Why INSEAD

With two fully-integrated campuses in Europe and Asia and over 70 different nationalities in the classroom, no other business school offers such a multicultural experience.  The accelerated 10-month curriculum develops successful, thoughtful leaders and entrepreneurs who create value for their organisations and their communities.

Diversity:With its unique "one school, two campus" structure, INSEAD is a pioneer in the field of offering truly international and multicultural exposure. More than 70% of participants study on two or more campus (including exchange programme with the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in the USA) during their year at INSEAD.

Intensity:During the one year at school, participants cover around 80% of the teaching hours offered in a two-year programme. This is achieved by focusing on study and avoiding down-time during the programme. The days are long and exacting, replicating the intense world of international business.

Quality:INSEAD, recognised worldwide as a top-tier business school, brings together leading academic thinkers, highly successful business leaders and aspiring, talented young managers and entrepreneurs, in order to change lives and transform organisations. The school's teaching and research staff are world experts both in their fields and in disseminating their knowledge.

Lifelong Bonds:Both Fontainebleau and Singapore campuses have an enriching energy, driven by the diverse outlooks and backgrounds of the participants. As the MBA programme comes to an end, one's life as an INSEAD alumnus begins. INSEAD alumni live and work in over 150 countries, creating a powerful, resourceful international network.

Q: Is an interview required for admission?
A: Yes.  All applications go through a process of first selection, whereby a short-list of interviewees is compiled.  At this stage, only those selected for interview continue with the application process. In most cases, two separate interviews are conducted.

Q: Who conducts admissions interviews and where?
A: Interviews are conducted in person by INSEAD alumni, normally in your country of residence.  

Q: When will I hear if I have been selected for interview?
A: You will be informed if you have been selected for interview within approximately six weeks of receiving your acknowledgement of your completed application. 

Q: I was selected for interview.  When will I hear if my application has been successful?
A: You will be informed of your final decision approximately six weeks after you were informed that you were selected for interview.

Q: How will my admissions decision be communicated?
A: You will be advised by e-mail of your final admissions decision.

Q: I have been admitted, but my preferred starting campus is already full.  What happens now?
A: We will strive to accommodate your campus choice.  However, if your preferred starting campus is full, you will be offered the choice of either a place on the other campus or a place on the wait-list for your preferred campus.  In such cases, we encourage you to start your MBA programme on the campus that was not your initial preference, and then participate in the campus exchange to experience the other campus.

Q: Can I defer admission?
A: In general, no. You should apply for the intake in which you intend to enrol. In truly exceptional circumstances, the Admissions Committee may grant a deferral. All request sshould be made in writing and will be reviewed on a case by case basis.

Q: If my application has been unsuccessful, may I reapply in the next round?
A: If your application has been unsuccessful, you must wait until the next intake to re-apply. In general, we do not encourage reapplications unless there has been a significant professional or personal development since the initial application was submitted.

Q: Will you provide feedback on an unsuccessful application?
A: Due to the large number of applications we receive for each intake, we are unable to provide feedback on individual applications.

INSEAD Interview generally lasts about 45 minutes to an hour. Some common interview questions:

• Why MBA? Why now?
• Why INSEAD?
• Brief Introduction
• Talk about something that is not mentioned anywhere in your application
• Leadership Demonstration - example from professional experience
• Short - Medium - Long term goals
• What do you do outside of work?
• How do you plan to contribute to the student body at INSEAD?

Actual narration from off campus interviews (conducted by members of INSEAD alumni):

• INSEAD asked me to scheduled TWO interviews
• The first interviewer was a woman, CEO of a holding, very nice and friendly. She read my application and prepared questions. The second interviewer was a man, CEO of the local organization of a finance group. He was very friendly as well, but seemed to be very busy and I had an impression he hadn't read my application before the interview.
• Both 1 hour; by Alumni
• Why an MBA?, why now?, Why INSEAD? Any preference between Singapur or Fonty? why is that? Why not a 2 year's MBA? What are your future professional plans?..
• Do all those Q&A in paper. Always bring a copy of everything in paper, in a folder. They look at your level of readiness. My first interviewer, did not find his folder, and he asked me..did u bring one? I had one with all the info necesarry. Then he smiled and said: I have mine right here. It was a test.
• Prepare yourself, your experience and this interviews are key for success, no matter how far from the average GMAT score. I entered with a 7.5 years experience, food experience and a 620 GMAT!
• What if you don't get into INSEAD?
• Have you applied to any other schools?
• Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
• What is your role in a team?
• How would your other team members describe you?
• How do you adapt to new (cultural) environments?
• What is your experience in working with people from different cultures?
• What is the added value of INSEAD as you already have a M.Sc. in Business Administration?
• Is your partner coming with you
• Be yourself, INSEAD alumni in general are really cool people
• Know why you want to go to INSEAD. Both my interviews focused quite heavily on teamwork, so no harm to be well prepared to answer questions on that topic.
• One of the interviewers told me that we were supposed to do (small) part of the interview in English. The other interview was 100% in my native language.
• Where do you see yourself on 5 years? Do you have any leadership experience? What was the most interesting international exposure you had? Why INSEAD? Why now? Tell me about your team at work. What are your strenghts/weaknesses?..
• As most interviewees have mentioned, know the Big 3: Why an MBA? Why now? Why INSEAD? Know yourself and your own motivations for going. Your interviewers will likely see through BS, and flimsy rationale. Be prepared to be challenged. You most likely won't get a case interview, but be prepared for the full behavioral barrage. Know yourself and be yourself. If you're reading this in preparation for an interview, you've already made it past the first 50% cut, which is impressive. So give yourself a firm pat on the back and a hearty handshake; you'll do fine.

Get the comprehensive guidance on how to ace the MBA interview from MBA Alumni members, who have been on both sides of the table and who know what it takes to scale the summit

We offer three services to help candidates prepare for one of the most important components of their MBA application, the interview.

• Discussing candidate's background, profile, career plans and interests and getting the list of schools (limited to two) to which the candidate wants the interview preparation service.
• Discussing with the candidate, the most suitable answers to the likely questions to be asked in the interview of a  particular school, given the candidate's profile and career plans.
• Two Mock Interviews after the candidate is well prepared with the answers to the suggested questions.
• Detailed feedback on the interviews performance and suggested answers
• All discussions will be done either by emails or over the phone. Mock interviews will be over Phone or Skype /G-Talk /Yahoo Talk.
• Personal sessions possible if the candidate is in Delhi/Bangalore/Paris/Boston/London.