INSEAD insight

INSEAD Meeting in Asia 2009

2009-11-09T14:44:37Z

Every year, INSEAD alumni are invited to a Meeting in Asia where they are updated on what’s happening with the school, ask questions and network.

I surreptitiously took some photos, sans flash (not wanting to look like a tourist, but still a blogger at heart). Let me give you a glimpse into the life of an alumnus:

Prof Ilian Mihov, who taught many of us J09ers and also won the best teaching award, gives us an update on the state of the economy.

Dean Frank Brown speaks.

INSEAD co-founder and Honorary Chairman, Claude Janssen, speaks in the auditorium named after him.

I was moved by a current P2’s speech on how important it is that we keep alumni scholarships going. Many students in my batch gave to the Robin Hood fund, breaking the previous year’s record if I’m not mistaken.

It was nice seeing one of my INSEAD interviewers, SA, speaking next. It’s been over a year since we first met, and she looked and sounded fabulous.

Unfortunately I had to dash off for an appointment, and missed the rest of her panel as well as the final talk by Prof JC Larreche on the Momentum Effect, which seems to be the next big thing after Blue Ocean (at least, from the publicity it’s been getting). Time will tell…

Then in the evening we headed to the Ball. But that is worthy of a separate post in itself!

Sue Adams, executive coach and alumna [Flickr]

2009-11-08T02:37:38-08:00

vantan posted a photo:

Sue Adams, executive coach and alumna

2009-11-08T02:36:43-08:00

vantan posted a photo:

Sue Adams, executive coach and alumna [Flickr]

2009-11-08T02:35:53-08:00

vantan posted a photo:

Fabrice Desmarescaux, executive headhunter and alumnus [Flickr]

2009-11-08T02:34:53-08:00

vantan posted a photo:

Matrix of ability and interests

A current MBA participant testifies on the relevance of scholarships to help participants from developing countries

2009-11-08T02:34:06-08:00

vantan posted a photo:

Networking tips #1

2009-10-21T17:32:09Z

I met up for drinks with INSEADers over the past 2 days. From our exchanges, we noticed how a particular classmate was very good at networking. Despite the downturn, she clinched a nice job in an industry that many INSEADers would find attractive. Of course, she has relevant work experience and a famous MBA (ahem), but she also seems to know lots of influential people. That surely cannot hurt.

So we asked her how she networked. I will share her tips from a more generic point of view, so it can be applied across industries.

You have to meet people. I’m making this the first step even though she didn’t say it outright, because without this you can’t proceed with the other steps. Anti-social people, take heed.
Remember the names of the people you meet at each event. Write them down (if you don’t have their name cards).
Find out who they are and decide who are the ones who could help you.
Among those people, drop a note to the ones you had chemistry with. Those would the easiest to communicate with.
The next tier is made of those you had less chemistry with, but could still be in a position to help you. You will have to put in more effort to communicate with them. But do it anyway.

An implicit point I picked up was that you can’t possibly follow up with everyone you’ve met. Instead, you should be selective.

That’s about it for the basics. When I have the time, I’ll add on my own tips as a part 2.

Revisiting the INSEAD Second Life campus

2009-10-18T15:29:21Z

I’m probably one of the few INSEADers who have visited the campus in Second Life. Which is a shame, because it is quite a pretty place - even if there’s nobody else in sight except for some semi-intelligent bots that look like human beings and attempt to make conversation with you.

I teleported back into the virtual campus just now, and heard a familiar voice around me. It was that of our Dean, Frank Brown, being interviewed on a big screen. It’s nice to be immersed in multimedia all around your Avatar.

What have I done on the INSEAD Second Life campus so far? I’ve attended a talk and reviewed some slides from a previous presentation by a professor. I even chatted to employees of the Hungarian company that developed this virtual campus. In fact I think Second Life is a good medium for an international school operating on different continents and timezones.

However, overall, I feel the virtual campus is underutilised because it’s not as easy to access as Facebook; you need to download a huge installation file and hope that your graphics card can support the 3D rendering.

Still, I’ll continue to support our virtual campus because it reminds me of how INSEAD has shown innovation. Being the first (or one of the first) to have an accelerated MBA course and coming up with the idea of Executive Education, INSEAD’s foray into virtual worlds is another far-reaching step, even if it will take some time to bear fruition.

