do and this is no different

720 isn't the best you can do it's the best you have done, and I will be honest I think you need 20 extra points to be more competitive. Being waitlisted is often a strong hint to retake the GMAT.

Sounds like you have an interesting profile that would really be valued at other January batch schools. Obviously at HEC at 720 would be quite on the money with their average being 690. IE, IMD. I would recommend you put in your applications there within the next month to six weeks or so for January intake.

https://mbaprepcoach.com

Hideto

Joined: 30 Oct 2018

Last visit: 24 May 2021

Posts: 143

Own Kudos:

[2]

Given Kudos: 64

Location: Singapore

Schools: Insead Sept19 Intake (WA)

GMAT 1: 750 Q50 V40 Verified score

Schools: Insead Sept19 Intake (WA)

GMAT 1: 750 Q50 V40 Verified score

Posts: 143

Kudos: 67

[2]

26 Feb 2019, 08:06

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Hi all,

Round 2 candidates are expected to pay their deposits this week and I remain hopeful that some of us will be able to get off the waitlist in the coming weeks.

Let’s keep each other updated and I sincerely hope that we hear from our AOs soon. Good luck everyone!

Posted from my mobile device

Hideto

Joined: 30 Oct 2018

Last visit: 24 May 2021

Posts: 143

Own Kudos:

[1]

Given Kudos: 64

Location: Singapore

Schools: Insead Sept19 Intake (WA)

GMAT 1: 750 Q50 V40 Verified score

Schools: Insead Sept19 Intake (WA)

GMAT 1: 750 Q50 V40 Verified score

Posts: 143

Kudos: 67

[1]

06 Mar 2019, 21:52

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Hi all,

Just a reminder that next week is Decision Week for Round 3 applicants! Hence, this week will be a good time for you to send in an update letter if you would like to inform the Admissions Committee of any significant progression you have made since R2 submission till now.

Cheers all!

chickpig

Joined: 06 Oct 2018

Last visit: 31 Jul 2020

Posts: 21

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Given Kudos: 3

Location: Singapore

Concentration: Strategy, General Management

Schools: Insead Sept19 Intake (M) HBS '21 (D) Wharton '21 (D) Stanford '21 (D)

GPA: 3.7

Schools: Insead Sept19 Intake (M) HBS '21 (D) Wharton '21 (D) Stanford '21 (D)

Posts: 21

Kudos: 7

09 Mar 2019, 21:37

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Good luck and all the best! There should be some movement in the coming week!

strjd

Joined: 15 Oct 2009

Last visit: 14 Jun 2019

Posts: 9

Kudos: 0

12 Mar 2019, 04:20

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R3 applicant and I've been waitlisted:-

700 GMAT (V44 Q42)
Start-up founder
Background in market finance
UK based

Thought I had done enough as my interviews went pretty well. Difficult situation for me planning wise but I guess I'm going to have to accept the situation. Do you guys think a GMAT retake would be worth it?

Hideto

Joined: 30 Oct 2018

Last visit: 24 May 2021

Posts: 143

Own Kudos:

Given Kudos: 64

Location: Singapore

Schools: Insead Sept19 Intake (WA)

GMAT 1: 750 Q50 V40 Verified score

Schools: Insead Sept19 Intake (WA)

GMAT 1: 750 Q50 V40 Verified score

Posts: 143

Kudos: 67

12 Mar 2019, 07:29

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strjd

Hi strjd,

Sorry to hear that you have been waitlisted as well! It is definitely not the end of the road so stay optimistic and remain positive!

I refer to the following reply from INSEADadmissions: https://gmatclub.com/forum/ask-insead-a ... 2#p1449986

The INSEAD website also mentions the following:

“While we do not have a minimum score required for admission, we advise candidates to aim for a score at or above the 70th-75th percentile for both the quantitative and verbal sections of the GMAT. For the Integrated Reasoning section, we recommend achieving a score of 6 or above. Please keep in mind, however, that standardised tests are just one of several admissions criteria. A high score does not guarantee admission, and a below average score does not eliminate a candidate.”

Hence, retaking the GMAT and ramping up the Quant score might be useful in your case. Hope this helps!

Posted from my mobile device

Hideto

Joined: 30 Oct 2018

Last visit: 24 May 2021

Posts: 143

Own Kudos:

Given Kudos: 64

Location: Singapore

Schools: Insead Sept19 Intake (WA)

GMAT 1: 750 Q50 V40 Verified score

Schools: Insead Sept19 Intake (WA)

GMAT 1: 750 Q50 V40 Verified score

Posts: 143

Kudos: 67

13 Mar 2019, 02:07

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Hi all,

Has any R2 waitlisted candidates heard back from your AO? It will be greatly helpful if we can keep each other informed of any movement on the waitlist.

Cheers!