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INSEAD Admissions Essay Requirements
INSEAD
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Another international program, INSEAD is a renowned business institution. As a result, applicants should expect to spend considerable time ensuring their INSEAD essays are as good as they can possibly be, since the admissions committee puts substantial weight on having excellent MBA essays. And considering that they ask you for 6 required essays, you’ll be writing for a while.
INSEAD essay prompts are quite diverse, and cover many of the same elements that your standard MBA programs ask about: career progress and accomplishments, leadership, and teamwork, for example. Make sure to carefully review the INSEAD essay prompts, as you need to understand exactly what they’re asking to write great essays.
No matter which of the essay prompts you’re working on, EssayEdge has a detailed analysis of the 2011-2012 INSEAD essay prompts. If you’re wondering how you can go about writing a great INSEAD admissions essay, scroll down the page to see our prompt-by-prompt breakdowns.
Section 1: Job Description Essays
Prompt 1: Briefly summarise your current (or most recent) job, including the nature of work, major responsibilities, and, where relevant, employees under your supervision, size of budget, clients/ products and results achieved.
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Approaching the prompt There’s no need to try to be fancy here. INSEAD wants you to get to the point quickly and highlight for them the most dynamic aspects of your current or most recent position. They’re looking for you to display a high level of achievement and leadership as well as a willingness to take on responsibility. Common pitfalls Not Covering All the Topics in the Prompt. You’re not going to have room to go into much detail in this essay. Nevertheless, all aspects of the prompt need to be addressed – if only briefly. Omitting any part of the prompt sends the message that you may have trouble meeting goals within the limits set by your instructors/supervisors. |
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Section 1: Job Description Essays
Prompt 2: Please give 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?
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Approaching the prompt This prompt almost seems to contradict itself. A full description of your post-baccalaureate career in 250 words or fewer? How is that even possible? Therefore, think in terms of career path or progress. Show the admissions committee how you have been steadily improving and that you have a plan for how to capitalize on your current position – even if you are certain that you will not be with your present employer after you complete the INSEAD program. Common pitfalls Forgetting to Address the Second Half of the Prompt. Many applicants have quite a bit of ground to cover in this essay. For this reason, they run out of space and don’t respond to the second half of the prompt. INSEAD is looking for you to show that you are not just jumping out of your job and into graduate school. Demonstrate that you have a plan for how to move forward in your current career. |
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Section 1: Job Description Essays
Prompt 3: If you are currently not working, what are you doing and what do you plan to do until you start the MBA programme?
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Approaching the prompt Even if you are not employed at the time of your application, INSEAD still wants you to reflect the qualities of leadership and a strong sense of purpose. Are you solidifying your academic foundation? What about volunteer work? Have you been traveling to strengthen your global mindset? Regardless, represent this information to the admissions officers in a way that is relevant to the INSEAD program. Common pitfalls Seeming Unfocused. While many applicants have – for whatever reason – chosen to have a gap between work experience and enrolling in a graduate business program, make sure that you demonstrate you had plans and goals for this break. This is not the place to say that you just wanted to ‘see what was out there’ or go ‘wherever the road of life’ took you. |
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Section 2: Main Essays
Prompt 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.
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Approaching the prompt It can be exceptionally difficult to reflect accurately on ourselves. Most applicants tend to either be too lenient or too critical in their self-evaluations. This is where feedback from others is very helpful. Ask for insight not only from friends and close colleagues, but also from people who work with you but do not know you too well personally. You’ll probably discover both strengths and weaknesses that you were either unaware of or did not place high on your list. Common pitfalls Not Including Examples: Although the prompt states to give examples ‘when necessary’, they simply mean to do this as needed. It does not mean that the examples are optional. INSEAD wants examples from your life that have been most pivotal in your personal development. Being Cagey About Your Weaknesses: Stating that you are sometimes short-tempered with your subordinates because of your high expectations of them seems like you are blaming them. While it is excellent to show that you have grown and make progress to mitigate your weaknesses, make sure that responsibility for your actions rests squarely with you. |
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Section 2: Main Essays
Prompt 2: 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.
