Application Process

For general advice on how to apply to business school, I will direct you to the numerous other sites that have extensive notes on the process.  Here, I will review some things that are unique to Insead, but the essence of the process is the same as all other top institutions.  Items of note are essays, language skills, and interviews.

Essays are the key to all applications, certainly, and I don't know that it is any different at Insead.  They are looking for people who have had success and failures, and learned from both.  Qualified candidates will be highly self-aware and will know why they want to go to business school.  Clearly, if you don't know why you want to go, that's fine, just make sure you sound like you are sure on the essays.  This may take you many hours or just a few; I spent time every day for four months writing applications to four schools, but one of my fellow students wrote their entire application in an afternoon.

Language skills are important, but perhaps less so than you think.  It is true that you must speak two languages to gain admission, and three languages to graduate, but the levels are not that high (in my opinion, they should be higher).  If you have thoughts of going to Insead in the next few years, I highly recommend getting your language requirements cleared as quickly as possible.  It's one less thing to worry about, it shows commitment, and you'll get back in the habit of setting long-range goals, studying, etc.

Insead requires two interviews for all candidates.  I believe that both interviews have to go well in order to gain admission, so do your homework, be prepared, and be professional.  Talk to as many alumni as possible to get a feel for the culture of the school; if you have a better sense of where Insead fits into the business education ecosystem, you will be much more effective in your interviews.  Expect to be asked the standard questions ("Why b-school?  Why Insead?") and expect to be questioned in whatever languages you claim to speak.  I was interviewed by one alumni who thoroughly exercised my English, French, and Spanish over the course of an hour, and it was possibly the most stressful hour of my life.  The moral of the story: don't exaggerate your language skills, they are easily tested and your honesty here is a proxy for the rest of your application.