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Getting into INSEAD MBA - GMAT, Essays, Recommendation Letter & Scholarships

Insead
MBA Consulting

Insead MBAIn the Second Part of the Interview with Minh Huy Lai, the Managing Director of INSEAD MBA Programme, we discuss the Admission process (Essays, Recommendation Letter and Interviews), the entry criteria (GMAT, International Exposure, Experience), and the scholarship opportunities for MBA Applicants.

Read the first part of the interview to learn about INSEAD's MBA Curriculum, Campus Structure and the program's success in attracting top recruiters from Management Consulting.

Are there any criteria in terms of International exposure when you accept INSEAD candidates? Should they have travel experience or is it just working with an International (Multinational) company that counts?
 
Minh (INSEAD MBA): First, let us discuss what International experience means. An applicant might be working in their home country for an International company, but if they have traveled and stayed in another country for work, we consider it an international experience. Or they should have worked with an international team and interacted with them on a regular basis. Even if the applicant has no opportunity to travel abroad or work with an international team, their experience on projects outside of their work will also be taken into consideration for our Admissions. If you look at a typical profile, they would have done their undergraduate in a different country or at least taken an exchange program. They would have traveled extensively for work and hold an international outlook.
 
Do you accept applicants with less than 3 years of experience?
 
Minh (INSEAD MBA): It has happened before, but it is rare. I would say that the chance of admission is one in a hundred. We tend not to accept younger candidates for the simple reason that half of what you learn is from your peers. If you are young, you won't have a perspective that would be of much value to the more experienced class. When we admit young candidates, they tend to have extensive experience in their family business or 2-3 start-up experiences under their belt.
 
What would be a typical profile look like? Who should join INSEAD?
 
Minh (INSEAD MBA): The candidates would already have an international background with the capability to speak a couple of languages. They have the ambition to see and work around the world. Students come here to change. People who do well at INSEAD tend to be agile, and tolerant with a high threshold in facing complexity and uncertainty. Companies want candidates who can be sent to any corner of the world and be confident that they will fit in, interact sensitively and meet the objectives set for the project.
 
Do Entrepreneurs or aspiring Entrepreneurs join INSEAD MBA program?
 
Minh (INSEAD MBA): Many INSEAD students are aspiring Entrepreneurs. 4-6% of Entrepreneurial candidates start their company during or after their time at INSEAD. Our electives in the Entrepreneurship area is one of the most comprehensive in the industry. We have an amazing Entrepreneurs-in-Residence programme, an incubator, and some support funds. 
 
The latest INSEAD MBA class has an average GMAT Score of 703. What are the chances for someone scoring in the 650-700 range?
 
Minh (INSEAD MBA): Once you score above 650, we know that you are capable, academically speaking. We have a case, let us say, a US Marine, who has shown remarkable leadership skills - two-terms in Afghanistan, kept his men safe, and managed a platoon efficiently. He does not have a typical background, but the applicant would be a good fit for INSEAD. We look at the full profile of the person. We have someone who is from Symphony Orchestra - a violinist with a lower GMAT score, but she had an amazing creative mind. So GMAT score is just one indicator that we consider for INSEAD.
 
You use essays to understand the story. Do you encourage creativity?
 
Minh (INSEAD MBA): We want the applicants to write their own essay and convey authenticity. There are consulting firms that write the essays for applicants, but we find them too polished. With thousands of essays reviewed every year, our admission team knows which applicant hired a consultant. Getting help is one thing, but we don't recommend MBA Admission Consulting firms to write the essay for them. One reason is that the essay is one tool that we use to measure the applicant's personality. The Video Essay is used to assess the level of English because some of the International students have very high TOEFL score, but the video gives us confirmation on their communication skills. We also want to see the applicant's body language, presence and their ability to articulate an argument. Written essays reveal the applicant's thoughts, aspirations, and concerns.  We want a well-rounded candidate for INSEAD.
 
A few of our readers have shared that they were able to articulate the answers but the 60 seconds timeline for Video Essay was too short to complete. Will the performance in Video Essay Impact their Admission chances?
 
