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The Career Goals Essay*
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CATEGORY - SCHOOL: INSEAD

Saturday, October 18, 2008

New Initiative Underscores INSEAD’s Commitment to Promoting Women’s Participation in Business

INSEAD announced Thursday that it has created the INSEAD Gender Diversity Initiative in an effort to coordinate its many activities relating to women’s participation in business and business education and enhance its commitment to helping women from diverse cultures throughout the world realize their full management potential.

“Diversity is at the heart of INSEAD’s mission,” Professor Herminia Ibarra, faculty director of the INSEAD Leadership Initiative, said in a statement announcing the new initiative. But cultural diversity is not enough, she continued. “Along with the business world we serve, we must act to increase women’s representation in business and business education – and to harness its potential.”

Through strategic partnerships with organizations that share the school’s vision for women in business, the INSEAD Gender Diversity Initiative will ensure that INSEAD has a presence at preeminent women’s global business forums, engages in important research collaborations and participates fully in the world’s leading women’s networks. These partnership activities also will help the school establish key ongoing corporate relationships.

Several existing partnerships and events, too, will be brought together under the new Gender Diversity Initiative umbrella. These include the Women’s Forum for the Economy and Society, rated by the Financial Times as one of the world’s top five international forums; the Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards, a business plan competition for female entrepreneurs created in 2006 by Cartier and the Women’s Forum with support from McKinsey and INSEAD; and the World Bank’s Global Private Sector Leaders Forum.

The INSEAD Gender Diversity Initiative also will coordinate INSEAD’s participation in the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women Initiative. INSEAD, along with several other European business schools, in September became official academic partners in the Goldman Sachs’ project launched last spring to provide women in developing countries with access to a business and management education. 

To learn more about the new INSEAD Gender Diversity Initiative, click here.

Tuesday, September 02, 2008

INSEAD School Guide Released!

We are pleased to announce the release of the Clear Admit School Guide to INSEAD!

After receiving countless requests, the Clear Admit School Guide to INSEAD now joins the already-existing INSEAD Interview Guide. Like all of our School Guide titles, the INSEAD Guide provides in-depth information on the school’s academics, student demographics and special programs while placing this information in the context of offerings at peer schools. Beyond primary source research and comparative analysis, the Clear Admit School Guide to INSEAD follows our tradition of incorporating information gleaned from numerous interviews with students and alumni.  It is sure to be a useful tool whether you are evaluating the school as a potential destination, preparing your application essays or heading for an admissions interview and in need of an in-depth review of life at INSEAD.

The Clear Admit publications team would like to extend our sincere thanks to the INSEAD staff and alumni for helping us bring the guide to fruition!

The Clear Admit School Guide to INSEAD is now available for purchase in our online shop. While there, don’t forget to check out our 17 other School Guide titles, Interview Guides and Resume Guide.

Monday, August 25, 2008

INSEAD Names New MBA Program Dean

Becoming the latest in a rash of business schools to name new deans this year, INSEAD last week announced that Professor Jake Cohen will succeed outgoing Professor Antonio Fatás as the new dean of the school’s MBA program. His term will begin on September 1, 2008.

Cohen, a professor of accounting and control and business law, has been with INSEAD for more than five years, during which time he also has served as the director of the INSEAD-PricewaterhouseCoopers research initiative on high performance organizations, the school’s largest research center. 

‘The ability to position strong, globally minded leaders within an organization is the cornerstone for success,’ J. Frank Brown, dean of INSEAD, said in a statement announcing Cohen’s appointment.

Cohen has taught courses at both INSEAD’s Europe and Asia campuses, including financial and managerial accounting, financial statements analysis, mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructurings, and business law. He has won the school’s Outstanding Teacher award for both core and elective courses.

In addition to his teaching roles and his oversight of the INSEAD-PricewaterhouseCoopers research initiative, Cohen also serves as director of INSEAD’s Business Journalists Seminar, which provides reporters with key tools needed to understand and analyze data in the business world. He also founded the Business Foundation program, a pre-term program for incoming MBA students with less background in heavily quantitative subjects such as accounting, finance and statistics.

