Here
I discuss INSEAD's essays for
September (Class of July 2013) 2012 intake and the January (Class of December 2013) 2013 intake. The questions are taken
from the PDF. INSEAD changed the essays for the first time in many years. In
2011, INSEAD changed the essays for the first time in many years. The
deadlines for September 2012 and January 2013, can be found here. As of January 30, 2012, the deadlines for the September 2013 intake are not yet on the INSEAD website.
Over
the years, I have had an opportunity to work with a large number of
clients admitted to INSEAD. I have had 5 client admitted for 2012 so
far, 6 clients admitted for 2011, 3 for 2010, 2 for 2009, and 2 for
2008. Testimonials from clients admitted to INSEAD can also be found here.
In September 2011, I visited the Singapore campus. My report can be found here.
The INSEAD application, which a PDF based thing is a bit different from most other business school's online applications. No resume is required, so providing as complete an answer to all application form questions is especially important.
In September 2011, I visited the Singapore campus. My report can be found here.
The INSEAD application, which a PDF based thing is a bit different from most other business school's online applications. No resume is required, so providing as complete an answer to all application form questions is especially important.
Job Related Essays
A
core substitute for the resume are the job related essays, which give
applicants an opportunity to explain and analyze their professional
experience. As the questions are concerned with the applicant's
professional experience, I think the following from my interview with Deborah Riger, who was the INSEAD MBA Programme's Assistant Director of Marketing at the time of the interview should be kept in mind:
"ADAM:
Regarding professional experience, what to do you look for in younger
(very early twenties) and older (late twenties or thirties) applicants?
DEBORAH:
For all applicants we want to see a track record of professional
accomplishments that sets them apart from their peers. For those with
only 1-2 years of professional experience, they must demonstrate
something distinctive in their profile, perhaps they have started their
own company. I would suggest, it is in the benefit of all younger
applicants to work for a minimum of two years before applying to
business school as they will get more out of the programme if they have
experiences to reflect back on. For older applicants, we are looking
for a strong professional track record and clear goals toward career
change or advancement. If an older applicant has been in the same role
for five years that might not demonstrate potential for growth, overall
ambition or success relative to his/her peers."
Based
on my experience with INSEAD applicants, the above statement from
Deborah is completely accurate. INSEAD is relatively forgiving of
those with limited (1-2 years) of professional experience as long as
there is something distinctive about their background, but for most
applicants, INSEAD is expecting to see a clear pattern of career
growth. While INSEAD can actually be quite flexible about the level of
international experience that an applicant has, when it comes to those
with 3-10+ years of experience, career growth really matters.
Deborah's comment about applicants in the same position for five years
is also really telling as it points to the fact that INSEAD is looking
for applicants who are not complacent. Keep in mind that an INSEAD
admission committee consists of faculty and alumni and the later, in
particular, are likely to have clear expectations of what good career
growth looks like.
I
think it is also important to keep in mind that a business background
is not a necessity for admission to INSEAD, but that good professional
experience is. See here.
Based on my experience working with clients coming from a variety of
professions, I can say that having a non-business, but solid
professional career, can be a real advantage.
As
I already mentioned, keep in mind that INSEAD does not require a CV or
resume. Therefore these job essays below are critical pieces of the
application. As you will see, the INSEAD application has relatively
limited space to discuss your past experience in typical resume style.
You should consider that these essays will really provide INSEAD with
their primary interpretation of your career.
1.
Briefly
summarise your current (or most recent) job, including the nature of
work, major responsibilities, and, where relevant, employees under your
supervision, size of budget, clients/ products and results achieved.
(250 words maximum)
This
is a very straightforward question for most applicants. For those who
are unemployed, I suggest you write about your last position held.
You want to focus on both major responsibilities and major results. Since
results (accomplishments) are likely to be specifically connected to
responsibilities, I would prioritize them in your description. I
think for many applicants, the easiest way to organize this essay will
be in terms of discussing their 2-4 most important results and/or
responsibilities. Here is one possible organizational scheme.
