INSEAD Alumni - Q&A on INSEAD Experience and Admission Process

[Ippy]

Originally Posted by insead.alum07

Hi federal oshima,

INSEAD generally has an average workex of 5 years. Workex becomes an important factor if you are an Indian, male. For females, the workexp criteria is bit relaxed (as is true with every other b-school globally). But workexp is something that you cannot improve upon. Can you also indicate which field are you working in?

Your GMAT score is good and you probably do not need to worry about it too much. To improve upon your chances, I would suggest you to get yourself involved in some extra-curricular initiative that can demonstrate your leadership (this would help you in offsetting your lesser workexp). An important aspect is to show the impact of anything that you have done.

I would also suggest you to apply for Jan 2010 intake which would give you an opportunity to do an internship if you are a career changer.

hi INSEAD Alum,

I could not understand the concept of having Internship for Jan batch but not Sept Batch????? ........any reasons for not having same for sept batch???


Ippy

[vishalvivek]

Hi,

I am planning to apply for Jan 2009 session.
My profile is as below:

Indian
IT Exp 4.5 yrs by jan 2009 ( 6 months of intl exp as of now in Israel and USA)
Gmat 720
B.Tech from IIT Roorkee with 7.5 cgpa
Good extracurriculars
fair community service
will get good recos as well

Planning to shift to management consulting.

What are the chances at Insead for me ? Should i apply or wait ?

Regards,
Vivek

[insead.alum07]

Originally Posted by priyom

Hi insead.alum07,

Thanks for creating this thread...really appreciate it.

Could you please shed some more light on your profile like no of yrs of work ex, gmat, extra currics etc?
In terms of career shift, is it feasible to move into management consulting after working as a software developer for 4-5 years? Would you say working in Risk asessment helped you make the move?
I have around 3 years of exp as a Technology Consultant in a top tier MNC. What, if anything, would aid the transition to mgmt consulting?

Thanks in advance,
Priyom

Hi Priyom,

In terms of my profile, I had 5 years of workex before going to INSEAD. GMAT was 680 (which was sort of balanced by my strong undergrad and postgrad acads) and I had some impactful extra-curriculars (the keyword here is "impactful").

INSEAD is an excellent bschool if you want to move into consulting. The school has strong relationship with all top-tier consulting firms. However I should definitely add that just getting into INSEAD is not a passport to consulting. The environment is highly competitive. However I have seen people from different backgrounds getting into consulting. My own experience in risk management did not play any significant role (at least as far as I perceive it). So moving from IT to mgmt consulting is certainly possible.

You would realize once you go to a bschool that the only way to get into mgmt consulting is to demonstrate strong analytical skills, formulate structure and do well in cases. This is something you would need to practice and from the tools that you learn at a bschool, this process should become simpler.

Cheers

[insead.alum07]

Originally Posted by vishalvivek

Hi,

I am planning to apply for Jan 2009 session.
My profile is as below:

Indian
IT Exp 4.5 yrs by jan 2009 ( 6 months of intl exp as of now in Israel and USA)
Gmat 720
B.Tech from IIT Roorkee with 7.5 cgpa
Good extracurriculars
fair community service
will get good recos as well

Planning to shift to management consulting.

What are the chances at Insead for me ? Should i apply or wait ?

Regards,
Vivek

Hi Vivek,

You should certainly apply for Jan 09 intake. However I would also say that at least for INSEAD that longer the worex, the better are the chances for getting into. On the contrary, mgmt consulting firms (esp. the top tier ones) have common entry points for MBAs. So if you spend too much time working before MBA, you would not be able to reap any benefit of your longer workex in consulting.

Chances of getting into INSEAD (or for that matter any bschool) are relative to other applicants and not absolute in nature. What this means is that you may have a wonderful app package but if there are better applicants, then certainly your chances would hurt. So I would suggest that you should work on enhancing your strong points and try to create some unique aspect of your personality that you can demonstrate well in the essays.

Cheers

[insead.alum07]

Originally Posted by Ippy

hi INSEAD Alum,

I could not understand the concept of having Internship for Jan batch but not Sept Batch????? ........any reasons for not having same for sept batch???


Ippy

Hi Ippy

INSEAD has a 10 month curriculum split into five 2-months period. For Jan intake, the course ends in December which means you have 2 months of break. Many people utilize this to pursue internships and many others just travel or chill-out. In Sep. promotion, the course starts in Sep and ends in roughly 10 months (June), so there is no time for internship.

Cheers

[priyom]

Originally Posted by insead.alum07

Hi Priyom,

In terms of my profile, I had 5 years of workex before going to INSEAD. GMAT was 680 (which was sort of balanced by my strong undergrad and postgrad acads) and I had some impactful extra-curriculars (the keyword here is "impactful").

INSEAD is an excellent bschool if you want to move into consulting. The school has strong relationship with all top-tier consulting firms. However I should definitely add that just getting into INSEAD is not a passport to consulting. The environment is highly competitive. However I have seen people from different backgrounds getting into consulting. My own experience in risk management did not play any significant role (at least as far as I perceive it). So moving from IT to mgmt consulting is certainly possible.

You would realize once you go to a bschool that the only way to get into mgmt consulting is to demonstrate strong analytical skills, formulate structure and do well in cases. This is something you would need to practice and from the tools that you learn at a bschool, this process should become simpler.

Cheers

Hey,
Thanks for the info.