“As the new dean of the MBA program, I will uphold INSEAD’s long-standing commitment to world-class teaching and research,” Cohen said in a statement. “I look forward to the next four years working with all faculty members in managing the overall MBA curriculum and overseeing the operational aspects of the program from marketing to career services.” 

Prior to joining INSEAD, Cohen served as a senior teaching fellow at Harvard Business School (HBS). He worked in the accounting and management group and was a founding member of HBS’s analytics program.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Trivia Tuesday: The Wharton/INSEAD Alliance

Welcome back to Trivia Tuesday, our regular examination of the programs and opportunities that help to distinguish the leading MBA programs. This week we turn to a special partnership between two of the world’s leading business schools, Wharton and INSEAD. Formed in 2001, the Alliance creates opportunities for formal collaboration between the two schools at many levels. Research collaboration takes place through the joint Alliance Center for Global Research and Development, as well as through faculty visits and exchanges. For students, the most popular part of the Alliance tends to be the opportunity for student exchanges between the schools.

Participation in the Alliance exchange program is usually high among both students and faculty. Wharton typically sends 40 to 60 students a year to INSEAD’s two campuses, while playing host to approximately 60 INSEAD exchange students in any year. Because Wharton and INSEAD have linked their credit system, students participating in the Alliance exchange can be confident that their credits will easily transfer back to their home institution. Furthermore, because INSEAD’s and Wharton’s career management services are available to all Alliance participants, students in the exchange are able to continue involvement in full-time recruiting even while abroad. In fact, the strength of INSEAD’s corporate relationships in Europe and Asia makes the exchange a wonderful career opportunity for Wharton students interested in working abroad after graduation, while Wharton’s extensive contacts in the U.S. are particularly valuable to participating INSEAD students.

Through the Alliance, two Wharton professors may also spend a semester teaching at INSEAD’s France or Singapore campuses and two INSEAD professors may teach at Wharton’s San Francisco or Philadelphia campuses. This exchange of professors allows each school to enhance its global education offerings. For instance, in one recent academic year, Wharton professors on exchange to INSEAD taught courses on Financial Engineering, Management/Supply Chain, and Quality & Process, while INSEAD professors at Wharton offered courses on Mergers & Acquisitions, Corporate Strategy, and Marketing Strategy. Although these are not new topics for either institution, the Alliance believes that there is a benefit to tackling these topics with a professor from another background.

To learn more about the Wharton/INSEAD Alliance, visit the Alliance website or check out the Study Abroad section of the Clear Admit School Guide to Wharton!

Friday, May 23, 2008

Upcoming Info Sessions Introduce International Students to INSEAD’s One-Year Accelerated MBA Program

INSEAD, which pioneered the one-year accelerated MBA program almost 50 years ago, now draws 900 students from more than 150 countries to its campuses in Fontainebleau, France, and Singapore. In an effort to maintain its international focus – and recognizing that not all prospective applicants will be able to visit the school prior to applying – the school will host several upcoming information sessions at locations throughout Europe.

Four sessions are scheduled for next week, two in London, one in Lisbon and one in Paris. The London events, which will take place on May 25, include both a women’s brunch/panel discussion/MBA information session and a Master Class & MBA/EMBA information session.

The Lisbon and Paris events, scheduled for May 28, are both general MBA information sessions.

Additional events will be held in June in Moscow, Munich and Athens. Though none are currently scheduled, information sessions in other parts of the world may be added throughout the year. For a calendar of all scheduled events, please click here.

For prospective students who can travel to INSEAD’s campuses, open houses are scheduled in each Fontainebleau and Singapore on June 13.

Advance registration is required for all events. To register, click here.

Tuesday, May 06, 2008

INSEAD Deadlines for 2008-2009 - September and January Intakes

While INSEAD still has a few deadlines on the horizon for January 2009 intake, INSEAD’s deadlines for the September 2009, as well as January 2010, intake are now available.