1. Brief introduction indicating the nature of the position and employer. 50 words.
2. Most important responsibility that lead to a result. 50-100 words.
3-5. Subsequent responsibilities-results. 25-100 words.
The
Details: If you don't have employees working during under your
supervision, you should still indicate any project-based and/or
team-based leadership. As with a resume or CV include any numbers that
will help INSEAD understand the extent of your results or
responsibilities. Even approximate quantification is better than no
quantification if it helps to positively showcase your career.
Keep
in mind that you should be focused on your job, not on your
personality. Interpret your job, don't just summarize it. Explain why
the work you do is significant.
2.
Please give us a full description of your career since graduating from
university. If you were to remain with your present employer, what
would be your next step in terms of position? (250 words)
This essay should be a growth story.
If it is not a story that shows how your career has positively
evolved, it is unlikely to be very effective. You might be unemployed
at the moment, but what has been the trajectory so far? Did you take a
big risk along the way? Point that out. We each have our career ups
and downs, especially anyone who has taken risks. Don't shy away from
discussing the risks, but the overall focus of this essay should be
positive. In my experience, INSEAD rewards those who take risks and
does not look kindly on those that stay in the same position for five
years or more. Change or become boring! If you have been working in
the same position for five years or more, you will need to really show
how you have demonstrated growth in terms of results or
responsibilities, which would have been primarily discussed in Job
Essay 1.
In
terms of organizing this essay, think about the key turning points in
your career. Help INSEAD understand how you have evolved
professionally. Assume that you are being judged critically and
consider how to both effectively and honestly present your career.
The
final part of this question is what I would call an "opportunity cost"
question, in other words, by going to INSEAD, you will be sacrificing
the opportunity to take the next step at your current employer. If you
are unemployed, the way to handle this question is to discuss the kind
of position you would obtain if you were not seeking an MBA. For
everyone else, I think you should be realistic, but also present the
best possible version of your next position, which will show that you
are seeking an MBA to move beyond what would follow without it. A bad
answer to this question would involve identifying a next step that is
the same as the short term goal you discuss later in Essay 4 because
this would undermine much of the value of obtaining an MBA. I think
INSEAD asks this question not only to determine whether you have a clear
sense of your career trajectory, but also to confirm that you have
thought deeply about what you are sacrificing by pursuing an MBA. Given
the need to analyze your entire career development, for most
applicants, I would suggest providing a brief (50 words or less) answer
to this part of the question.
3.
If you are currently not working, what are you doing and what do you
plan to do until you start the MBA programme? (250 words maximum)
This
is the only completely new question on the INSEAD application. It is a
good addition as there was no place other than optional essay for
applicants who are not working to discuss their situation. I think it
is critical to provide a honest answer to the question and one that
hopefully shows that you are using your time well. Possible topics to
discuss:
1. Learning activities (NOT APPLICATION PREP PLEASE! That would be really weak)
2. Language learning
3. Internships
4. Volunteer activities
5. Travel
1. Learning activities (NOT APPLICATION PREP PLEASE! That would be really weak)
2. Language learning
3. Internships
4. Volunteer activities
5. Travel
The Essays
THE WORD COUNTS ARE NOW LISTED WITH MAXIMUMS. This a change from prior years were approximate counts were given.
1.
Give a candid description of yourself, stressing the personal
characteristics you feel to be your strengths and weaknesses and the
main factors, which have influenced your personal development, giving
examples when necessary. (600 words maximum)
With
a question like this I think it is important to understand that you
are actually being asked to think about your strengths and weaknesses
in terms of your overall personality and development. What is
important here is provide both an analysis about specific
characteristics of yourself and to help admissions understand who you are. YOU NEED TO TELL A COMPELLING STORY ABOUT WHO YOU ARE AS A PERSON! I put this in bold because I get far too many essays from my clients that end up focusing on professional content, that don't focus on personality and personal background, or are otherwise not really effective portraits. When I get such initial drafts, I usually either write really long comments or have a conversation with my client restating my analysis here.
