HEC Paris maintained its number one position in the Financial Times’ ranking of best European business schools this year, released this week. INSEAD bumped London Business School from number two to number three, and Spain’s IESE Business School and Switzerland’s IMD came in at fourth and fifth respectively. Overall, there were no dramatic changes in the line-up of top European schools save the rapid ascent of Italy’s SDA Bocconi School of Management, which tied for seventh this year as compared to its three-year rank of 16th.
In a special report accompanying the rankings, the FT’s Della Bradshaw pointed out that European schools, which until now attracted non-European applicants with their diverse student bodies and globally focused curriculums, face several new threats that could undermine these advantages. Chief among them are the continuing euro crisis and the reluctance of European governments to award post-degree work visas to non-Europeans as well as the rapid rise of Chinese and Indian business schools. » Continue reading
Posted by Clear Admit on November 15, 2011, at 1:00 am
Posted in:  Interview Tips , Interview: INSEAD , School: INSEAD As applicants to INSEAD may know, candidates undergo two admissions interviews. The following excerpt was shared by a Round 1 INSEAD candidate:
“My first interview was with someone pretty experienced in fields completely different than my own. The interview was very conversational and friendly. Questions were typical: walk through resume, why MBA now, what are my goals. Also talked about working across cultures and where I see myself in 15-20 years on a personal standpoint (not professional) – the talk was great, he shared a lot of his experience with INSEAD. Interview lasted just 40min. » Continue reading
 For MBA applicants who are on the go, Clear Admit now offers seven of our highly acclaimed School Guides in App form for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch!
Prospective applicants to Chicago Booth, Columbia, Harvard, INSEAD, Kellogg, Stanford and Wharton need to look no further for a comprehensive, at your fingertips resource that is helpful at all stages of the MBA admissions process. Whether you are just beginning to research target schools, crafting application essays, preparing for an admissions interview or making a final decision about where you attend, the Clear Admit MBA Guide Apps are a valuable and time-saving resource.
Each of the s even MBA Guide Apps includes 30+ pages of objective information covering student demographics, academics, special programs, student life, career services, admission and financial aid among other things. The convenient “Notes” feature allows you to record your thoughts as you peruse each page of the guide.
If you’re an MBA applicant who wants the benefits of the Clear Admit School Guides with the convince of being able to read them anywhere, the School Guide Apps are for you!
Visit the iTunes Store today to download the MBA Guide Apps for the iPad and iPhone!
Posted by Clear Admit on October 4, 2011, at 3:00 am
Posted in: School Guides , School: INSEAD , Trivia Tuesday Welcome to this week’s Trivia Tuesday, in which we examine special offerings that differentiate the leading MBA programs from their peers. Today we’re taking a look into the Clear Admit School Guide to INSEAD in order to share with you an excerpt about the school’s exchange opportunity with the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business.
“Through an alliance with the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, one of the leading MBA programs in the U.S., INSEAD students can also spend one period in the city of Philadelphia taking elective courses at Wharton.
“Space in this exchange program is limited to just 35 students per period. Those who wish to spend a semester at Wharton must complete an application and bid on this opportunity using their elective points. INSEAD students in the January intake may enroll in the Wharton exchange in either P4 or P5; because Wharton’s summer vacation coincides with P5 of the September intake, however, September students may only travel to Philadelphia in P4. » Continue reading
Posted by Clear Admit on August 29, 2011, at 3:00 am
Posted in: Admissions Tips , School: Berkeley / Haas , School: Chicago , School: Columbia , School: Dartmouth / Tuck , School: Duke / Fuqua , School: Harvard , School: IESE , School: IMD , School: INSEAD , School: London Business School , School: Michigan / Ross , School: NYU Stern , School: Penn / Wharton , School: Stanford , School: UCLA / Anderson , School: UNC / Kenan Flagler , School: Virginia / Darden , School: Yale For all those applicants who have recently opened a calendar to plot out the next few months only to realize they can’t possibly fit in campus visits on top of full time jobs and essay writing, never fear! It’s true that traveling to a school’s campus is the ideal way to learn about their MBA program, but visiting is often not a viable option for applicants who are located remotely or unsure of their level of interest in a given school. The good news is that business schools might very well come to them. Many b-schools are getting ready to hit the road and embark on worldwide tours to dispense information and recruit qualified applicants. Such events offer a great opportunity for interested students to meet with admissions staff (and sometimes with current students and/or alumni), learn about the program and ask specific questions.