Deadlines for September 2009 Intake
Round One
Application Deadline: October 1st, 2008
Interview Notification By: November 7th, 2008
Final Decision: December 19th, 2008

Round Two
Application Deadline: November 26th, 2008
Interview Notification By: January 16th, 2009
Final Decision: March 6th, 2009

Round Three
Application Deadline: February 11th, 2009
Interview Notification By: March 20th, 2009
Final Decision: May 7th, 2009

Round Four
Application Deadline: April 1st, 2009
Interview Notification By: May 15th, 2009
Final Decision: June 19th, 2009

Deadlines for January 2010 Intake
Round One
Application Deadline: March 11th, 2009
Interview Notification By: April 30th, 2009
Final Decision: June 5th, 2009

Round Two
Application Deadline: May 27th, 2009
Interview Notification By: July 3rd, 2009
Final Decision: September 4th, 2009

Round Three
Application Deadline: July 22nd, 2009
Interview Notification By: August 28th, 2009
Final Decision: October 9th, 2009

A look at the online application, updated February 4th of this year, suggests that the school will be keeping its tried and true essay questions for the next wave of fall applicants:

Job Essays
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. (250 words)

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)

Personal Essays
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. (400 words approx.)

2. Describe what you believe to be your two most substantial accomplishments to date, explaining why you view them as such. (400 words approx.)

3. Describe a situation taken from school, business, civil or military life, where you did not meet your personal objectives, and discuss briefly the effect. (250 words approx.)

4. Discuss your career goals. What skills do you expect to gain from studying at INSEAD and how will they contribute to your professional career. (500 words approx.)

5. Please choose one of the following two essay topics:
a) Have you ever experienced culture shock? What did it mean to you? (250 words approx.), or
b) What would you say to a foreigner moving to your home country? (250 words approx.)

6. Is there anything that you have not mentioned in the above essays that you would like the Admissions Committee to know? (200 words approx.) This essay is optional.

7. In case of reapplication, please use this page. Your essay should state any new aspects of professional, international, academic, or personal development since your last application. We would also like you to explain your motivation for re-applying to INSEAD. This essay should not exceed 400 words.

Monday, May 05, 2008

Wharton School of Business, INSEAD Renew Alliance for Four More Years

The deans of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and INSEAD announced last week that the two schools have renewed their partnership – initially launched in 2001 – for another four years. The alliance brings together the resources of two of the world’s top management education programs to offer students quality business education and research opportunities across four campuses.

Through collaborative projects at Wharton’s U.S. campuses in Philadelphia and San Francisco and INSEAD’s campuses in Fontainebleau, France, and Singapore, the two schools offer a truly global approach to management education and combine the intellectual capital of more than 400 resident faculty.

Joint endeavors include an MBA student exchange, a faculty exchange and joint research and teaching projects through the Center for Global Research and Education. In addition, the alliance allows for PhD collaboration, co-branded executive education courses and continuing joint alumni initiatives.

 “The alliance has given our students wonderful opportunities to study within a multinational framework,” said Thomas Robertson, dean of the Wharton School, in a statement.

Indeed, it is the continued success of the alliance that prompted its renewal. Since its launch seven years ago, more than 800 MBA students have participated in the INSEAD-Wharton exchange, taking advantage of an opportunity to study across three continents, and more than 750 executives have taken part in a range of co-branded executive education programs. These programs, including courses such as “Strategic R&D Management” and “Leading an Effective Sales Force,” are delivered at all campuses and taught by faculty members from both schools.

“INSEAD’s continued partnership with Wharton underscores the value we place on developing transcultural leaders,” said J. Frank Brown, dean of INSEAD, in a statement. “It is essential for leaders in business and beyond to gain international experience and an understanding of different cultures,” he continued.

Expanded research opportunities also have been a core component of the alliance, as has development of the large, joint alumni communities of the two schools. The INSEAD-Wharton Center for Global Research and Education, jointly-funded and governed by a joint R&D committee, promotes faculty exchange, large-scale global research projects and teaching innovations. And alumni associations at each school regularly provide opportunities to connect the 82,000 Wharton alumni in 148 countries with the 37,000 INSEAD alumni in 150 countries.

Even more extensive faculty research collaboration and deepened alumni relations will be a major focus in the alliance’s next four years. Some of the planned initiatives include an agreement for direct distribution of INSEAD teaching cases to Wharton and an upcoming INSEAD-Wharton research conference on leadership, to be held at INSEAD on June 19-21.

More information about the alliance can be found in each the INSEAD and Wharton websites.