Think of this essay as a highly focused portrait of yourself that will give admissions great insight into your life story and your characteristics (strengths and weaknesses). The most effective answers here consistently combine revealing parts of the applicant's personality and background while discussing strengths and weaknesses.
Obviously the strengths and weaknesses should be ones that relate to your character, not to a skill set. Given the word count, I suggest focusing on no more than about two strengths and two weaknesses. I would try to give fairly equal consideration to both weaknesses and strengths.
EMBRACE WEAKNESS!
I find that many applicants resist writing about their own weaknesses, yet to do so reveals self-awareness and maturity. While I think it is necessary to practice good judgment when writing about weakness, I think it is also important that you provide something beyond the routine.
One standard defensive strategy that many applicants seem drawn to is to write about knowledge or skill areas where they are weak, but this is not suitable for INSEAD's question because they want you to stress personal characteristics.
STRENGTHS
Compared to weaknesses, strengths are easier for most people to write about. Given the limited space here, you might find it helpful to write about a strength here that is discussed in greater detail in another essay. In other words, you might discuss the origins of one your key strengths and trace its connection to your personal or professional accomplishments.
IS IT A GOOD STRENGTH OR WEAKNESS?
Some questions to ask yourself:
1. Does the strength demonstrate one's potential for future academic and/or professional success? If so it is a probably a good topic. If not, why does INSEAD need to know about it?
2. Is a weakness fixable? If you are writing about a weakness that cannot be improved upon through your program at INSEAD, why do they need to know about it?
3. If your strength or weakness is not related to leadership, why does INSEAD need to know about it?
Finally, if you are having difficulty thinking about your strengths and weaknesses in relation to your future academic and professional goals, please see my analysis of Essay 4 because in it I discuss how to think about strengths and weaknesses in relation to goals.
Think of this essay as a highly focused portrait of yourself that will give admissions great insight into your life story and your characteristics (strengths and weaknesses). The most effective answers here consistently combine revealing parts of the applicant's personality and background while discussing strengths and weaknesses.
Obviously the strengths and weaknesses should be ones that relate to your character, not to a skill set. Given the word count, I suggest focusing on no more than about two strengths and two weaknesses. I would try to give fairly equal consideration to both weaknesses and strengths.
EMBRACE WEAKNESS!
I find that many applicants resist writing about their own weaknesses, yet to do so reveals self-awareness and maturity. While I think it is necessary to practice good judgment when writing about weakness, I think it is also important that you provide something beyond the routine.
One standard defensive strategy that many applicants seem drawn to is to write about knowledge or skill areas where they are weak, but this is not suitable for INSEAD's question because they want you to stress personal characteristics.
STRENGTHS
Compared to weaknesses, strengths are easier for most people to write about. Given the limited space here, you might find it helpful to write about a strength here that is discussed in greater detail in another essay. In other words, you might discuss the origins of one your key strengths and trace its connection to your personal or professional accomplishments.
IS IT A GOOD STRENGTH OR WEAKNESS?
Some questions to ask yourself:
1. Does the strength demonstrate one's potential for future academic and/or professional success? If so it is a probably a good topic. If not, why does INSEAD need to know about it?
2. Is a weakness fixable? If you are writing about a weakness that cannot be improved upon through your program at INSEAD, why do they need to know about it?
3. If your strength or weakness is not related to leadership, why does INSEAD need to know about it?
Finally, if you are having difficulty thinking about your strengths and weaknesses in relation to your future academic and professional goals, please see my analysis of Essay 4 because in it I discuss how to think about strengths and weaknesses in relation to goals.
2. Describe what you believe to be your two most substantial accomplishments (if possible specify one personal and one professional, to date, explaining why you view them as such. (400 words maximum)
Since INSEAD is now asking that, if possible, you make one of your accomplishments one personal and one professional, I strongly advise that you do that.
Since INSEAD is now asking that, if possible, you make one of your accomplishments one personal and one professional, I strongly advise that you do that.
Some key things to keep in mind when answering this question:
-Accomplishments reveal your potential to succeed at INSEAD and afterwords.
-Accomplishments reveal your potential for contributing to your classmates.