Some of the top schools are already on the road, so we recommend looking into the travel schedules for programs of interest and planning accordingly. Keeping in mind that these schedules are updated and amended throughout the fall, here are some of the top programs’ itineraries for the months ahead:
» Continue reading
We are pleased to announce the release of the 2011-2012 Clear Admit School Guides to Darden, INSEAD, Johnson, Kenan-Flagler, LBS, McCombs and Tepper! As previously announced earlier this summer, the updated versions of the Clear Admit School Guides to Chicago Booth, Columbia, Harvard, Kellogg, Ross, Stanford, Wharton, Anderson, Fuqua, Haas, MIT Sloan, NYU Stern, Tuck and Yale SOM also available for immediate download in our shop.
All of the 2011-2012 editions feature the most current information from the programs, including the latest admissions guidelines, class demographics and placement statistics, and offer insight into year-over-year trends. This year, our guides include more student quotes, new content about school-specific special programs, exclusive Q&As with admissions directors and career services directors, and Clear Admit’s analysis of essay topics. » Continue reading
Posted by Clear Admit on July 11, 2011, at 1:00 pm
Posted in: MBA News , School: INSEAD , School: Penn / Wharton INSEAD, a leading business school with campuses in Fontainebleau, France, and Singapore, has plans to offer an MBA program in the United States, according to a recent report in PoetsandQuants.
The details of the program are not yet clear. “But we will offer some degree, either the MBA or the Executive MBA,” INSEAD Dean Dipak Jain told PandQ. “We are not sure whether we would do it alone or with someone. But definitely we want to increase our presence in the U.S.”
Through a 10-year alliance with the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, INSEAD has provided opportunities for MBA student and faculty exchanges between the two schools, and it has also offered some joint executive education programs. But that has been the limit of its U.S. offerings until now. » Continue reading
Posted by Clear Admit on June 28, 2011, at 3:30 pm
Posted in: Essay Topic Analysis , School: INSEAD INSEAD’s essay questions cover a good deal of ground, giving candidates ample opportunity to discuss a range of topics related to their candidacies and highlight various elements of their interests and experiences. The first two “job essays” ask for a factual account of one’s current position (or lack thereof) and overall professional progression, while the rest of the set invite short reflections and exposition of the type MBA applicants are accustomed. INSEAD has made a few changes to its prompts for the first time in several years, expanding some of its essays word limits and adding a new prompt inviting candidates who are not currently employed full-time to discuss how they’ve been spending their days and preparing for an MBA program.
INSEAD’s total of seven essays puts the school at the high end of the MBA application spectrum in terms of questions posed. As always, careful forethought and planning before beginning to write will be important in ensuring that one is using each essay to one’s best advantage and presenting a balanced picture of a well-rounded individual. Let’s take a closer look at the questions: » Continue reading
Posted by Clear Admit on June 28, 2011, at 3:00 am
Posted in: School Guides , School: INSEAD , Trivia Tuesday Another week, another installment in Clear Admit’s Trivia Tuesday column! Today, we’re taking a peek into the Clear Admit School Guide to INSEAD to share an excerpt about the program’s recruiting process. INSEAD is one of the most unique MBA programs that Clear Admit covers, not least because its student body is split between two campuses in France and Singapore. As you’ll see, though, the INSEAD Career Services team is adept at connecting its students with recruiters around the world.
“In an effort to connect INSEAD students on both campuses with their target industries, the school’s Career Services team cultivates strong ties with companies around the world while also helping INSEAD students develop effective job search strategies.
“Due to INSEAD students’ mobility between the school’s Singapore and Fontainebleau campuses, the Career Services team ensures that its recruiting tools and opportunities are fully integrated across the two campuses, and all companies that recruit at INSEAD are required to target students on both continents. While employers are encouraged to visit each campus in person, INSEAD’s video- and teleconferencing facilities ensure that company representatives can meet and interview students in France and in Singapore with equal ease. » Continue reading
Posted by Clear Admit on June 26, 2011, at 12:00 pm
Posted in: Essay Topic Analysis , School: INSEAD 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. (600 words maximum)
INSEAD has expanded the word limit for this essay from 400 to 600 for this admissions season, giving this year’s applicants considerably more room in which to address this multi-faceted prompt. It’s important to address the question in full when responding to this sort of essay, but it’s also in one’s best interest to focus as much as possible on the positive. With this in mind, you might lead off with two or three positive qualities and then comment on one or two weaknesses – ideally ones that you’ve already taken steps to address. Whether discussing a strength or a weakness, though, it’s ideal to back up every statement about your character with a brief example as “proof” of the statement. Note that this response also calls for a bit of reflection on the forces that have shaped the candidate’s personal development; commentary on this topic could be built into the discussion of each personal characteristic introduced, or in an introduction or conclusion if there are themes that run throughout your examples. INSEAD’s framework gives applicants free reign to select personal, professional or extracurricular subjects, so try to select your examples with an eye to presenting a balanced picture of your interests and experiences.
