Fresh Admits - Why I Think I Got Into INSEAD

Passing along a few contributions from successful applicants who posted their advice in the INSEAD thread I moderated on GMAT Club.

All of these responses are raw and unedited. I think you will find at least one or two helpful things!

Applicant 1

“I expect that I was chosen due to a unique background (scientific education, highly entrepreneurial environments, finance experience), very strong GMAT, and very strong essays.

Despite no direct international experience, I made up for it through passing high level CEFR language exams (satisfying my language requirements before even applying), working with international clients, and really communicating my international outlook/ambitions through my essays.

Essays also focused on personal growth, showing some vulnerability and weakness as well as a high level of self-awareness. Everyone who reviewed my essays for me told me that they really felt that they knew who I was as a person after reading them, even the reviewers that hardly knew me before.

My recommendations:

1. Dominate your GMAT, 730+. At least this way you know it’s not your GMAT that got you dinged. Consider it the cover charge just to get looked at.

2. Talk to alumni. I spoke to ~15 alumni before even applying. I found them on LinkedIn, an INSEAD event in my city, by talking about my goals at a random party (yes, really, I met 4 alumni while out at a party). The more you know about their experience the more it will show in your essays that you know what you’re getting into, and it will help you better understand the culture of the program, which in turn will enable you to write better essays and touch on key subjects.

3. Have several people chop up your essays and ask the hard questions. Get some people who know you and some people who don’t. The ones who don’t know you will be more valuable. Make sure your essays tell a story – there’s a reason INSEAD gives you so much essay space compared to other programs. They clearly want you to paint a 360-degree picture of who you’ve been, who you are, and who you will be. Read them out loud. Rewrite them. Read them out loud again. Rinse. Repeat. In a highly international environment such as that of INSEAD, good communication is key to success. If you can’t communicate well through the essays, there may be doubts over your ability to handle the environment.”

Applicant 2

“Sorry for my late reply, I was on leave and I celebrated my admissions properly. A bit about myself. I am Spanish living in London. I am an engineer working for an engineering company. I believe my reasons to be admitted were as follows:

a) Good GMAT. I scored 720.

b) Be myself. On the essays, I explained everything I did and why I did it. You need to be clear and you need to know where you want to go. Also, you need to know yourself. Put realistic achievements and realistic weaknesses.

c) They type of work I do. Although I am a pure engineer, I also do business development and I had other managerial responsibilities.

d) Know your story really well on the interviews.”

Applicant 3

“Well actually I was touching wood for a few days just in case they had called the wrong applicant haha!

In all seriousness, my GMAT score was pretty average. I would suggest future applicants read “65 Successful Harvard B-School Application Essays” before embarking on their own essays… I think it made all the difference.”