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Wiki Wednesdays: School Choices

Welcome to another edition of Wiki Wednesdays, where we highlight some particularly poignant posts from the Clear Admit Wiki, a repository of MBA applicants’ experiences with the admissions process. While spring is in full swing, some candidates are still undergoing interviews (as can be seen in the recent UCLA / Anderson and INSEAD reports added to the Wiki) while prospective applicants are giving the GMAT a go.

During the fall and winter, however, many applicants dread answering the question “why this school instead of that one?” in their essays and interviews. Now that admissions notifications are out, the question is resurfacing once again. Some admitted applicants are choosing between multiple offers, while others are considering attending a school that they researched only briefly in the fall. And of course, many applicants are now debating the pros and cons of relocating with their significant others.

One applicant, as shared on the School Choices page of the Clear Admit Wiki, approached this debate based on criteria such as geographic location, weather, class size and international opportunities, among several other points.

Another candidate broke down her choice among eight schools according to the individual programs, which can lead to a much more detailed and nuanced argument, not to mention a potentially dizzying list of preferences! This candidate, however, approached the debate head-on with a succinct list of perks and pitfalls. For example, when identifying the pros and cons of a few programs, she wrote:

1. “IESE: I was really excited about the possibility of studying in a dual language MBA program. The IESE program is a two year U.S. style MBA program top ranked globally but with a smaller class size compared with similar U.S. schools.
2. + : international experience, foothold into European job market, Barcelona, case study method, very American friendly program.
3. - : name recognition in US not very strong though increasing, exchange rate makes it a “very expensive language class” to quote one of my bosses.

1. UCLA: I applied to UCLA to give myself a west coast option and to throw in a wild card to see how my profile would be accepted at a slightly larger program with a less specialized program. I was attracted to the international focus and exchange opportunities afforded to students.
2. + : west coast school, international focus
3. - : state school, comparatively limited resources”

For this candidate’s observations on the six other programs, be sure to check out the School Choices page. No matter the approach to trimming one’s short or long list of choices, it can always help to organize one’s thoughts, priorities and data points in writing. The School Choices page can be a great forum for breaking down one’s decisions, so we encourage candidates to share their debates by creating an account or sending their thoughts to wiki@clearadmit.com.

As a final reminder for those still interviewing or interested in sharing interviews from this season, it’s the last day to win a $10 iTunes gift certificate for an interview report for the following schools: Berkeley / Haas, Cornell / Johnson, MIT / Sloan, Stanford GSB, Dartmouth / Tuck, UCLA / Anderson, Yale SOM, INSEAD and LBS (limit one gift card per applicant). To be eligible for the prize, simply e-mail your interview report to wiki@clearadmit.com.

We’d like to thank everyone who has contributed to the Clear Admit Wiki this season! We look forward to awarding some last minute iTunes gift cards as well as reading some dynamic debates about programs. Happy deliberating!

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Wiki Wednesdays: School Choices

Welcome back to Wiki Wednesdays, our weekly look at informative entries in the Clear Admit Wiki! We’ve received a number of great interview reports for Berkeley / Haas, Stanford GSB, UVA / Darden and MIT / Sloan, even though interview season is winding down. At this point, most applicants have received their long-awaited decision notifications, and those who have been accepted at more than one program will likely spend the next few weeks drafting (and redrafting) their lists of pros and cons before ultimately deciding on one school over another. In addition to individual blogs and the BusinessWeek discussion forums, the Clear Admit Wiki’s School Choices page provides a sound place to weigh one’s options.

As one candidate wrote in the Clear Admit Wiki about NYU / Stern vs. UCLA / Anderson,

1. “Both are reputable finance schools, but if you wanna work for IB/on wall street, go to NYU! NYU has the unshakable advantage regarding jobs on wall street, proved by [the fact] that 60% of the students go into financial services sector after graduation. On the other hand, [people] say UCLA has an advantage in PE/VC in Silicon Valley, but you need to compete with Stanford and Haas guys for this handful of job openings.”

It takes quite a bit of effort to make highly-nuanced distinctions like this applicant’s (for more points of her lengthy debate, check out the School Choices page). For this reason, it’s a great idea to take advantage of every resource available when making this difficult decision. Talking to alumni in your target industry and attending events for admitted students, whether a full weekend at the school itself or a dinner hosted in your own city, are great starting points for collecting valuable information.

