I graduated from INSEAD in 2022. And today, I want to share my journey and how I feel about the MBA program 2 years later, as requested by two of my colleagues (Yichen and Alyssa). 😬

My Pre-MBA Profile

Ok let’s start! Here is my profile at the time:

1. An engineering degree from Nanyang Technological University
2. 2 years of consulting experience at EY
3. 2 years of strategy & operations at LinkedIn

Why MBA?

With that, I had 4 reasons why I was even considering an MBA from any school:

The first one is to build my Business knowledge. Despite being in consultant type of role for 4 years, I sometimes still was not sure if I had any gap in my knowledge because of my engineering background. So i kind of wanted to go through a rigorous program to ensure there is a strong foundation for my long term success.

Then the second is to Expand My Network. I have been working a lot with sales organisations in my career, and they showed me the importance of relationships, so I was looking for a way to develop a strong and diverse network, which is important for the long run. I want something that i can grow with professionally and personally.

The third is a Location Change. After living in 3 different countries in Asia, I really wanted to move to a different continent. I could go directly with my company, but moving through an MBA would give me a local netwrok. Honestly it’s quite important because moving by myself to a new continent can be very scary (and a support group is important for mental health).

And the last one is Personal Development. I strongly feel that when i am young, the most important thing is to invest on myself. And a gap year seems to be a great way to reflect after working for a few years. To explore the different paths i could take. And that sounds like an MBA, who provides a lot of coaching (professional and personal) and a community.

So as you can see, compared to many others who needed a full on career change in industries and functions (consulting/finance/tech), i actually didn’t have a super strong case for an mba, so after i researched different programs in the US, Europe, Canada and Australia, I decided to only apply to INSEAD.

Why INSEAD

And here are 6 considerations.

Firstly, the Reputation. INSEAD is a very well ranked school and I don’t think anyone would challenge the brand as one of the best business schools in the world. And that reputation matters because i would say in many instances, the function of an MBA can be more about selection than education. So the strength of the brand in the markets and industries that you career about is directly impacting your ROI, which also reflects the strength of its network.

And INSEAD positions itself as the business school for the world. For me it has two parts:

One is the Student profile. There is a rule that no nationality can take up more than 10% of the cohort. And everyone needs to be fluent in two languages when they apply and a basic understanding of a 3rd language when they graduate. So I think that’s very cool.

And also the Global Exposure. The two main campuses are in France and Singapore, also a smaller one in Abu Dhabi. Both students and faculty move across those campuses a lot. We also have an innovation hub in San Francisco and exchange programs with Kellogg and Wharton in the US. It’s truely a global exposure. It’s important because that also leads to a global alumni network ans I love to move around.

3rd consideration was the School Culture, After attending different school’s events and webinars, I felt more drawn to INSEAD. Bascially after i spoke to alumni and students, i felt i could fit into that group. Maybe because I have always been in multicultural environment as well, it’s just something that’s really hard to describe. But i could clearly see that i don’t fit into some other schools. And they are still great programs as well.

Next, Career Prospect. INSEAD is generally known as a consulting school. And to me that means the school’s strength is general management vs some other schools that might be more entrepreneurial or more focused in financial services. I wasn’t sure if i would go back to consulting. but it’s important that my career path as a business generalist is in line with the school’s strength.

Lastly a VERY VERY important factor is the Program Length. INSEAD offers two options: a 12-month intake in January with a summer internship break, and a 10-month option in September. The duration made a lot of sense for me considering my business case and opportunity cost. Also I just don’t think i could sit down and be a full time student for 2 years.

Application

So after i decided, i of course did some budgeting and forecasting based on different scenarios to make sure financially it makes sense. I did my GMAT mainly using the Official Guide book and their online mock test. I also prepared my essays and CVs multiple rounds with my friends including one INSEAD alum (thank you Nakul!). And referral letters from my colleagues from my manager. Then luckily I got an offer! Probably because i submitted in the first 2 rounds, i also received a 10K euro scholarship from one of the two funds i applied t. It’s not a lot compared to the tuition fee but it absolutely helps. Highly recommend applying earlier if you also want to apply for scholarships.

My Experience (Preview)

When i was at INSEAD, many alumni told me that it’s was the best year of their life. I refuse to say the same because i still want my life to get better. But it absolutely was a great year and i will make a separate video for those who want to know more about my 10 months experience there. There will be a lot of pictures and i will dig into my journals so stay tuned if you are interested.

Now i want to jump to right into the conclusion:

Was It Worth It?

My answer is yes for me. And I’ll break down the value of the MBA in four key areas:

First one is Academic Development. Unfortunately, I actually didn’t learn as much as I wanted to from the program. But it did validate my foundational business knowledge. It’s a 10 month program with 5 periods. So each class has probably 8-10 lessons. It just can’t go too deep into the subjects. However, I think for those who try to move into consulting and have no business background, it’s a great bootcamp.

Second, Career Outcome. I moved to London with INSEAD as per my initial plan and joined an MBA rotation program with Amazon, so i am working in tech. But 90% of my friends here are Management Consultants. What i would like to call out here is for those who are not looking for a job in the popular “MBA” industry, insead’s career office would be less helpful as there is no structured recruiting program but you can try leveraging the alumni network. And for those more experienced classmates, even if they are looking for opportunities in these common industries, they might not see a meaningful salary increase if they are taking a standard package from a post MBA program. So something to be considered.

Then, Network Building. Compared to my classmates in sales or startup, i haven’t tapped into the alumni network as much yet in the past 2 years. But I met so many amazing people at INSEAD. Two years have passed, I am still in touch with many of them, who continue to inspire and motivate me. These are truly lifelong friends that i am so glad to have in my life. It’s something that’s very hard to quantify but again extremeley valuable.

Lastly and most importantly, Personal Development. I have to say I didn’t have high hope for this one but INSEAD really exceeded my expectation. Spending a year with these 500 people from very different backgrounds, studying, partying, and traveling is so special. I really had an opportunity to explore myself, understand what i like, what i don’t. what are my principles, what are my anchors. Also by learning about the world and different cultures, I could really explore how life could be for me after the program. Not just career, but life.

And the best thing is I wasn’t alone. As i get more clarity, i could try to articulate myself and bounce it off my friends. Personal development is a never ending journey but INSEAD really helped me take a big step so i think, just this alone, is worth the money for me – but it’s so subjective!

Bonus

One bonus benefit – I exercise so much more now. So many people at INSEAD are very athletic for some reason. Since the first week, I was unwillingly dragged into different HIIT or cross-fit bootcamps and hikes kind of stuff. I really don’t know why. But i am glad fitness is now an important part of my routine. Who knew that INSEAD is just a big gym?

Ok, that’s it for today. As mentioned, I’ll be sharing a deep dive on my INSEAD experience soon so please stay tuned if you are interested. Best of luck if you are already applying. And as always, leave any questions below. Thanks for watching/reading.

Ciao!