A step-by-step guide of how I managed my weaknesses & strenghts and handled the process to get into INSEAD MBA.

It was a slow weekend afternoon in 2014.

I was contemplating which business schools I should pursue.

I was going through articles & YouTube videos to learn more about the schools and the MBA experience.

INSEAD MBA was one of the programs that I kept hearing about for a long time. But I was kind of daunted by the prospect.

What chance did I have of getting into one of the top & elite schools in the world?

But hey, you miss all the shots you don’t take, right? So, I had to give it a shot. And I followed the method I always do. The method of eating an elephant, one bite at a time.

Step 01: What do I need to get into INSEAD MBA ?

I started by doing online research: What does INSEAD look for in candidates It was fairly easy to find 4 qualities —

1. Ability to contribute
2. International Motivation
3. Academic Capacity
4. Leadership.

Step 02: But Do I Have Them? Time for a Gap Analysis

The admission committee was looking for those 4 qualities. They would also have to like the candidate on paper and during interviews. I would have to show that I possessed the qualities through my application and eventual interviews.

My background was in marketing ( ATL, BTL & Digital) and product management in Bangladesh (my home country). I also had relatively faster growth in my career. As a result, I felt I had the ability to contribute to the INSEAD MBA classroom experiences.

I spent my adolescent years in a semi-military boarding school (Mirzapur Cadet College). In my final year, I was made a prefect leading 100 cadets for a year. We led them through dozens of competitions and the house cup championship. In my career, I became a Category Brand Manage at a young age. I felt I had solid leadership experiences.

But, the gaps were clear:

a) I performed below expectation in some quantitative courses in my undergrad. I had to prove that I recovered from that. I needed to show that I had the academic capacity to take on the rigor of INSEAD MBA courses & experience.

b) I had very little international experience and exposure. My exposure mostly came from some visits to the regional office in India and traveling. I needed to either take up international assignments or show my motivation with my existing exposure.

Step 03: What Can I Do About the Gaps?

Academic Capacity For INSEAD MBA —

Most business schools need GMAT scores from MBA applicants. In GMAT you can show your level in quantitative. I was yet to sit for the GMAT. That exam was an opportunity to show that I was good with numbers and the scores in undergrad were an anomaly. Or I could also say that I had worked on my weaknesses and improved myself. Either way, doing well in GMAT became imperative.

I took two more initiatives —

1. Joined data analysis courses in Coursera
2. Completed a short project that allowed me to grow in quant space as well.

International Motivation —

I requested my company for more international exposure and visits. I also started taking solo trips to learn more about cultures.

These were not much but showed that I was willing to adapt to international settings.

Step 04: How Important Was GMAT & TOEFL?

I registered for the GMAT couple of months before the exam.

Usually, with registration, MBA.com provides 2 free tests. You might know that GMAT is an adaptive test. So, taking a paper-based practice test would not replicate the actual experience. Those 2 free tests were the closest to what the real test would look like. That made them precious! I purchased 2 more tests from MBA.com.

I will not bore you with preparation details but will mention how I used the tests —

• Before taking any preparation, I completed one of the tests to see where I stood.
• I identified my improvement areas and used another practice test after a month.
• I kept the last two for the final week. My target was to improve enough in the Quantitative segment.

When the day of the exam came, I felt ready. Unfortunately, I had some poor experiences in the center. After the exam went on for an hour, due to a problem with one of the computers, the test was stopped for almost an hour. The center attendants called someone in the US office where it was quite late then. Eventually, someone picked up the phone and fixed the issue. After almost an hour the test could be resumed. This additional stress didn’t derail me much but it was problematic. I scored lower than the practice tests. Although my quantitative score was at par with my expectation. So, I could use that to show my academic capacity.

TOEFL was fairly straightforward. I was aiming for a 100+ score out of 120 and comfortably crossed the mark. I didn’t have to practice as I use English in my work.

Step 05: How About a Test Run?

Although I targeted INSEAD MBA, I didn’t want it to be the first program I applied to. In a way, I wanted to get familiar with the whole process so I applied to another school in January 2015. It made me realize that the application essays are different ball games altogether.