-Everyone has had accomplishments, so it is easy to compare applicants.
-What you consider to be an accomplishment are real tests of your self-awareness and judgment.
The following grid is the kind I have used successfully with applicants preparing this question:
(CLICK TO ENLARGE. )
How to use this grid for outlining your answer to Question 1:
Row 1: "Stories." The first thing you need to do is think of the accomplishments. These will eventually take the form of stories, so that is what I call them. A few things to keep in mind:
How to use this grid for outlining your answer to Question 1:
Row 1: "Stories." The first thing you need to do is think of the accomplishments. These will eventually take the form of stories, so that is what I call them. A few things to keep in mind:
- Your accomplishments maybe personal, professional, or academic.
- While it is very important that your accomplishments be distinct so as to reveal different things about you, there is no single formula for what their content must be. It is quite possible that you might have three professional accomplishments or one personal/one professional/one academic or two academic/one personal. It will really depend on your background.
- The key consideration is that each accomplishment must be substantial and that you can explain why that is the case.
Row 2: "What skill, value, or unique experience is being showcased?"
Your accomplishments need to reveal valuable things about you. Some
will call these selling points, but more specifically they consist of
skills, values, or unique experiences. One might use a specific
accomplishment to emphasize one's leadership skills, another to show
one's ethical values, and another to explain a significant barrier
that was overcome. The point is that each accomplishment must at its
core reveal something key to understanding who you are.
Row 3: "What potential for success in the MBA program or afterwords is demonstrated?" You may or may not be directly stating this
in the essay, but you should think about what each accomplishment
reveals in terms of your potential. INSEAD Adcom will most certainly
be considering how your accomplishments demonstrate your potential to
succeed at INSEAD and afterwords, so you should as well. One key way
of thinking about the MBA application process is to see it as a test
of potential. Potential itself can
mean different things at different schools and so you must keep in
mind differences between schools and in particular must pay close
attention to what schools say really matters when they assess
applicants. Please click here to read about what INSEAD values in applicants. Please keep in mind that
a core part of your own application strategy should be determining
which parts of you to emphasize both overall and for a particular
school.
Row 4: "Will this be a contribution to others in the MBA program? How?"
Just as with potential, think about whether your accomplishments
demonstrate your ability to add value to other students at INSEAD. Given
space limitations, it is not likely that you will be explaining how
one or more of your accomplishments will be contribution, but rather
this is a strategic consideration. The dynamic nature of study
groups at INSEAD is very much based on what each student
contributes. Think about whether any of your accomplishments
demonstrate how you will likely add value to other students INSEAD
experience. Not all substantial accomplishments will have this
quality, but many will.
Row 5: "Why does Adcom need to know about this?"
If your accomplishment has made it this far, chances are it is
substantial. That said, I have two simple tests for determining
whether an accomplishment really belongs in this essay. The first is
whether INSEAD really needs to know about this accomplishment. After
all, you might consider getting the love of your life to marry you to be
one of your most substantial accomplishments, but will Adcom care?
If an accomplishment does not reveal (whether stated or implied)
potential and/or contribution, chances are likely that it is not
significant enough.
Row 6: "Is this something Adcom could learn about you elsewhere? (If "YES," find another accomplishment)" The
second and final simple test I have for determining whether an
accomplishment really belongs in this essay is based on the idea that
something that is totally obvious about you to anyone looking at your
resume and transcript is probably not worth mentioning. If you were a
CPA, having an accomplishment that merely demonstrated you were good
at accounting would not be worth writing about. Instead it would be
important to show something more specific that reveals something that
is not obvious by a mere examination of the basic facts of your
application.
Finally,
as I mentioned above what you include here is a real test of your
judgment, so don't just write about your obvious accomplishments.
Think deeply and come up with a set of unique accomplishments that
reveal distinct, interesting, and the most important things about you
that will compel admissions to want to interview you.
3. Describe
a situation taken from your personal or professional life where you
failed. Discuss what you learned (400 words maximum)
This is a fairly standard failure question. It is important to remember that you might very well succeed from the perspective of others, but fail from your own perspective.