Over 200 feed subscribers

2009-10-17T07:47:37Z

Back in Jan 2009 I was happy that this blog had 40 subscribers to the news feed.

Today, this blog has over 200 subscribers. Woot!

Thanks for your support, even into my post-INSEAD days. I will continue to post INSEAD-related updates on life as an alumna.

This blog's featured on Interviewbay

2009-10-17T07:41:37Z

Actually I noticed that Interviewbay.com linked to this blog a while ago, but it’s nice to receive an email acknowledgement from them:

Hi Vanessa

You have created a great resource for MBA applicants, and especially for people who are looking to get into INSEAD. We have added your blog as one of the best blogs to help INSEAD applicants. You can visit http://www.interviewbay.com/interview_resources.php for more information.

Read on for more info about Interviewbay, based on the email they sent me.

About InterviewBay

Founded in the United Kingdom, InterviewBay offers mock interviews to aspiring Strategy Consultants, Bankers and General Managers. Created by recruitment experts from London Business School (UK) and Virginia Tech (USA), InterviewBay’s methodology includes a complete verbal and written review of the mock interview by a current employee or an alumnus of the client’s target Company, combined with proven strategies to approach the interview with confidence and skill. For example, if our client has an interview with Goldman Sachs, the mock interview will be conducted by a present or past employee of Goldman Sachs. Since its inception, InterviewBay has hired only the most talented and engaging interviewers, each of whom graduated from a top business school. InterviewBay has consistently maintained high interviewing standards and as a result, its clients receive the best results.

InterviewBay also offers mock interviews to aspiring MBA students. Our methodology is unique. If an MBA applicant has an interview with Harvard Business School (HBS) then the mock interview will be conducted by either a current student or an alumnus of Harvard Business School. We strongly believe that a current student or an alumnus knows best about their B-School. Our interviewers also include former admissions officers from the world’s most elite MBA programs. Collectively, they have interviewed hundreds of prospective MBA candidates. They are passionate about helping clients gain entry into business schools of their choice, and the results have been spectacular with InterviewBay clients receiving admission to the world’s top MBA programs.

Have a Ball of a time at INSEAD

2009-10-10T07:35:24Z

Depending on which INSEAD campus you intend to be on during the summer and winter periods, you may get to attend the Summer Ball in Fonty, the Montmelian students’ ball, also in Fonty, and/or the Monsoon Ball in Singapore - or none at all.

Being in the July class, I was able to attend both Balls by virtue of being in Singapore during P1-P2, and then in Fonty by P5. Of course, my choice of campus location wasn’t influenced primarily by the Balls ;-) but it was a happy coincidence as it made the INSEAD experience more colourful.

An INSEAD Ball is worth attending, if you don’t mind splurging a little. The price of this year’s Monsoon Ball is S$225/$260 (early bird/normal price). The Summer Ball usually costs slightly more, probably because it is more expensive to rent a palace in France. For my cohort, I heard that the Montmelian ball in Fonty, which is traditionally organised by fellow students, was apparently better than the Summer Ball.

This year’s Monsoon Ball is on Sat 7 Nov 2009, following the alumni forum which takes place earlier on the same day. The food, champagne and entertainment at last year’s Monsoon Ball was pretty good and I look forward to another spectacular experience this year.

See you there!

Follow this blog on Facebook

2009-09-28T16:21:21Z

A few of you have followed me on Networked Blogs, a Facebook app that keeps track of who’s following which blog. I thought this was a great idea to put faces to some of my readers, if they aren’t shy about it.

So if you’re on Facebook, do add me to your list of followed blogs. See you online!

50 years of INSEAD

2009-09-15T15:28:55Z

INSEAD celebrates its first 50 years. I’m keeping an eye on Frank’s blog ;-)

And after the relatively low rankings The Economist has given us, it’s nice to hear something more positive from them:

INSEAD, in France, has just admitted its 50th MBA intake. In 1959 George Doriot, a Harvard professor, persuaded the American School of Art in Fontainebleau to open a European business school to rival those America. It has since become one of the most prestigious names in business education.

Intriguingly, Helen Alexander, the CEO of The Economist Group up to last year, was an INSEAD alum.