In the meantime, we encourage our readers to share their thoughts - whether you’re looking for others’ opinions on individual schools or just searching for a good method of breaking down this complicated decision, the School Choices page can be a great help. Simply create an account or send your debates to wiki@clearadmit.com to contribute!

For those still interviewing or interested in sharing interviews from this season, we will be awarding a $10 iTunes gift certificate to each applicant who submits an interview report for the following schools: Berkeley / Haas, Cornell / Johnson, MIT / Sloan, Stanford GSB, Dartmouth / Tuck, UCLA / Anderson, Yale SOM, INSEAD and LBS between now and April 30th (limit one gift card per applicant). To be eligible for the prize, simply e-mail your interview report to wiki@clearadmit.com.

Thanks to all of those who have added their experiences to the Clear Admit Wiki and we look forward to reading more comparative cases on candidates’ school choices! In the meantime, here’s to due diligence and calm consideration!

Wednesday, April 02, 2008

European B-Schools Heat Up as Economy Slows

European business schools have received top billing in the past week in both BusinessWeek and the Wall Street Journal, with both publications reporting increased application volume at schools across the region.

According to the Journal piece, published Friday, business schools across Europe, which have seen application volume rise steadily in recent years, expect a further surge amid current global economic instability. This would follow the usual pattern of past slowdowns, when would-be analysts and managers looked toward graduate business programs as a place to ride out market uncertainty.  

Executive education programs, though, could suffer a hit, according to the Journal, as companies previously happy to fund continuing education for their employees are forced to slash budgets.

The Journal piece goes on to say that for good or bad, the state of the economy is what has people talking on European campuses. “It’s very much the hot topic at the moment in business schools,” Jeanette Purcell, chief executive of London-based Association of MBAs, a consortium of 145 business schools around the world, told the Journal.

For many, the focus is on recruitment trends. According to the Journal, recruitment of new MBAs in the finance sector has already slowed, and both students and faculty are fearing drop-offs in other sectors as well. Administrators are saying that graduates from European programs are increasingly looking for jobs in the stronger Asian economies, the Journal reports.

Professors, meanwhile, see many of the recent stories in the financial press as perfect fodder for classroom lessons and discussion. From the international movement of bad debt to the rouge trader blamed for billions in losses at French bank Société Générale, the crises have been “helpful from a teaching point of view,” Simon Taylor, a finance lecturer at Cambridge University’s Judge Business School, told the Journal.

Greater Employer Demand for International Experience, Bargain Prices
An article in BusinessWeek on Thursday also turned the focus on European business schools, citing curriculum improvements, growing corporate demand for international experience and shorter, cheaper programs as factors drawing business school applicants in ever greater numbers toward European business schools.

According to the BW report, applications to INSEAD, the French business school with campuses in Fontainebleau and Singapore, jumped 20 percent in the past year, and American student enrollment grew 24 percent over 2007, to 73 students. Barcelona’s IESE had 32 percent more applications from the U.S. and expects to enroll 35 Americans in the next class – a 60 percent increase. ESADE, also based in Barcelona, has received an overwhelming onslaught of inquiries from American applicants as well, BW continued.

Speaking to BW, INSEAD Dean Frank Brown suggested that more and more young people recognize the value of an MBA, but fewer want to devote two years – the length of most U.S. programs – to earning one. Others credit the U.S. recession as a contributing factor to higher European B-school applicant volume, BW reports.

The dollar’s week performance against the euro raises the cost of European programs for U.S. students, but even so, tuition at schools overseas represents a bargain. BW reports that the average tuition at the top 10 European schools is less than $73,000, vs. $86,600 at Harvard Business School, and about $95,000 at Wharton.

Another draw for American students, according to BW, is the European schools’ effort to enhance their focus on issues of social justice. Responding to student demand, several top European schools have added a wealth of new courses on corporate social responsibility, social entrepreneurship and doing business in developing countries, as well as founding new centers devoted to these and other issues.

Finally, according to BW, European business programs on average are smaller and more diverse than their American counterparts. Compared to Harvard and Wharton, whose MBA classes are 63 and 55 percent American, respectively, European schools are much more international. French students make up just 14 percent of the MBA class at France’s Paris HEC and Brit’s comprise a mere 5 percent of Oxford’s MBA class.

