Applying To INSEAD: Advice For 6 Typical Profiles

Sometimes, your career ambitions crystalize and circumstances are ripe for you to apply for a coveted slot in a top MBA program — but you find yourself a bit out of sync with the typical US MBA application and admissions cycle.

If you have grand ambitions, are ready to apply and can’t wait to get started, we here at Fortuna Admissions suggest you might look farther afield than the usual US suspects and consider INSEAD. The perennially top-ranked school offers an accelerated 10-month MBA program with your choice of start dates: in August or in January. As INSEAD is wrapping up application reviews for its Round 4 admissions for the August intake, it is launching Round 1 for the January admissions class. The time is ripe to apply for a January 2025 start!

As former director of admissions at INSEAD, I can honestly say that the school has a great deal to offer: a program focused on sustainability and socially responsible business; a fast-paced curriculum that includes practical experiences, three integrated campuses in France, Singapore and Abu Dhabi; and a highly global, multicultural class that comprises more than 100 different nationalities.

INSEAD is professionally diverse as well, with students from many backgrounds and sectors, and it welcomes those seeking new career horizons. In its most recent graduating class, 78% of graduates took post-MBA jobs that involved a change of industry sector, country or job function.

Like its peers, INSEAD intentionally admits a well-blended class with varied backgrounds, and they consider applicants holistically, taking in experiences, career goals, and many other factors beyond test scores in building that class. So, while the application process is highly competitive, candidates of non-typical backgrounds have a good shot at admission.

Based on my seven years at INSEAD overseeing admissions and financial aid, here’s my advice for positioning a stand-out application for six typical profiles.

Career-changers

As noted above, most INSEAD students are making some significant change in their career. The MBA program measures change across three dimensions: industry, function and country. Every year, typically around 80% make a change on one of these dimensions, and about 25% make a change on all three dimensions. If you are planning a pretty dramatic career change, you could be well advised to join the January intake, so that you can take an internship in July and August (the September entry doesn’t have an internship option, unless you do a pre-MBA internship).

While many INSEAD students end up changing their minds about their future plans during the year, thanks to the transformational nature of the MBA experience, be warned that a 10-month program doesn’t give you a lot of time for mulling over infinite options. You need to be ready to make decisions about your future direction quickly, and you also need to be able to juggle an intensive academic schedule with an ongoing and regular investment of time in your job search.

The ‘common’ profile

There are some profiles – for instance, management consultants based in Europe, or Indian IT professionals — that pour into the INSEAD admissions office by the hundreds. Whilst INSEAD has no hard and fast quota, they also want to create a diverse class, so in reality, the competition can be tougher for some than for others.

If you have a common profile, then you need to be strong across all elements of the application, including your academic profile, your professional track record, your international experience, and your activities and achievements outside of work or study. Try to weave a memorable story into your application that will help you stand out in the mind of the file reader. It’s not uncommon for file readers to review apps from candidates with similar profiles at the same time, so reflect on unique or distinctive elements that help make yours a lively read.

Nontraditional candidates

You’re not at a disadvantage without the typical pre-MBA track record, because an uncommon background helps you stand out more easily. Schools like INSEAD work hard to craft a diverse class on all fronts, including professional backgrounds. There are always several students with non-business backgrounds, such as scientists, doctors, journalists and military officers. There have been performing artists, and even a monk!

As a nontraditional candidate, you need to demonstrate that you have a clear rationale for earning your MBA — a vision of what you want to achieve — and this has to be credible. The admissions team needs to be convinced that you have the skills and drive to make a big career change work. And as with other candidates, you have to demonstrate that you are a high achiever in your work, whatever that may be.

Limited work experience

On average, INSEAD students have five to six years’ work experience, however the range is about three to eight years. Remember also that the length of work experience is measured as how long you will have worked by the time you start the program, not how long you have worked by the time you apply.

If you will only have two to three years’ experience by the time you start, you’ll need to work hard in your application to demonstrate that you already have some significant professional accomplishments, that you have interesting experience and perspectives to share with team mates who may be further ahead in their careers than you, and that you have the maturity to fit in well with class-mates that on average are likely to be a bit older than you.

Limited international experience

INSEAD takes great pride in the international diversity of its MBA program: both as regards the range of nationalities represented (110 in a typical class in recent years), and the international experience of the students. But not everyone at INSEAD has a lot of international experience. Typically, those who gain admission without much experience beyond their own borders are from emerging markets. They may not have had the financial means to travel but are still able to demonstrate that they have the ability to collaborate in an incredibly diverse environment, and they have likely worked in international teams.

If you fall into this category, be sure to make sure your application reflects qualities such as openness, flexibility, curiosity about other cultures, interpersonal skills and maturity; all these elements help. It also helps to demonstrate your need to join such an international community — that it will be highly relevant for your future career plans. If your focus is and has really been on your domestic market, then think twice before applying.

Lower Exam Scores

The average GMAT at INSEAD on the now-retired form of the test was 708. This translates to a 655 score, or just under the 90th percentile, on the new GMAT Focus Edition. INSEAD looks closely at the breakdown of scores for each section; they recommend that candidates should score at least at or above the 60th percentile on the Verbal component, and a 66th percentile on the Quantitative and Data Insights components. If you score below these levels, you will need a very strong academic track record, and/or have a profile that the school loves.

If you opt for the GRE instead of the new GMAT Focus Edition, INSEAD recommends aiming for a score in the 80th percentile or above in the verbal and quantitative sections.

INSEAD is perhaps not as flexible as some top schools as regards the GMAT. This is in part because it is a one-year program, so the pace is fast and the school needs assurance that you have the academic ability to keep up. The GMAT and GRE are useful tools for INSEAD because the schools draw such an international class from differing educational systems. These global standardized tests are a reliable way to compare academic performance and the likelihood of success on the MBA program.

If your score is borderline, consider shoring up your academic profile with a standard quant-based course such as accounting, statistics and finance. Online quant courses, such as those offered by Berkeley Extension, or HBxCore, offer an opportunity to build your skill set while demonstrating your ability to handle the academic rigor.

For more insight on maximizing your chances of admissions success at INSEAD, view this recent article by my Fortuna colleague Melissa Jones: How To Prepare For The INSEAD Admissions Interview. Another Fortuna expert coach, Cassandra Pittman, offers strategies and tips for mastering all of INSEAD’s seven application essays here.

And if you would benefit from more advice on your MBA admissions strategy, timing, target schools or how to best position yourself to stand out from a crowd, Fortuna coaches can help. Book a free 30-minute consultation now to learn more.

Caroline Diarte Edwards is a director at MBA admissions coaching firm Fortuna Admissions and former INSEAD director of admissions, marketing and financial aid. Fortuna’s team of expert coaches includes former admissions directors and business school insiders from top schools.