It is critical that you learned something meaningful about yourself.
The basic components of an answer:
1. Clearly state what the failure was.
2. Clearly state your role.
3. Clearly state the result.
4. Explain the effect in terms of what you learned and perhaps also how you applied what you learned.
If possible, show how you applied what you learned to a new situation because the application of abstract learning to a new situation is a key indicator of real learning.
4. a)
Discuss your short and long term career goals. (300 words maximum) and
b) How will studying at INSEAD help you achieve your vision? (250 words
maximum)
THESE ARE FUTURE DIRECTED QUESTIONS
Unlike some other "Why MBA" questions, INSEAD is not asking about the
past. You will write about that in the other essays. Instead focus on
your goals and the skills that you will obtain at INSEAD that will
help you accomplish those goals. You
must offer both a short term-plan and long-term vision for your
intended future. Given the short length of the INSEAD program, it
really is quite important that you give them a clear future post-MBA
plan.
a) Discuss your short and long term career goals. (300 words maximum)
Given the intensive nature of the INSEAD experience, you need to go into the program with a clear idea of what you want to do after your MBA. Of course, this might change, but given the program length and the reality that you will need to begin recruiting/internship hunting soon after entry, you will need a clear plan for your future. If you are having difficulty articulating such a plan, I suggest you go through the following formal analysis:
You can use my GAP, SWOT, AND ROI TABLE FOR FORMULATING GRADUATE DEGREE GOALS for this purpose (see below). I think Gap, SWOT, and ROI analysis are great ways for understanding what your goals are, why you want a degree, and how you will use it. (Click here for a GMAC report on MBA ROI.)a) Discuss your short and long term career goals. (300 words maximum)
Given the intensive nature of the INSEAD experience, you need to go into the program with a clear idea of what you want to do after your MBA. Of course, this might change, but given the program length and the reality that you will need to begin recruiting/internship hunting soon after entry, you will need a clear plan for your future. If you are having difficulty articulating such a plan, I suggest you go through the following formal analysis:
(To best view the following table, click on it. )
How to use this table:
Step 1. Begin by analyzing your "Present Situation." What job(s) have you held? What was/is your functional role(s)? What was/are your responsibilities?
Next, analyze your present strengths and weaknesses for succeeding in your present career. REMEMBER: WHEN YOU ARE THINKING ABOUT YOUR STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESS DON'T ONLY THINK ABOUT WORK, THINK ABOUT OTHER ASPECTS OF YOUR LIFE. In particular, some of your greatest strengths may have been demonstrated outside of work, so make sure you are accounting for them.
Strengths: What are you good at? Where do you add value? What are you praised for? What are you proud of?
Weakness: What are you bad at? What are you criticized for? What do you try to avoid due to your own limitations? What do you fear?
Next, analyze the environment you work in right now. What opportunities exist for your growth and success? What threats could limit your career growth?
Step 2. Now, do the same thing in Step 1 for your "Post-Degree" future after you have earned your graduate degree. IF YOU CANNOT COMPLETE STEP 2, YOU HAVE NOT SUFFICIENTLY PLANNED FOR YOUR FUTURE and therefore you need to do more research and need to think more about it.
Step 3. If you could complete step 2, than you should see the "Gap" between your present and your future. What skills, knowledge, and other resources do you need to close the gap between your present and future responsibilities, strengths, and opportunities?
Step 4. After completing Step 3, you now need to determine how an MBA will add value to you. It is possible that an increased salary as a result of job change will be sufficient "ROI" for the degree to justify itself, but you should show how a degree will allow you to reach your career goals. How will the degree enhance your skills and opportunities and help you overcome your weaknesses and external threats? If you can complete Step 4, then you should be ready to explain what your goals are, why you want a degree, and the relationship between your past and future career, as well as your strengths and weaknesses. If you know about INSEAD, you are ready to write about your goals, whether in Question 3-4 or elsewhere in the essay set.