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Approaching the prompt Realize that INSEAD is not asking for the accomplishments that have necessarily garnered you the highest accolades or rewards. If these happen to mesh, that is fine. However, what the admissions officers would like to read about are the ones that you feel have had the biggest impact on your personal and professional progress to date. The admissions committee is less concerned here with outcomes than with your internal process. For this reason, demonstrate insight and the ability to reflect meaningfully on your actions. Common pitfalls Focusing on the Accomplishment Itself: The admissions officers will have a copy of your CV. For this reason, spend less time describing the incident and more time giving the admissions officers access to your thoughts and how you view this accomplishment in relationship to your other achievements. Not Including Both a Personal and Professional Accomplishment: Yes, it is optional to include both a personal and professional example. However, it is highly recommended, and you would avoid this strong recommendation from the INSEAD application at your own peril. It can be challenging to sift through our personal lives and decide on our most substantial personal accomplishment. Remember, the goal here isn’t to impress the committee with the achievement. There may have been a personal experience that, while it would not impress others, made the difference in how you approach the world and your career. It is the explanation that matters most. |
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Section 2: Main Essays
Prompt 3: Describe a situation taken from your personal or professional life where you failed. Discuss what you learned.
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Approaching the prompt INSEAD isn’t mincing words here, and they’re expecting honesty in return. While it can be difficult to admit failure, a life and career of challenges, risks, and triumphs cannot be achieved without it. For this reason, choose a situation that is relevant to your application to INSEAD. Show that, as a result of the failure, you gained something that you would have never learned without it. Most of all, show that you have integrated the experience and are now better prepared to deal with new challenges and opportunities as a result. Common pitfalls Blaming Others: If the situation was genuinely out of your control, then the failure wasn’t your fault. Don’t use that as an example. INSEAD wants to read about a time where you either took an unsuccessful action or did not act when you should have. Not Making a Connection to the INSEAD program: Life, particularly adult life, is largely trial and error. Therefore, anyone who is actually living their life has numerous cringe-worthy circumstances from which to choose for this essay. Therefore, make sure that you select and anecdote that relates to the character strengths that you wish to display or the growth areas that you wish to address in the program. |
Ensure your MBA essays are the best they can be with help from the experts at EssayEdge. "My editor was outstanding! He not only provided advice but also explained why he was making those suggestions. I really appreciated his guidance." - Tsung, MBA Standard Service |
Section 2: Main Essays
Prompt 4: (Two Parts) a) Discuss your short and long term career goals. and b) How will studying at INSEAD help you achieve your vision?
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Approaching the prompt This is really a single prompt, but INSEAD wants you to approach it in a very specific way. The admissions officers are looking for direct connections between the offerings of the INSEAD program and your career goals. For this reason, taking the time to become very familiar with the course program and other opportunities is invaluable. Not only will it show that you have made an informed decision in applying to INSEAD, it will demonstrate that you are prepared to maximize the INSEAD experience. Common pitfalls Focusing on the School’s Reputation. Yes, it is true that an INSEAD education will open many doors for you. However, that will be true of all applicants. Moreover, it could be said of any number of top business schools around the world. INSEAD is looking for the specific reasons that INSEAD is uniquely suited to your short and long term goals. |
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Section 2: Main Essays
Prompt 5: (Pick 1 of 2) 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.
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Approaching the prompt Whichever one you choose, the admissions officers want to know that you have the ability to reflect and analyze culture on a broad scale. You’ll work with an international cohort at INSEAD, and the ability to be objective about different cultures is a required skill. Common pitfalls Being too Negative. Culture shock is almost universally an unpleasant experience. And while culture shock can result from colliding with the less than ideal aspects of any culture, it is nevertheless imperative to always retain a positive tone. |
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