To read our analysis of all of INSEAD’s essay questions, click here.
Posted by Clear Admit on June 26, 2011, at 12:00 pm
Posted in: Essay Topic Analysis , School: INSEAD a) Discuss your short and long term career goals. (300 words maximum) and b) How will studying at INSEAD help you achieve your vision? (250 words maximum)
INSEAD has made some changes to its Essay 4 for this season; the school now asks for distinct short- and long-term professional objectives, and specifies separate word limits for each of the two components of the prompt. Still, this remains a standard career goals essay, with an interesting focus on skills as they relate to INSEAD classes and future goals. The phrasing of this question might indicate that the school is looking for applicants who have really thought through the limitations they face given their current skill sets, and have a clear sense of what they need to learn (and how they will do so through an MBA) in order to be successful in a very specific career path. This underscores the fact that well-defined goals and school-specific detail are essential to a successful application.
As is the case with most schools, demonstrating an understanding of the unique merits of INSEAD’s program is crucial to an effective response to this question. Taking the time to learn about the school’s curriculum, special programs and extracurricular activities – whether through a visit to campus, conversation with alumni or reading the Clear Admit School Guide to INSEAD – will pay dividends here.
To read our analysis of all of INSEAD’s essay questions, click here.
Posted by Clear Admit on June 26, 2011, at 12:00 pm
Posted in: Essay Topic Analysis , School: INSEAD Describe a situation taken from your personal or professional life where you failed. Discuss what you learned. (400 words maximum)
While the wording of this question has changed extensively since last year, shifting from personal objectives not being met to a more straightforward request that the applicant discuss a failure, its essence remains the same. To fully address this question, you’ll need to describe the situation and detail, in very concrete terms, what went wrong and why. Keep in mind that the reason a school asks this question is to discern whether a student is able to learn from experience and avoid repeating past mistakes. It will therefore be important to clearly address the second component of this question, discussing the personal growth that resulted from this situation. To end on as positive a note as possible, you might also consider closing this essay with a brief comment about how this lesson has served you since the time of the initial failure.
To read our analysis of all of INSEAD’s essay questions, click here.
Posted by Clear Admit on June 26, 2011, at 12:00 pm
Posted in: Essay Topics , School: INSEAD Please choose one of the following two essay topics:
a) Have you ever experienced culture shock? What insights did you gain? (250 words maximum) or
b) Describe the ways in which a foreigner in your country might experience culture shock. (250 words maximum)
This sort of question is designed to gauge an applicant’s cultural sensitivity and ability to conduct business in an international setting, and probably comes as no surprise to applicants who are familiar with INSEAD’s reputation as a highly international program. The first option asks applicants to recount a trying experience in another country or environment, and to explain the resulting personal growth and process of adjustment. Meanwhile, the second asks candidates to reflect on the unique characteristics of his or her own culture and anticipate the issues that a visitor might encounter. In both responses, one has an opportunity to demonstrate cultural flexibility, offering evidence for his or her ability to operate as a global citizen and work in diverse teams. Of course, many of the best essays will manage to incorporate a healthy dose of lessons learned, indicating that cultural adjustment can be fraught with trial and error rather than sugar-coating a response and failing to outline the struggles or periods of adjustment.
To read our analysis of all of INSEAD’s essay questions, click here.
Posted by Clear Admit on June 26, 2011, at 12:00 pm
Posted in: Essay Topic Analysis , School: INSEAD Describe what you believe to be your two most substantial accomplishments to date (if possible specify one personal and one professional), explaining why you view them as such. (400 words maximum)
This is another fairly straightforward question that has appeared on the INSEAD application for a number of years running. The parenthetical direction, however, is new for this season; INSEAD now includes an explicit request for one professional achievement and another from the personal realm. As always, it will be important to ground your comments in specific details and fully explain why these achievements were significant, both in terms of the results you produced, challenges you overcame, and the lessons you learned. To achieve a complementary effect in the stories beyond the personal/professional contrast, you might consider how these accomplishment reflect two distinct skills or strengths, and to make sure that these are reflected in your discussion.
To read our analysis of all of INSEAD’s essay questions, click here.
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