The above table will also help you answer such common interview questions as: Where do you want to work after you finish your degree? Why do you want an MBA (or other degree)? What are you strengths? What are your weaknesses? What are your goals?
b) How will studying at INSEAD help you achieve your vision? (250 words maximum)
As
with other schools, I strongly recommend becoming informed about
INSEAD. Attending admission events, meeting alum, and making full use of
INSEAD's online resources is critical for making the strongest
possible case for why your goals require an INSEAD education. You
should most certainly look at INSEAD KNOWLEDGE and listen to some INSEAD Knowledgecasts. Finally,
keep in mind that INSEAD is a fun school, so express your personality
in terms of why you want to attend it. Perhaps this video will inspire
you:
5. Please choose one of the following two essay topics: a) Have you ever experienced culture shock? What insights did you gain? (250 words maximum), or b) Describe the ways in which a foreigner in your country might experience culture shock (250 words maximum)
One
core characteristic of those who are admitted to INSEAD is that they
are international in their perspective and experience:
I
have found that it is usually those with extensive international
experience that have the greatest likelihood for admission. That
said, in my interview with Deborah Riger, I asked her about this issue:
"ADAM: Is it possible to be accepted to INSEAD without having international experience?
DEBORAH: Yes, it is possible to be admitted without significant experience outside of your home country. While it is important for all applicants to show their international motivations in their essays, it is especially critical for those who lack international exposure to do so. Applicants need to share how they are comfortable and confident in their own culture, why they are seeking out the international exposure in the MBA and sharing perhaps how the world has come to them at home."
DEBORAH: Yes, it is possible to be admitted without significant experience outside of your home country. While it is important for all applicants to show their international motivations in their essays, it is especially critical for those who lack international exposure to do so. Applicants need to share how they are comfortable and confident in their own culture, why they are seeking out the international exposure in the MBA and sharing perhaps how the world has come to them at home."
Both options for Question 5 are really great ways for INSEAD to gauge your global perspective.
a) Have you ever experienced culture shock? What insights did you gain?
This is a very standard question that frequently gets asked in interviews and has appeared on a number of MBA applications. It is also a question with significant room for saying something stupid and potentially fatal to your application. Some topics to avoid:
This is a very standard question that frequently gets asked in interviews and has appeared on a number of MBA applications. It is also a question with significant room for saying something stupid and potentially fatal to your application. Some topics to avoid:
1. Topics where you negatively stereotype another nation: Martians are argumentative, so I was surprised to learn that some of them are not.
2. Topics where you are the victim: The Martians lied to me and as a result I lost the contract to a local provider.
3. Topics where you don't actually learn anything: This situation taught me the importance of human communication.
Successful
versions of this topic almost always involve real learning. I
suppose it is possible for something to mean much to you without
learning something important, but I can't recall a successful version
of this essay that did that. After all to be shocked is to
experience something outside of your previous understanding. Getting
shocked teaches something important that changes your perspective.
This may lead to a new career decision, a new way of looking at
oneself, a new way of interacting with other people, or a myriad of
other possibilities.
b) Describe the ways in which a foreigner in your country might experience culture shock
American Adam's bad answer: Those traveling to America might be shocked by the need to tip.
American Adam's bad answer: Those traveling to America might be shocked by the need to tip.
Why is that answer bad?
It certainly is useful to know how to tip. I can think of almost
nothing more annoying in the US than our system of tipping and how it
would be a bit of a culture shock to someone not used to doing it. Every
time I go back to the US, I am at a loss. Doesn't this make for a
good topic? NO, BECAUSE IT IS OBVIOUS, IS COVERED IN EVERY TRAVEL
GUIDE, AND WOULD GIVE ADMISSIONS NO REAL INSIGHT INTO YOUR ABILITY TO
HAVE INTERESTING AND USEFUL THINGS TO SAY ABOUT YOUR OWN COUNTRY.
Uppercase is used here in the hope that I don't have to read another
version of this essay where the writer says commonplace things about
their own country that any tourist would know and probably would not
be shocked by.
If you write on option b), think deeply about how your knowledge of your country will contribute to your fellow classmates at INSEAD.