Negotiations, revisited

2009-09-09T16:47:11Z

While at a Brazilian music concert last evening, I (INSEAD alum J09) and my boyfriend R (INSEAD alum D06) bumped into Professor Horacio Falcao, who taught both of us Negotiation. For those who don’t know him yet, he’s an INSEAD alum as well. He also won the best teaching award for Electives, as voted by my cohort.

What’s cool is that he remembered both of us - even R, whom he taught 3 years ago. Maybe having such a retentive memory also helps make him a good negotiator.

We thanked him for the skills he imparted to us, which we used to negotiate better contracts for ourselves. He says he loves hearing such stories from his students, because it shows how the course has served its purpose in real life.

So if you’ve taken his elective and also have a happy ending to share, why not drop him a note? Think win-win ;-)

Also, for incoming INSEAD MBA participants - if you have the chance, do take his Negotiation elective.

To hopeful applicants

2009-09-08T16:03:49Z

Over the past several months, I have been contacted by INSEAD applicants who have asked for advice on various topics. While I haven’t met them in person, I’ve replied to their queries as best as I can.

Now that I’ve resumed work, it has been harder to set aside time to help these people. Regretfully, I cannot promise to meet them in person or answer more than a couple of questions.

Since being contacted by several such applicants, I’m now wondering if it is possible to tell, after a single meeting or some email correspondence and a glance of the resume, whether a candidate has a chance of getting into INSEAD.

Surely the Admissions Board will be going over the applications with a finer-toothed comb, but perhaps a rough gauge is possible, if Malcolm Gladwell’s Blink theory holds true.

Firstly, from the type of questions asked, I can tell if a candidate has done his/her homework. Some questions are basic and you can find the answers on the INSEAD website or via Google or other students’ blogs. Thus if you ask that type of question I’d get the impression that you’re not a thorough sort of person and/or aren’t taking this seriously enough.

Secondly, I look at the person’s background, because INSEADers tend to have international experience. I also see if the candidate has some unusual interests that could help him/her stand out from the tonne of applicants. I’ve answered queries related to first round interviews, and predicted correctly that one candidate would most likely get offered a place (from how she described her first interview experience).

I have answered queries related to the culture of INSEAD versus other similar European business schools, because that is something more personal and not easy to suss out from corporate brochures. Also, it is very important to find the right fit. Even if you meet the academic and work experience requirements, the interviews will help assess if you can fit into our culture. For that, I cannot advise you to be anything other than yourself.

Whatever the case, I do hope that those who contact me via this blog have already read through my posts first as they give a deeper Insight into what I’ve experienced. If, after doing so, some queries remain, then by all means drop me a note and I’ll do my best to help, even if it may take me longer to respond now.

I do this because - being a typical ENFJ type - I have a genuine interest in people, generally. All the more when meeting (fellow) future business leaders of the world! Also, by publishing this blog and showing up in search engines, I am aware that people will contact me. However I do appreciate getting queries that are incisive, where the answers are not easily found elsewhere online.

Finally, I do get a little vicarious joy in hearing, several months later, that someone I advised has made it to INSEAD. This has just happened and I hope to hear more good news from a couple other candidates soon. It also reminds me of the time, over 2 years ago, when I received the acceptance phone call from France and could scarcely contain myself with happiness.

I hope many of you reading this, who are seriously intending to apply to INSEAD or another top business school, will experience that feeling as well.

INSEAD grads are top earners

2009-08-10T16:42:51Z

Some encouraging news:

Among the top non-U.S. one-year business schools, Insead topped the rankings. The class of 2004 at the school in Fountainbleau, France, had median salary of $218,000 in 2008, which compares with the $64,000 pre-MBA salary they made.

Recommended school for Spanish language

2009-07-27T11:16:32Z

I received an email from Alex Gladstone, INSEAD Class of July 2010, regarding the INSEAD language requirements which some incoming students may be slightly concerned about.

Some already know 3 or more languages - think of the Europeans, especially the Swiss. But there are others who don’t know a 3rd language yet - think of the Americans :P Let me put it this way: P1 and P2 will be hectic and by P4-P5 you’re likely to be busy getting a job. You should really get the 3rd language requirement out of the way so you don’t receive a blank scroll at the graduation ceremony (that’s what I heard they give you if you haven’t met all the requirements yet!).

I’ve copied Alex’s message below. It is mainly for admits from the US and Canada, whose second or third language is likely to be Spanish.