It was also interesting to see that the gaps I identified came up during the interview. So this was also an indication that I was assessing myself properly.

Step 06: What Goes into the Final Application?

The application is a summation of who you are and what you want to tell the admission team. A lot of candidates may perform strongly in all four qualities. But there’s no way for the admission committee to know that other than from the application.

So it was key for me to tell my story, cover my gaps, and answer any potential questions in the application.

For example, GMAT, certifications, CV, etc. would cover academic capacity and ability to contribute. But for leadership, it’s better to use one of the essays.

I started by creating a table to note which document was referring to which quality. I realized what I needed to cover in my essays and open-ended questions. It’s important to avoid repetition of information and share the whole story covering all required points.

This table was key. I strongly recommend using a methodical approach while applying.

For example, I saw that I needed to explain my international motivations. Let’s assume that INSEAD has asked the following question in the application —

“Please describe a situation in which you worked will people from different backgrounds and how did you adapt.”

I can write about a scenario that shows my ability to contribute. But I could also focus on a story that covers international motivation. In my case, I did the second one.

Step 07: Tick-Tock-Tick, Is Time Running Out?

Although it is not a sequential step, budgeting enough time was crucial. I am mentioning it here as I submitted the application very close to the date.

For my work, I was out of the country and the deadline was fast approaching. I even considered skipping the round and waiting for the next round. Ultimately, I found some time to add finishing touches.

The moral of the story — Have extra time on hand.

Step 08: How to Prepare for INSEAD MBA Interview?

Within a month or so, I received the heartbeat-stopping pre-selection email which invited me to attend two interviews. My interviews took place within 25–30 days of receiving the mail.

For interviews, I prepared by going through some common questions like —

• What’s my story?
• What’re my plans?
• Why INSEAD?
• Why MBA? etc.

Additionally, I asked some of my friends to interview me.

I recorded myself and worked on my non-verbal cues. I am not particularly good at interviews so I was pretty nervous about this step.

Step 09: Can you get scholarship for INSEAD MBA ?

This might sound like a strange step.

I submitted essays for the scholarship, as the scholarship deadline was before my interviews. I was a round 2 applicant and my interview was on the 1st week of December. But the scholarship essay deadline was 30th November. So, even before completing the interview, I had to write essays explaining why I needed scholarships.

It’s important to check the scholarship application deadline and not wait till the final acceptance. I know of a friend who didn’t check when to apply and missed the scholarship window.

Step 10: The Day of the Interview

INSEAD tried to find alums in Dhaka who would interview my but no one was available then. So they scheduled interviews in KL, Malaysia. Interestingly, I have been to KL quite a few times before that so I felt comfortable about it.

I had a good breakfast that day and a long shower. Wearing my favorite suit and a bright sky-blue shirt, I took some documents with me — including my CV and a copy of my application. My plan was to get to a calm state of mind.

Both my interviews were on the same day. As one of those was in a restaurant in KLCC Shopping Mall, I checked out the restaurant a day earlier to see where it was. Given how large the mall was, it saved time for me on the final day.

One amazing part of the INSEAD MBA recruitment is the interviews.

These interviews were conducted by alums who have obviously gone through the same process. Both my interviewers were inspiring professionals & individuals. One of them was working for an Oil & Gas company. She had such a lovely personality. The other was with a consulting firm. He was meticulous with his questions. They had one thing in common. Both of them made me feel comfortable in the process. The interviews felt like friendly chats over coffee. I am quite glad and thankful for this part of the step.

During the chats, I made sure to talk about my weaknesses or apparent gaps in the application, even before I was asked about them explicitly. I remember one of the interviewers appreciating the initiatives I took in previous years to improve myself.

Result Time — Wait for it!

And after 10 days, I got the email I was waiting for! 🙂

“On behalf of the admissions committee, it is my great pleasure to offer you a place in the INSEAD MBA…..”

(INSEAD also calls with the news but somehow I missed it. Probably because they called my home number and I was out during that time)

With that, the journey that started 1.5 years back, entered the next stage.