Minh (INSEAD MBA): I would not say that Video Essay has no impact, but it is very small. We look at other application elements - essays and recommendation letter, before considering the Video. There are no right or wrong answer in the Video Essay. We want you to be spontaneous and be yourself.
 
What do you measure with Interviews?
 
Minh (INSEAD MBA): Our Interviews are entirely conducted by Alumni. We trust them to know that they will bring in candidates who would be a good fit for INSEAD, mainly those who have an international perspective. Also, if we come across an obnoxious or arrogant person, despite their brilliant careers, we would not accept them. INSEAD is a kind and caring community.
 
Do Alumni have the final say or do you have an Admission Committee?
 
Minh (INSEAD MBA): We do have an Admissions Committee led a faculty member, but Alumni interviewers (two each for a candidate) have a strong voice. They have the complete dossier on the applicants with information on the work experience, GMAT score, and potential. If both the Alumni say no, then we don't accept the candidate. If the decision is split, we look at the recommendation letters and could ask a third alumnus to conduct the interview. In exceptional cases, the staff from INSEAD comes into the interview for a final say. 60% of the Admissions Committee members are alumni themselves.
 
So the recommendation letter plays a big role in the admission process. What do you want to see?
 
Minh (INSEAD MBA): We want an honest opinion about the applicant - leadership potential, personality, fit with INSEAD as an international candidate and their ethics.  
 
Should the recommender be briefed about what INSEAD is looking for before writing the letter?
 
Minh (INSEAD MBA): They should be candid about the candidates, evaluate their strength, and summarize the potential as an INSEAD MBA.
 
Should recommenders go for specifics or general advice?
 
Minh (INSEAD MBA): The recommendation letter should cover general traits but give examples to demonstrate open-mindedness, emotional intelligence to recognize mistakes, and listening skills. 
 
What about the scholarship opportunities? How many are offered to the latest class
 
Minh (INSEAD MBA): We have an extensive list of scholarships which you can find on our website. We have streamlined our application process to avoid repetitive applications. More and more, we offer spot scholarships without any need to apply. This year, we are giving 5.4 million euro as scholarships. Typically, 32-34% of INSEAD MBA students get scholarships with an average grant of Euro 15,000. For some African and Asian students, the scholarship covers the full tuition fee. The criteria include high GMAT score and underrepresented profile, although we look at the candidates’ profiles holistically.
 
What do you mean by a high GMAT Score for Scholarships - 20 to 30 points above the mean GMAT score of the class?
 
Minh (INSEAD MBA): For us, high GMAT means applicants with a score above 700. People apply based on Financial Needs. We look at their pre-MBA salary among other criteria, before offering a scholarship.
 
Should candidates apply by Round 1 or Round 2?
 
Minh (INSEAD MBA): I would say sooner than later, but for Scholarships, we only consider applicants in the first 3 rounds. Also, two-thirds of our offers are made in the first two rounds.  

Visit INSEAD MBA Programme page to learn more

About Minh Huy Lai

Minh is the Managing Director of the INSEAD MBA Programme. He was formerly the Executive Director of Degree Programmes at HEC Paris. Prior to his move to the higher education field, he has worked in investment banking and international development.

Winning MBA Essay Guide - A Complete Guide for M7 and Top 15 MBA Application Essays 


F1GMAT's Winning MBA Essay guide will teach you how to transform your essay into a life journey with trials and tribulations that will move the admission team.

+ Over 245 Sample Essays (Read Previews of F1GMAT's Winning MBA Essay Guide Sample Essays here)

+ Top 15 MBA Programs (Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Columbia, Booth, MIT, Kellogg, Yale, Haas, Darden, INSEAD, LBS, NYU Stern, Tuck, Duke Fuqua, Ross)
+ The Art of Storytelling 
+ Leadership Narratives
+ Review Tips
+ Persuasion Strategies
+ The Secret to "unleashing" your unique voice
+ How to prepare and present for the Video Essay
+ How to write about your Strengths
+ How to write about your Weaknesses
 
 

Want to try the individual school Essay Guides before upgrading to the Winning MBA Essay Guide? Try below.