Wiki Wednesdays: Round 2 Interview Reports

Welcome to this April’s first installment of Wiki Wednesdays, where we take a peek at some of the latest posts to the Clear Admit Wiki, a repository of information learned by applicants as they progress through the MBA admissions process. This week, we’re setting our sights on MIT / Sloan, UCLA / Anderson, Stanford GSB, Wharton and INSEAD.

Recounting a “rigorous and thorough” interview with a member of MIT Sloan’s adcom, a Round 2 applicant shared the following questions he or she was posed:

1. Tell me about a time when you were overwhelmed and asked others for help.
2. Tell me about a time when you butted heads with a co-worker/client/employee.
3. Tell me about a time when you had to deal with someone who wasn’t pulling his/her weight.

A recent admit at UCLA Anderson added his interview with an associate director of MBA admissions, who asked:

1. What companies are you going to look for internships with?
2. What area of your management skills do you feel you could most improve upon?

Sticking with West Coast business schools, a Stanford GSB applicant interviewed with an alumnus and faced a broad range of discussion topics, some of which included:

1. What matters most to you and why?
2. [Identify a] failure.
3. [Tell me about one of your] social activities.
4. [Discuss this] under grad college club activity.

Heading back east, a Wharton alumnus posed the following questions to a Round 2 applicant:

1. What do you do for fun?
2. What will you do if you don’t get into Wharton or business school?
3. Have you considered a joint degree?

Last but not least, we turn to INSEAD for a Round 2 applicant’s firsthand report of an alumni interview. The candidate noted,

1. “[The interviewer] hadn’t read about me (I provided him my resume) so I essentially had to sell myself from scratch, telling him about my most recent work experiences and the things I did at my company, as well as my passions/hobbies in life…He then asked me what other schools I had applied to. It was a good opportunity for me to explain why INSEAD was my top choice (international experience) as well as my desire to be on the Singaporean campus.”

Thanks for joining us for this week’s Wiki Wednesdays! As always, we extend our gratitude to those who have contributed content to the Clear Admit Wiki for the benefit of the MBA applicant community. If you would like to add your experience to the Clear Admit Wiki, simply create an account or send your reports to wiki@clearadmit.com.

In addition to interview reports, we’d also love to see some more detailed accounts of visits to campus and decisions among programs. Thanks in advance for your reports and don’t forget to check out the Clear Admit Interview Guides for extra interview tips! Best of luck to those still interviewing and those making a choice between schools!

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Wiki Wednesdays: ‘March Interview Report Madness’, $10 iTunes Gift Certificates!

Welcome to this week’s edition of Wiki Wednesdays, where we highlight the latest goings on in the Clear Admit Wiki, a repository of applicants’ experiences with the MBA admissions process. Before we take a stroll through some of the newest posts, however, we’d like to note that we will be awarding a $10 iTunes gift certificate to each applicant who submits an interview report for Stanford GSB, INSEAD, Berkeley / Haas, UCLA / Anderson or MIT / Sloan (limit one gift certificate per person). To be eligible, applicants should e-mail their interview reports to wiki@clearadmit.com by March 31st.

For those wondering what sort of details to include in their Wiki entries, we find that the most helpful and informative reports include the following information:

1. Date/Admissions Round
2. Description of visit and/or interview atmosphere
3. Type of interview (alum vs. adcom, blind vs. application-based)
4. List of interview questions
5. Commentary (What did you think of the interview? What surprised you? What didn’t surprise you? What might you conclude about the school based on this experience?)

Some of the latest interviews reported in the Wiki took place with an adcom member of the Ross School of Business, off Kellogg’s campus with an alumn and over the phone with Fuqua. Other applicants also shared their interview experiences with the British MBA programs, Oxford / Said and London Business School.

Beyond such solid interview information, we’d also love to see some more detailed accounts of visits to campus and decisions among programs, especially with the Round 2 notification period heating up. This past week, in addition to interview reports from five different schools, we’ve received some reports on visits to HBS and Duke / Fuqua. One recent Fuqua candidate shared these observations on his experience:

1. “I attended a Macroeconomics class for my class visit and left very impressed again by the level of the students. They really seemed to engage well on the topic and discuss macro issues very effectively. Before class got started, I had a chance to speak with my student host about her experience at Duke and her future internship.”

