Essay 1. Please give a detailed description of your job, including nature of work, major responsibilities; and, where relevant, employees under your supervision, size of budget, number of clients/products and results achieved. (approximately 300 words)
Essay 1 Tips. The While addressing the seven parts of this question give special attention and space to your accomplishments. What you do is only one aspect of your profile, INSEAD is interested in know how much you are capable of achieving. INSEAD also wants to know the exact level you are in your current role, your managerial experience and thus your leadership potential, so make sure you capture all this information clearly.
Essay 2. Please explain your career evolution and career choices since you started your professional life. (approximately 300 words)
Essay 2 Tips. When talking about your career path, show clearly why you decided on that path and what influenced you to make those career choices. Ideally, all the turns on the road would fit nicely into a logical theme. Try to dig deeper and show them your true motivations. As much as possible, show you chose your career proactively, not passively. If you have taken unexpected career moves then put more emphasis there because that part of your story needs to be credible. Try to avoid ALL technical jargon, and use simple short sentences if possible.
Essay 3. Please give your objectives for attending the INSEAD Executive MBA Programme. What would you like to achieve over the next 5 years, and how could the INSEAD Executive MBA contribute to achieving these plans? What are your alternatives to INSEAD? (approximately 300 words)
Essay 3 Tips. The first part of the question is fairly straightforward. You talk about your short and long term career goals and describe the desired roles, function, industry, geography and show how you have several skills to reach your goals. Every B-school wants to see their students and alums become visionary leaders, so talk about what is your vision for your industry, how will you do things differently, how will you make a positive impact on the world.
In the second part of the question, relate your goals with an INSEAD MBA. Show how the MBA will help you reach your goals. Give as much specific information as you can - that will not only differentiate you but also highlight your authentic passion for the INSEAD MBA program.
Personal Essay 1. Give a candid description of yourself, stressing the personal characteristics you feel to be your strengths and weaknesses. (approximately 300 words)
Personal Essay 1 Tips. To summarize and synthesize your personal development till date, while selling yourself to the adcom and all in about 300 words not an easy feat!
One way to approach this question is to look at themes and patterns in your life and the choices you have made. Avoid talking about you in terms of your job title and the activities your pursue. Rather use this space to talk about your passions, desires, dreams, wishes and life experiences that have left a deep impact on you. How have you become the way you are today. Are you a survivor? An explorer? A cautious optimist? What events and influences have shaped you, have built your strengths and weaknesses. It is interesting that often a strength can be also a weakness and vice versa, so think deeply and write a thoughtful introspective answer.
When stressing your strengths pick areas that you want the INSEAD admissions committee to notice you for and definite weakness areas that, while not debilitating, are not superfluous either. Generally, stick to weaknesses you can eradicate or improve upon - after all the purpose of mentioning weaknesses is not to convince the INSEAD admissions committee that you are thoroughly unfit to be a part of the institution!
An example is like a picture- if you can paint a vivid imagery with details, your reader will see and feel your strengths very clearly. So use examples generously. Maybe you can start the essay with an anecdote!
If you need help on deciding your story lines and themes, talk to us!
Personal Essay 2. Please answer either question a) or question b) in approximately 300 words a) Have you ever experienced culture shock? What insights did you gain? b) Describe the ways in which a foreigner in your country might experience culture shock.
Personal Essay 2 Tips. Before you even start thinking about this essay, let's be clear about what culture shock means. Culture shock is basically your difficulty in adjusting to a new culture. It could include your reaction/"shock" to different languages, different values, different settings, different food, different religions, different taboos, different expectations - a different environment.
INSEAD has a strong international student mix and has a keen international focus. Whichever question you choose, your outlook and maturity in cross-cultural interactions forms the core of this INSEAD application essay. Both questions are now explicitly about "culture shock" except that you need to look at the issue from different perspectives.
Good natured humor is very much welcome in both essays.
a) Choose a situation (preferably international) where you experienced culture shock, and explain what you learnt and gained from the exposure. Typically, this would make for a better choice since here you can offer stories and situations that you have personally experienced, and also explicitly write about your international outlook, learning skills, adaptability and inclusive nature. Please veer away from approaches and remarks that hint at Xenophobia - even if it is in an earlier "ignorant" phase.
b) What about your country do foreigners typically balk at? Beyond the typical, what have you personally observed to be culture shocks that foreigners have or might experience in your country. A personal perspective that looks at these barriers with maturity will be welcomed. Apart from your own exposure, travel advice sites might be your best guidance to how foreigners experience culture shock in your country.
Go for it!
Optional Essay. Is there anything else that was not covered in your application that you would like to share with the Admissions Committee? (300 words maximum)
Optional Essay Tips. First decide whether you need to write this essay at all.
Attempt the INSEAD optional essay only if it will improve the factual and material strength of your application.
Do not submit your INSEAD optional essay as an addendum to any of your essays. Do not submit your optional essay because you feel that the quality of your earlier essays is improvable – in that case simply redouble your efforts on those essays and leave the optional essay alone.
Use the INSEAD optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or a previous MBA) can be commented on if you have an explanation that is intelligent, interesting and credible.
This optional essay can also be used for mentioning impressive data points that CANNOT be accommodated in the other INSEAD essays.
If you feel that this essay will be a robust constructive addition to your candidature..
...Go for it!