F1GMAT's Essay Guides

  • Harvard MBA Essay Guide (20 Sample Essays)

    Growth-Oriented Essay: Curiosity can be seen in many ways. Please share an example of how you have demonstrated curiosity and how that has influenced your growth. (up to 250 words) 

    Example #1: Persistence Narrative 
    Background Information: The applicant – a design and music talent, shares her journey through several setbacks. She attributes curiosity to her growth.  
    Curiosity: Philosophy  
    Curiosity (Explained): Curiosity as a philosophy is tough to translate into a narrative unless you are from the creative industry or your contributions had an influence on a solution or an initiative.  
    MBA Essay Strategy: I wanted to capture the humanity of the applicant and her influence in music instead of just highlighting how she overcame multiple roadblocks to gain attention as a designer.  
    Theme: Persistence  
    Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – Life Starts at NO (Growth-Oriented HBS MBA Essay Example) 

    Example #2: International Community Building 
    Background Information: The applicant, a Machine Learning (ML) entrepreneur specializing in healthcare diagnostics, shares how his curiosity to learn other ML algorithms’ evolution in diagnosing Alzheimer’s, cancer, and heart disease transformed his platform into a global community. 
    MBA Essay Strategy: I wanted to show the applicant’s contributions in diagnostic from 2020 to 2024 by citing two events. Such examples build credibility instead of engagements that were recent. The evolution of the platform from an AI development community to a community for discussing the application of AI in diagnostics is captured through a ‘curiosity’ angle.
    Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – Growth through Collaboration (AI in Healthcare) (Growth-Oriented HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #3: Culture
    Background Information: The applicant, an Entrepreneur from India narrates his first entrepreneurial experience – facilitating exchange of stamps in the late 1990s.
    Theme: Culture
    MBA Essay Strategy:  Instead of addressing the biases in the investor community that could turn preachy, I wanted to focus on the applicant and his entrepreneurial journey by citing two entrepreneurial experiences – a platform(club) for stamp collection and his Grocery delivery App.
    Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – The American Dream (Growth-Oriented HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #4: Addiction
    Background Information: The applicant – a beneficiary of the foster home system, captures the sacrifice his adopted grandparents made to save him from a path of addiction. Paying it back through early intervention among teenagers and community engagement is the curiosity narrative.
    Theme: Addiction
    MBA Essay Strategy:  My strategy is to capture a gratitude narrative in the first one-third of the essay to demonstrate motivation for starting the venture and dedicate the latter part of the essay to the unique solution
    Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – Drug Addiction and Gaming (Growth-Oriented HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #5: Scarcity
    Background Information: The applicant, an education major, recognizes that 70% of all students in Kenya don’t have a computer. The curiosity that drives him to pivot from one solution to another is the growth narrative.
    Theme: Innovation
    MBA Essay Strategy:  Often, innovation is captured with a ‘hero’ narrative where the applicant is the sole originator of an idea. I wanted to break that cliché and include a person from whom the applicant learned to use a concept called ‘scaffolding.’
    Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – Scarcity (Growth-Oriented HBS Essay Example)