Back in Boston, a prospective student noted the following about the atmosphere at HBS:

1. “There was plenty of laughter and camaraderie. Everyone I spoke to, including the students on the tour and at the lunch, were very friendly and seemed like relaxed people you’d want to be friends with.”

That concludes our tour of the Wiki this week! As always, we’d like to thank everyone who has contributed content to the Clear Admit Wiki and kept it a robust and informative resource this season. As a reminder, don’t forget to e-mail your interview reports from Stanford GSB, INSEAD, Berkeley / Haas, UCLA / Anderson or MIT / Sloan to wiki@clearadmit.com for a $10 iTunes gift certificate!

Friday, March 21, 2008

INSEAD Dean’s New Book Champions Global Leadership

To succeed in business today, CEOs can no longer hole up in their offices and expect the world to come to them, according to INSEAD Dean Frank Brown, whose most recent book, The Global Business Leader, was released in 2007. In an interview with the Economist earlier this month, Brown discussed the book, sharing practical advice for business leaders operating in an increasingly transcultural marketplace.

Organizations are no longer local, but instead operate across many countries and sell into many different economies, says Brown. “So, if you’re aspiring to leadership, the concept of building a career in one place is pretty much by the board,” he told the Economist. “You’ve really got to not just be aware of the other great places in the world, but be very familiar with them and have a perspective on what it means to operate there.”

As one of only two Americans and the first non-academic to serve as INSEAD dean, Brown broke tradition at the top European school when he was appointed in 2005. Prior to his appointment, he spent more than 25 years in international markets at PricewaterhouseCoopers, where he served as global leader for advisory services.

In his role at PWC, Brown learned – and practiced – many of the lessons he shares in his new book. In fact, in an article published by the Business and Advanced Technology Centre (BATC) in 2006, Brown credited his appointment as INSEAD dean to his international experience and international vision.

“I’ve lived in America all my life but I have spent the last 20 years travelling extensively in Europe and Japan doing mergers and acquisition transactions, developing businesses and helping to build a consulting business in China last year. INSEAD was looking for somebody with that kind of worldly perspective,” he told BATC.

According to Brown, the shift toward transcultural leadership has been underway since the 1980s, but several of the world’s most developed cultures have been among the slowest to embrace it. “America and Britain probably still lead the pack in terms of being more narrowly focused on their own environment as opposed to the world beyond,” he told the Economist.

Global leaders, says Brown, are those who view the world – not a single country – as their market. They also understand the value of communicating with cultural sensitivity, surrounding themselves with diverse leadership teams and gaining input from a range of different places when making important decisions, he says.

True to his real-world experience, Brown’s book is filled more with practical advice than academic theory. In his interview with the Economist he stressed above all else the importance of networking and relationship building. “Often I have met someone who is 30 or 35 years old and they ask me, ‘How do I build a network?’ My immediate answer is ‘You should have been doing it for the last 15 years,’” he said.

He hopes that young people, 18 or 20 years old, who read the book start developing their networks right away. “Building relationships is not something you do once you’re 40 and join the country club,” he cautions.

Being an effective communicator is also key to being a good leader, Brown told the Economist. “We all go to conferences and we all listen to speeches. Nine out of ten are absolutely boring – given by people who don’t make eye contact; who don’t modulate their voice; who don’t talk passionately enough; who read you slides,” he says. By being better prepared, knowing your audience and sticking to a timeline, these pitfalls are easy to avoid, he says, but too often, the importance of good communication is overlooked.

In many ways, the material in Brown’s new book seems to echo his vision for INSEAD as a school. In the BATC article published after his INSEAD appointment, he pointed to the school’s international focus – including its integrated campuses in Fontainebleau, France, and Singapore – and the development of a worldly business perspective among its students as its most distinguishing characteristics.

“A lot of students who come to INSEAD don’t apply anywhere else because they’re looking for international experience; they are looking for a place where you have to be multilingual when you walk in the door,” he told the BATC. “I’d also like to make leadership something that’s implicit in the INSEAD brand,” he added. “If you want to develop into a world leader, INSEAD is the place where you can do that with the very best of them.”