Could u shed some light on financial requirements for Insead.
What would the total cost/expenses (especially living expenses) for the entire course amount to?
The Insead website mentions that a no of scholarships are available, but what %age of students, especially Indians, do actually get the scholarships? What are the main criteria for the same?

Regards,
Priyom

[nidhi5_raj]

Hi

Many thanks for this novel effort.

I am an Indian female. 4.5 years by Jan2009, 740 GMAT, good and impactful extra-curriculars and average curricular ( 75% in BE). Am looking to apply for Jan 2009 intake

I have had an analysts’ role with top Indian IT firm. My questions relevant to INSEAD are as follows.

• Though at first glance I may look like your run-of-the-mill IT engineer from India, my roles have been very different. I have mostly worked in client-facing roles as an analyst. Is it worth mentioning this to make me ‘stand-out’ of the pool?
• I am currently in London on a work permit and also have a schengen visa now. Will a visit to the school prove useful in convincing the ad comm. Of my interest in the school? Is it advisable? If yes, what’s the procedure and how can I make the most of it?
• Third Language – as graduating from Insead strictly requires being proficient in a third language (English and native language apart), what steps could I possibly take now to be in a comfortable stage if admitted?Also, I know it’s a personal choice, but which language would you recommend going by the market trends?

Waiting and much obliged for your reply

Regards

Nidhi

[insead.alum07]

Originally Posted by priyom

Hey,
Thanks for the info.

Could u shed some light on financial requirements for Insead.
What would the total cost/expenses (especially living expenses) for the entire course amount to?
The Insead website mentions that a no of scholarships are available, but what %age of students, especially Indians, do actually get the scholarships? What are the main criteria for the same?

Regards,
Priyom

Hi Priyom,

The course fee for INSEAD is about Euro 50k. Apart from that you should expect to spend between 1000-1300 Euro per month on personal expenditure. In terms of loans, many of my friends from India have taken education loans offered by local Indian banks. INSEAD used to have a tie-up with HSBC, UK which is not active anymore.
A number of Indian applicants get scholarship (~about 25% of school fees). I wouldn't have the exact numbers though. Most of them are need-based because merit-based are highly limited in number. If you are planning to spend most of your time in Singapore, there is an Asia scholarship (can't remember the exact name) that covers almost 50% of fee. For Need-based schols, you just need to show your bank account info and write an essay to explain your situation.

Cheers

[insead.alum07]

Originally Posted by nidhi5_raj

Hi

Many thanks for this novel effort.

I am an Indian female. 4.5 years by Jan2009, 740 GMAT, good and impactful extra-curriculars and average curricular ( 75% in BE). Am looking to apply for Jan 2009 intake

I have had an analysts’ role with top Indian IT firm. My questions relevant to INSEAD are as follows.

• Though at first glance I may look like your run-of-the-mill IT engineer from India, my roles have been very different. I have mostly worked in client-facing roles as an analyst. Is it worth mentioning this to make me ‘stand-out’ of the pool?
• I am currently in London on a work permit and also have a schengen visa now. Will a visit to the school prove useful in convincing the ad comm. Of my interest in the school? Is it advisable? If yes, what’s the procedure and how can I make the most of it?
• Third Language – as graduating from Insead strictly requires being proficient in a third language (English and native language apart), what steps could I possibly take now to be in a comfortable stage if admitted?Also, I know it’s a personal choice, but which language would you recommend going by the market trends?

Waiting and much obliged for your reply

Regards

Nidhi

Hi Nidhi,

1.) Sure you should mention abt your client facing role and demonstrate how you added value to client.
2.) You can certainly visit the school. You should let MBA adcom know about your visit and ask them if you can meet some students. Generally MBA marketing organizes an event for applicants. However I am not sure abt the timing. Nonetheless, a school visit definitely gives you an opportunity to meet people and talk about their experiences (which is sort of important). You can highlight these things in essay. Actually I am not sure if anyone has done it before, but during your visit you can also ask the prof. if you can sit in for his/her class. I guess MBA operation can help you in that.
3.) For third-language, you can definitely start working on it now. Just take some private classes and sit for an exam which is recognized by INSEAD. Most of the people take French or Spanish (I took Spanish). Iin Singapore campus, some people also take Malay but wont recommend going for exotics such as Mandarin or Japanese.

Cheers

[KetanK]

Hi Insead.alum,

First of all thanks for running such an informational thread. I am sure this will be helpful to many who are planning to apply to Insead.

It seems by mistake you have missed answering my query. Can you please help me out with my queries.

Cheers
KK

Originally Posted by KetanK

Hi,

I am planning to apply for Jan 2009 intake. However, I have certain queries which I would be grateful if you can clarify.

First my profile:

Age:31

GMAT: 750
Work Ex: 7.5 yrs (will be 8.5 yrs by the time I join)
Industry: Banking (5 yrs) & IT Consulting (2.5 yrs).
Have held leadership positions at various levels
Community Service: Excellent
Academics: Decent

My queries are:

1) What %age of Insead students have work-ex of more than 8 yrs?
2) How is the placement scenario? Does all students gets placed with the job of their choice? Does the strength of 800 students pose a hurdle in getting everyone placed?
3) What about the placements of students with greater no. of work ex.? What sort of profile do they get? Do companies recruit them at senior level positions? (I have read that there are a few placements at Director level. Generally what is the %age as well as the profile of the students getting placed at Director level?
4) Is Insead open for second MBAs? What no. of Indians join Insead to do thier Second MBA?
5) Lastly, and esp. for people with greater no. of work ex., do you suggest that Insead will be a good choice over IMD or vice versa?

Regds
KK