    Example #6: FinTech
    Background Information: The applicant captures a vulnerable moment of a beneficiary to compare his journey of side hustle before a technology giant noticed his talent. Although cryptocurrency is not a flavor for the year, capture niches where innovation is still happening. 
    Theme: Education, Child Welfare
    MBA Essay Strategy:  Empathizing with a techno solution is tough without a strong backstory around the beneficiary. For the essay, I wanted to clearly establish the beneficiary – Rami, before the applicant narrates the similarities to his journey and finally shares the solution that emerged from his curiosity.
    Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – FinTech as a Tool for Good (Growth-Oriented HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #7: Learning from the best
    Background Information: The applicant – a Remote Engineer in the Oil and Gas industry, reflects on a value that has helped her learn from the best regardless of her geographical limitations.
    Theme: Learning
    MBA Essay Strategy:  The effectiveness of the case-study method depends on the assumption that peers in a Harvard MBA class will help elevate your learning experience. For the essay, I have highlighted the applicant’s recognition of this value proposition with three examples.
    Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – Learning from the Best (Growth-Oriented HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #8: Military & Search for IMPACT
    Background Information: The most common narrative for US military applicants is to quote 9/11 and the reaction your immediate family had while watching the events unfold. The horrifying moment is captured as a motivation to join the Military. On digging deeper, most applicants would share that their motivations were diverse.
    Theme: Career Choice
    MBA Essay Strategy:  I wanted to quickly highlight that the applicant had the choice of entering any industry. One achievement to demonstrate his curiosity that I shared in the first half is the invention of a game. Since the game is mentioned in the resume and verifiable through search, I didn’t quote the name. By clearly highlighting the person’s curiosity and career options, the family legacy is used as a factor in joining the military.
    Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – Career Choice after a Military Career (Growth-Oriented HBS MBA Essay Example)
     
    Leadership-Focused Essay: What experiences have shaped who you are, how you invest in others, and what kind of leader you want to become? (up to 250 words)

    Example #9: Small Business Values
    Background Information: The applicant - a second-generation Asian American, is familiar with the values of fiscal conservatism, building relationships, and understanding the daily struggles of the community through his family’s department store.
    Theme: Customer-Centric
    MBA Essay Strategy:  The applicant’s role in developing an App for the store is highlighted in the essay at a crucial part of the narrative so that the essay is not all about his father. I have also humanized the journey – by sharing how upset the father was when the revenues fell by 40%. The essay is about the transformation in the applicant’s value from a person chasing productivity and optimization technique to someone who is truly thinking about the customers. 
    Read: Harvard MBA Leadership Essay – Small Business Values (Leadership-Focused HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #10: Breaking Away from Family Business
    Background Information: A unique challenge that applicants whose parents are public figures or CXOs of businesses or entrepreneurs are the pressure to live up to the parent’s standards or milestones. For the leadership narrative, the burden of legacy is established before the narrative addresses his leadership principles.
    Theme: Authenticity  
    MBA Essay Strategy:  For the essay, I want to capture an entrepreneur’s journey to rise above his entrepreneur father’s image. But I didn’t want to make the entire essay about this complex dynamics. The narrative is around the applicant’s focus on customers and surrounding with teams who keeps him grounded. 
    Read: Harvard MBA Leadership Essay – Breaking Away from Family Business(Leadership-Focused HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #11: Creativity and Communication 
    Background Information: When the overall percentage of users with internet access is 62% in South Africa and the inequality accentuated by the rural and urban divide, the applicant endured the lack of digital infrastructure, and spending close to 22% of the family income on gaining relevant information on schools, global exams, and financial assistance. 
    Theme: Creativity, Communication
    MBA Essay Strategy:  The strategy is to share why the applicant values no distraction in a child’s home for optimum education experience. Then I highlight the many roadblocks the applicant’s non-profit faced in receiving fee waiver for their cooperative run ISP.
    Read: Harvard MBA Leadership Essay – Non-Profit (Telecom) (Leadership-Focused HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #12: Mental Health
    Background Information: The applicant like most didn’t pay much attention to the mental health epidemic until tragedy hit home.
    Theme: Communication, Innovation
    MBA Essay Strategy:  A question we frequently get from applicants is whether they should cite tragedy in the family as a motivation for a venture or a non-profit initiative. As long as you don’t linger too much on the tragedy and offer a balanced narrative, there are no restrictions on leveraging unique stories from your life. 
    Read: Harvard MBA Leadership Essay – Mental Health (Leadership-Focused HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #13: Trauma, Healing & Finding Authentic Self
    Background Information: The applicant narrates the absurdity of war in the narrative about the duties in Kabul, and the trauma. Instead of wallowing in on the horror, the applicant takes what makes military applicants strong and guides unprivileged children build life and leadership skills.
    Theme: Resilience
    MBA Essay Strategy:  Capturing PTSD in an essay, the healing process, and the cues that helped the applicant are too sacred to be shared in a Harvard MBA application essay. However, with the right motivation and narrative arcs, you can capture the essence of your journey without sharing the darkest secrets. That is what I did by merging two stories – the horrors of the war with a non-profit engagement.
    Read: Harvard MBA Leadership Essay – Military & PTSD (Leadership-Focused HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #14: Addiction, Setback and Leadership Mantra
    Background Information: In this narrative, the applicant captures Peru’s Silver mining boom of 2006. The growth experienced in her father’s business shifted the family’s economic status to a new stratosphere. Through the changing economic and family dynamics, the applicant finds her voice in a unique way, initially to record her unheard voice but later as one of the youngest subject matter experts in mining and commodities.  
    Theme: Failure
    MBA Essay Strategy:  For the essay, the strategy is to show how life’s unpredictability is a blessing. By narrating two setback events, the essay demonstrates the applicant’s resilience and her acknowledgment of people who made a comeback possible.
    Read: Harvard MBA Leadership Essay – Addiction, Setback and Leadership Mantra (Leadership-Focused HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #15: War, Immigration and Starting Over Again
    Background Information: Despite a raging war in Syria, the family of the applicant was unblemished by the chaos. The strategic government assets near the applicant’s house would have made the region an easy target, but it was not. The calmness of her journey is shattered in one event. From the privileges of a cocooned life, the applicant is forced to think about survival, her sister’s future, and her future in the US. The second half of the narrative captures the change that was forced on her. 
    Theme: Gratitude, Resilience
    MBA Essay Strategy:  I consciously chose not to start the essay with a dialogue or trauma. Two lines are allocated to set up the narrative before the trauma event.
    Read: Harvard MBA Leadership Essay – War, Immigration and Starting Over Again (Leadership-Focused HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Harvard MBA Business-Minded Essay: Please reflect on how your experiences have influenced your career choices and aspirations and the impact you will have on the businesses, organizations, and communities you plan to serve. (up to 300 words)