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Wiki Wednesdays: Submit an Interview Report for INSEAD, LBS or Haas and win a $10 iTunes Gift Card!

Welcome to another installment of Wiki Wednesdays, where we highlight new and informative posts to the Clear Admit Wiki. Over the past few weeks, we’ve seen great interview ‘field reports’ roll in for numerous schools! We’d like to thank all the applicants who have contributed their interview experiences from Chicago GSB, Columbia, and Darden, as well as NYU/Stern, UCLA Anderson, UNC Kenan Flagler, Duke/Fuqua and Wharton.

These reports have been invaluable in sharing what a program is looking for and helping other applicants arrive at a feeling of readiness, which is why we’re continuing to offer some incentives over the next two weeks…

Between now and this Friday, March 14th, we’ll be awarding a $10 iTunes gift certificate to the first 10 applicants who contribute interview reports to INSEAD, LBS or Berkeley/Haas. Also, between now and March 21st, we’ll be awarding a $15 iTunes gift certificate to every fifth applicant who contributes any interview field report content to the Wiki.  (Note: if iTunes isn’t your thing, we are happy to substitute the prize with an Amazon.com gift certificate). 

For those wondering what sort of details to include in their Wiki entries, we find that the most helpful and informative reports include the following information:

1. Date/Admissions Round
2. Description of visit and/or interview atmosphere
3. Type of interview (alum vs. adcom, blind vs. application-based)
4. List of interview questions
5. Commentary (What did you think of the interview? What surprised you? What didn’t surprise you? What might you conclude about the school based on this experience?)

Beyond interview information, we’d also love to see some more detailed accounts of visits to campus and decisions among programs.

To be eligible for a prize, simply send your contribution to wiki@clearadmit.com; we’ll post it to the Wiki and notify the winners by e-mail (one gift card limit per person). Thanks in advance for your reports and don’t forget to check out the Clear Admit Interview Guides for extra interview tips!

Thursday, March 06, 2008

INSEAD Interview Guide Now Available!

For R3 INSEAD applicants who are beginning to think about the next step in the admissions process, we’re pleased to announce that the Clear Admit Interview Guide to INSEAD is now available for purchase from the Clear Admit Shop!

Like all titles in the Interview Guides catalog, this document includes school-specific strategy and sample questions, firsthand interview accounts, analysis of how the INSEAD MBA Admissions team weighs the interview, and detailed information on planning a visit to either of the school’s campuses.

Stay tuned for some more exciting Clear Admit Guides news next week …

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Admissions Tip: Late Round Considerations

Nearing the end of a relatively sleepy February, March is just around the corner, bringing an extensive list of application deadlines and decision notification dates. Let’s take a look at the numerous Round 3 (or 4) deadlines spread over the next several months:

February 28: Wharton R3, UVA/Darden R3
February 29: LBS R3
March 1: Michigan/Ross R3
March 3: Duke/Fuqua R3, Columbia (international students)
March 7: Kellogg R3, UNC/Kenan-Flagler R4
March 10: CMU-Tepper R3
March 12: Berkeley/Haas R4, Chicago R3, HBS R3, Yale SOM R3
March 15: NYU Stern R3
March 19: Cornell/Johnson R4
March 21: Stanford GSB R3
April 1: UT Austin/McCombs (final)
April 2: Tuck April Round
April 3: INSEAD R4
April 4: Oxford/Said R3
April 16: Columbia (U.S. applicants)
April 23: UCLA/Anderson R4
April 25: Georgetown/McDonough Final Round
April 28: CMU-Tepper R4
May 2: LBS R4, Cambridge/Judge (final)
June 6: Oxford/Said R4

While it’s always best to apply as early as possible, the difference between applying in round one and applying in round two is, for most applicants, a marginal one. However, the later rounds are a very different game. Because most of the seats in the incoming class will have been given away by the time round two decisions are released, the acceptance rate in the third round is dramatically lower than that for the first two deadlines of the season.

To maximize your chances of a later round acceptance, demonstrating your interest in the school and submitting thoughtful and error-free written materials will be crucial. Just as applying in round one is generally taken as a sign of interest in a given program, applicants submitting their materials in a later ro