The INSEAD MBA: A Top Ranked 10-Month MBA Program

This past week MBA Podcaster attended INSEAD’s MBA Admission Information Session at the swanky SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills. Among champagne and brunch, INSEAD delivered a thorough overview of their MBA program, a session with alumni and time for Q&A. INSEAD did a fantastic job of covering all aspects of their program. Their info sessions are must-attend events for applicants potentially interested in an INSEAD MBA.

Cassandra Pittman, Assistant Director of Marketing for INSEAD’s North American Office, kicked off the morning with an introduction to INSEAD's admission criteria and how each criteria weighs in your application. According to Cassandra there are 4 admission criteria and each counts approximately 25%.

1. Academic Capacity

§         GMAT Score and a balance percentile between Verbal and Quant section

§         Bachelor's degree and the competitiveness of the academic institution you attended

2. Leadership Potential and Professional Experience

§         Promotions at work and management experience are important attributes. You don’t want to hold a position for 6 years with no promotion, although this could vary from country to country.

§         Ability to demonstrate your potential as a leader

§         Quality of your accomplishments

3. International Outlook

§         Cross-cultural sensitivity and an international outlook

4. Ability to Contribute to the INSEAD Experience

§         You need to be clear about your passions and how they have influenced your work and life.

§         INSEAD is looking for people with diversity; unique people with different backgrounds and interests 

Cassandra also explained how the INSEAD 10-month MBA program works. The program is divided into 5 periods of roughly 2 months each. For the first 2 periods you will be divided to groups of approx 5 students, from 5 completely different professional backgrounds, and 5 completely different parts of the world. According Cassandra they will never have more than one person of the same nationality, and never more than 2 people with the same native language in any study group. The groups work together throughout the core curriculum to produce work as a group, which is graded as a group.

Cassandra went on to discuss student life on campus and living in Fontainebleau. A group of alumni then took over and moderated a panel and Q&A session. What stood out to me among the various dialogues was the description of student life in Fontainebleau. In your 10 months on campus you are involved in all kinds of team activities, projects and social events. It is period of intense work and intense socialization/networking. You should expect to put 70 to 80 hrs of work for your course work and maybe more if your quantitative skills are rusty but at the same time you are socializing with your classmates and building relationships that will last you a lifetime.

Our take-away: INSEAD is a great choice for applicants looking for a top-ranked MBA program, a 1 year curriculum and an active student body.

PS: Take a look at these videos to get a taste for life at INSEAD: http://mba.insead.edu/video_vault/

Standing Out Among the Outstanding: MBA Schools

An animated discussion rang out in one of the auditoriums on the Microsoft campus in Redmond Thursday, June 18th. The panel of three diverse and knowledgeable guests was assembled by "Africans at Microsoft." The subject, however, broadly applies to anyone considering an MBA who is seeking guidance and, at times, assurance.

Hear the event here: http://www.mbapodcaster.com/MBA_MoreInfo/BizSchoolPanelMicrosoft.asp?iEpisode=74

The full title of the event, the 2nd Annual MBA Panel, is Standing out among the outstanding: Recession, Competition, and Business School Admissions. Moderator Chika Ekeji asked the panel for changes they've seen as a result of the current economic crisis. Scott Shrum, the Director of MBA Admissions Research at Veritas Prep, says the surge in applications to MBA schools has dropped away because of the lack of financing available. It's become, Scott says, a "lost season.." The desire is there among would-be MBA applicants, but the money isn't.

Bryan Tomlinson, one of two experts-in-our-midst, along with Edward Gali, both representing the University of Washington, home to the Michael G. Foster School of Business, added that it's "tough out there." Later in the conversation, Bryan said that the classes of 2005 and 2006 didn't build up their networks -- they didn't need to. But the class of 2009 are great networkers, and that will serve them well over time.

Barbara Thomas, President and CEO of the National Black MBA Association, offered her tips for networking to the Microsoft employees gathered in the room and on the conference line. Barbara says she collects about 100 business cards every week, writing on the back of the cards where she met the people and what she said to them. She follows up with notes every six months.

To the issue of improving your candidacy, Cassandra Pittman, Assistant Director of Marketing at INSEAD, frankly told the potential MBA candidates that they shouldn't be preparing for the more narrow role of being accepted at a choice school. Instead, they should be living a dynamic life, focused on what they are interested in, their true passions. She suggested they take some math to prep, but also travel, explore their passions, and meet a lot of people.

While I heard anxiety trip in the voices of the potential students who asked questions at the mic, the answers supplied by the panelists were even, honest, and provocative. The take-away from the panel follow your unique passions and network!

Microsoft's 2nd Annual MBA Panel: Soliciting Questions from You!

UPDATE (6/25/09): The Panel was a success! Hear the event here: http://www.mbapodcaster.com/MBA_MoreInfo/BizSchoolPanelMicrosoft.asp?iEpisode=74

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As we all know, the current economic climate is prompting thousands to consider going for their MBA and in turn propelling upward the number of applications to business schools. With the increased competition, how do you gear up to get an MBA in this climate? One contribution comes from a special business school panel presented by Microsoft. The focus is a current and compelling one -- the theme is "Standing Out Among the Outstanding: Recession, Competition, and Business School Admissions"

Guests on this year's panel include:

• Cassandra Pittman Assistant Director of Marketing at INSEAD and responsible for MBA recruitment in North and South America
• Scott Shrum Director of MBA Admissions Research at Veritas Prep
• Barbara Thomas, President and CEO National Black MBA Association, the world's leading organization for black professionals
• There will also be "experts in the audience" contributing to the dialogue: Bryan Tomlinson and Edward Gali, both representing the University of Washington, Michael G. Foster School of Business

MBA Podcaster will be attending the event and bringing your questions to the panelists. So we're asking you: if you're seeking your MBA -- or considering it -- what questions would you have for this panel? Send your questions to info@mbapodcaster.com

The Business School Panel will be held at the Redmond, WA headquarters of Microsoft on June 18th, 2009, hosted by Africans at Microsoft.

This is the second annual panel put on by Africans at Microsoft. Below is a link to our podcast on the event from last year. The show covers the entire MBA process from the applications to acceptance.

2008 Business School Panel: Pursuing an MBA -- Motives, Values, and Opportunities
http://www.mbapodcaster.com/MBA_MoreInfo/BizSchoolPanelMicrosoft.asp?iEpisode=74

We had representatives from Harvard Business School, MIT Sloan, University of Washington, and the GM of Microsoft's global recruiting team. Also participating were students from Harvard, Wharton, Darden, and Cornell Business Schools.

The energy generated by the audience and the panel made for a lively, informative discussion that covered and broke the bounds of the topic. We expect no less this time!

This is a valuable topic -- how to stand out among so many outstanding candidates!

Please let us know what questions you have for this event, and likely you'll hear them answered by these elite panelists on our next podcast.