Fontainebleau, France
+–
INSEAD is the business school of the world – and not only because it has two fully functioning campuses in France and Singapore. With students from all over the world (seriously – like 80 different countries) and alliances with top-tier programs in the US like Wharton and Kellogg, INSEAD truly does make it its goal to open the door into the world of business for its students. The INSEAD program is only one year long with the first semester comprising of mandatory courses and the second semester all electives. There are over 70 elective courses to choose from, so don’t worry about not having enough options. This elective load gives students the opportunity to specialize in a field or work toward a more holistic and general managerial path. INSEAD offers both a September and a January intake with four rounds for submission. Also, note that the INSEAD application is exceptionally long (8 separate essays and one optional) so don’t wait until the last minute. 

Average Age

29

Class Size

1024

Acceptance Rate

25%

Average GMAT

700

Average GPA

3.5

Loans

co-signer

Important Dates

Early Round

Round 1

DeadlineSep 20, 2017
NotificationNov 24, 2017

Round 2

DeadlineOct 29, 2017
NotificationDec 16, 2017

Round 3

DeadlineJan 24, 2018
NotificationMar 06, 2018

Rankings

-
3
1
N/A
8
-

Application Requirements

Application Fee

200 EURO

Interview

Invitation

Required Essays

4+3

Recommendations

2
Employment Statistics
Class Profile
Academic Calendar
Financial Aid
Student Clubs
Courses

Essays

Questions, Class of 2018:

MOTIVATION ESSAYS
Give a candid description of yourself (who are you as a person), 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 (approximately 500 words).

Describe the achievement of which you are most proud and explain why. In addition, describe a situation where you failed. How did these experiences impact your relationships with others? Comment on what you learned(approximately 400 words).

Tell us about an experience where you were significantly impacted by cultural diversity, in a positive or negative way(approximately 300 words).

Describe all types of extra-professional activities in which you have been or are still involved for a significant amount of time (clubs, sports, music, arts, politics, etc). How are you enriched by these activities? (approximately 300 words)

Is there anything else that was not covered in your application that you would like to share with the Admissions Committee? (approximately 300 words)

JOB DESCRIPTION
Discuss your short and long term career aspirations with or without an MBA from INSEAD. (short answer) is required

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. (short answer)

What would be your next step in terms of position if you were to remain in the same company? (short answer)

Please give a full description of your career since graduating from university. Describe your career path with the rationale behind

MOTIVATION ESSAYS
Give a candid description of yourself (who are you as a person), 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 (approximately 500 words).

Describe the achievement of which you are most proud and explain why. In addition, describe a situation where you failed. How did these experiences impact your relationships with others? Comment on what you learned(approximately 400 words).

Tell us about an experience where you were significantly impacted by cultural diversity, in a positive or negative way(approximately 300 words).

Describe all types of extra-professional activities in which you have been or are still involved for a significant amount of time (clubs, sports, music, arts, politics, etc). How are you enriched by these activities? (approximately 300 words)

Is there anything else that was not covered in your application that you would like to share with the Admissions Committee? (approximately 300 words)

JOB DESCRIPTION
Discuss your short and long term career aspirations with or without an MBA from INSEAD. (short answer) is required

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. (short answer)

What would be your next step in terms of position if you were to remain in the same company? (short answer)

Please give a full description of your career since graduating from university. Describe your career path with the rationale behind your choices. (short answer)

Discuss your short and long term career aspirations with or without an MBA from INSEAD. (short answer)

If you are currently not working or if you plan to leave your current employer more than 2 months before the programme starts, please explain your activities and occupations between leaving your job and the start of the programme. (optional) your choices. (short answer)

Discuss your short and long term career aspirations with or without an MBA from INSEAD. (short answer)

If you are currently not working or if you plan to leave your current employer more than 2 months before the programme starts, please explain your activities and occupations between leaving your job and the start of the programme. (optional)

Adviser

Andy Widmann

Andy Widmann has 10+ years’ experience working as an entrepreneur, consultant, and executive...

Read More

Recommendations

1. Comment on the candidate’s career progress to date and his/her career focus.

2. What do you consider to be the candidate’s major strengths? Comment on the factors that distinguish the candidate from other individuals at his/her level.

3. What do you consider to be the candidate’s major weaknesses?

4. Comment on the candidate’s potential for senior management. Do you see him/her as a future leader?

5. Describe the candidate as a person. Comment on his/her ability to establish and maintain relationships, sensitivity to others, self-confidence, attitude, etc. Specifically comment on the candidate’s behaviour or skills in a group setting/team environment.

Ivy’s strategic approach is similar to sculpture. They take an unpolished stone, examine it from every angle and somehow understand how to turn it into a work of art that will bring out its unique colours and facets.

The sculpting work itself I did with advisor’s help – an amazing, fast paced consultant who’s always to the point – and so the 6 essays slowly turned into a work of art. They were no longer simply bland articles with little connection between them, but one coherent story that contained my all – my professional and personal histories, hobbies, strong points and weaknesses, full of detail and anecdotes, vibrant, fluent and interesting.

The result could not have been better! I am writing these lines while at INSEAD in Singapore, an official student, as happy as I could be, and thanking the brilliant people at Ivy time and time and time again for their amazing work!

Interested in learning more about INSEAD’s essay requirements? Ivy’s got you covered. Check out our detailed analysis of INSEAD’s Job Description Essay and our analysis of INSEAD’s Motivation Essay.

Download our Free School Research GuideDownload our Free School Research Guide