    Example #16: Creative or Finance
    Background Information: The applicant starts the narrative with the origin of her talents. The unbridled enthusiasm receives a reality check when in high school, the applicant’s father has a conversation with her about academics. While the applicant picked up her quant skills, she was reaching over 50,000 loyal fans, and her videos captured 1 million views. 
    Theme: Passion, Talent
    MBA Essay Strategy:  Capturing vulnerability is the toughest part for Harvard MBA applicants. For this essay example, I have captured the applicant’s uncertainty about career choice throughout the essay. Here the goal is to show vulnerability in the career choice essay while for leadership and growth essay, I could capture one example each from creative and PE industry respectively to balance the narrative. So don’t follow this example without a strategy.  
    Read: Harvard MBA Business-Minded Essay – Creative or Finance (Business-Minded HBS MBA Essay Example)

  • Stanford MBA Essay Guide (24 Sample Essays)
  • Columbia MBA Essay Guide (21 Sample Essays)
  • Wharton MBA Essay Guide (15 Sample Essays)
  • INSEAD MBA Essay Guide (19 Sample Essays)
  • Darden MBA Essay Guide  (21 Sample Essays) 
  • Yale SOM MBA Essay Guide (15 Sample Essays)
  • Tuck MBA Essay Guide (15 Sample Essays)
  • Haas MBA Essay Guide (18 Sample Essays)
  • NYU Stern MBA Essay Guide (15 Sample Essays + 6 Examples - Visual Essay)
  • LBS MBA Essay Guide (6 Sample Essays)
  • MIT Sloan MBA Essay Guide (6 Sample Cover Letters + 3 Sample Video Statement Scripts + 3 Sample Optional Essays)
  • Kellogg MBA Essay Guide (11 Sample Essays)
  • Chicago Booth MBA Essay Guide (12 Sample Essays)
  • Ross MBA Essay Guide (31 Sample Essays)
  • Duke Fuqua MBA Essay Guide (10 Sample Essays + Two 25 Random Things Samples)
  • Cambridge MBA Essay Guide (12 Sample Essays)

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