If you are an American or Canadian INSEAD admit that needs certification in Spanish you basically have 3 options. The first is to fly to France and take the language test in Fontainebleau with FL&C language school, but I wouldn’t suggest that unless you are already pretty close to fluent.

The second option is to study independently or with a school familiar with the DELE exam, but this is fairly difficult since the DELE exam is only given twice per year. Regardless of whether you are in a January or July start and when you might get your acceptance letter, you will be in a situation where you’ll only have one shot to take the test. The DELE takes a very long time to return your results (up to two months?) so while you wait you’ll have to keep studying hard in case your fallback is to take the FL&C test instead.

The third and IMHO the best option is to take classes with tradfax.com to prepare for the FIDESCU D.I.E. (I know its a terrible acronym for an exam but don’t worry) which is also accepted at INSEAD. Tradfax is the first (and right now the only) school and examcenter_ in North America that is associated with FIDESCU.

Tradfax is physically in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Its run by Francis Guinazu who has been teaching Spanish, Portuguese, and English as a foreign language for over 25 years. He’ll assess your skills and if necessary set you up with an intensive course of study (say, 8 hr/week or so) to help prepare you for the exam, and you can do it in person via skype or even by phone. You can take the test with tradfax directly rather than having to fly to Spain or elsewhere.

I’m plugging them because I personally used their services and went from a very basic level of Spanish to the required level in just a few months while working a full-time job by using their intensive course.

Check them out at http://www.tradfax.com And good luck to you all!

Thanks Alex for helping out your fellow classmates, in true INSEAD spirit.

If anyone else has any feedback on language schools, just post a comment here. Or, continue the conversation on the INSEAD MBA intranet when your online account has been activated.

Decision

2009-07-13T20:44:20Z

Today’s a big day. I have make a decision that’s very important to me.

There has been too much conflicting information floating around and I hope to get some things clarified. This will impact what I do for the next couple of years, at least. If things do not work out then I know which way I have to turn, MBA in hand.

May the power of Horacio fall upon me!!!

Alumni accounts ready!

2009-07-10T17:24:04Z

The INSEAD administration just emailed my class of July 2009 to inform us that we now have full access to the alumni website, and that we can activate our alumni email addresses.

We were also given a trial membership before deciding whether to join the alumni club of a specific country.

And over the next few weeks, I’ll be meeting up with fellow graduates who are still in Singapore.

Ah, the life of a new INSEAD alumnus.

Graduated!

2009-07-02T23:08:20Z

I am now an INSEAD graduate and alumnus. It feels strange. For the past 10 months, we were running a race. We began unbelievably quickly, lunging down the racetrack, at times feeling like we were going to fall on our faces. Then as we got to the top of the hill, gasping for breath, we saw the beautiful horizon in front of us. We kept on at it, knowing the end was near. Finally as we passed the finishing line, our legs still felt like running - but now we’re back in a different type of race, in another paradigm.

Just 2 months ago I was only just settling down in France, apprehensive of driving a manual car on the other side of the road and speaking as far as possible in French.

Soon I figured my way around and didn’t need the GPS all the time. I got used to cooking food using French ingredients, enjoying bread, cheese and wine. I loved having long conversations and evening walks with my housemate after dinner. We made bold weekend driving trips to distant parts of France. And now I’m happy making dinner reservations in French and not relying on the phrase ‘Parlez vous anglais?’ so often anymore.

Just 10 months ago, I started my first term at the INSEAD campus in Singapore. Being Singaporean, I felt obliged to help classmates settle down. Then I was voted into the Students’ Council which resulted in me getting to know the administration better. Club work took up the rest of my time - the most scarce resource in the early months at INSEAD. My mind was spinning, not just with the new concepts we had to learn, but with meeting people from all parts of the world with backgrounds very different from mine.

Just 1 year ago, I was in London, meeting up with some new classmates at a chic wine bar. We were curious, asking lots of questions about each other. The perennial question was, “Fonty or Singy?” which means, “Are you starting in Fontainebleau or Singapore?” The financial crisis had yet to explode, and we were young, optimistic and ambitious.

1 year later we are slightly less young, but still optimistic and ambitious - even if we have to wait a bit longer for opportunities to come our way. There will be reunions and many gatherings as I know people are planning to return to Singapore to work, or look for work.

So, life will go on. But life will never be the same, after INSEAD.