INSEAD is a place were students really have the option of getting to
know (and drink with) people from all over the world. It is truly
international in a way that no American program could ever claim. This
question directly relates to your own self-consciousness about what
is different about your country. They will, to some extent, depend on
you for their knowledge of your home country. Don't tell them the
easy stuff they can get by flipping through the first few pages of a Lonely Planet travel guide to your country. Give them real insight. The kind of insight they could use if they were going to move there.
Now
while the question is not in regards to your classmates, I think it
is useful to think of it that way so that you focus on writing
something that would actually be interesting and useful to someone
who visits your country. You don't have to write on a business
related topic, but if you have a good one, do so. The following
questions should help you:
1. What kind of problems have you seen foreigners have when communicating with people in your country?
2. What do people say in your country about foreigners? Do they have a bias against them or even a bias for them?
3. What most annoys you about your own country that would be something that someone coming from outside of it is likely to experience?
4. What aspects of your country's culture seem hard for foreigners to handle (Not just the language as that is too obvious)?
1. What kind of problems have you seen foreigners have when communicating with people in your country?
2. What do people say in your country about foreigners? Do they have a bias against them or even a bias for them?
3. What most annoys you about your own country that would be something that someone coming from outside of it is likely to experience?
4. What aspects of your country's culture seem hard for foreigners to handle (Not just the language as that is too obvious)?
6.
Is there anything that you have not mentioned in the above essays
that you would like the Admissions Committee to know? (350 words
maximum) This essay is optional.
While this question is optional, I have every client write about something here. There has to be an explanation for an application problem, extracurricular activity, professional experience, personal experience, and/or other matter that you can add here to provide another positive perspective about you.
This is a completely open question. While you might very well need to tell the Admissions Committee something negative, such as an explanation for a low GPA, I would suggest using at least part of it to tell them something positive about you. Feel free to write on any topic that will add another dimension to Admissions' perception of who you are. I would not treat it as optional unless you truly feel that the rest of your essays have fully expressed everything you want INSEAD to know about you. I don't suggest writing about something that would be obvious from reviewing your application, instead tell INSEAD that one or two additional key points that will give them another reason to admit you.
FINALLY: For information about INSEAD interviews, see http://adam-markus.blogspot.com/2011/04/insead-mba-interviews.html.
While this question is optional, I have every client write about something here. There has to be an explanation for an application problem, extracurricular activity, professional experience, personal experience, and/or other matter that you can add here to provide another positive perspective about you.
This is a completely open question. While you might very well need to tell the Admissions Committee something negative, such as an explanation for a low GPA, I would suggest using at least part of it to tell them something positive about you. Feel free to write on any topic that will add another dimension to Admissions' perception of who you are. I would not treat it as optional unless you truly feel that the rest of your essays have fully expressed everything you want INSEAD to know about you. I don't suggest writing about something that would be obvious from reviewing your application, instead tell INSEAD that one or two additional key points that will give them another reason to admit you.
7.
In case of reapplication, please provide an update on any new aspects
of your professional, international, academic or personal profile that
would not have been included in your previous application. Please also
explain your motivation for re-applying to INSEAD. (400 words maximum)
For
reapplicants, it is critical that you provide clearly stated updates
that show growth since the last application. Whatever form(s) this
growth takes, please provide a summary of it here, even if you have
addressed the topic elsewhere in the application. In addition, beyond
what you write about INSEAD in Essay 4b, please provide a clear
explanation of why INSEAD is your first choice. I think it is
especially useful to show what steps you have taken to learn more about
the program.FINALLY: For information about INSEAD interviews, see http://adam-markus.blogspot.com/2011/04/insead-mba-interviews.html.
-Adam Markus
I am a graduate admissions consultant who works with clients worldwide. If you would like to arrange an initial consultation, please complete my intake form. Please don't email me any essays, other admissions consultant's intake forms, your life story, or any long email asking for a written profile assessment. The only profiles I assess are those with people who I offer initial consultations to. Please note that initial consultations are not offered when I have reached full capacity or when I determine that I am not a good fit with an applicant.