[分享] Admitted by INSEAD & Interview Experience

[Yimmiwan]

I completed an interview with an INSEAD alumnus today in New York, which took place in a hotel lobby’s coffee/bar area nearby the former World Trade Center site. The entire interview lasted about one hour, but would have been longer if I continued asking questions. While he said he could still take questions, he kept looking at his palm PDA, so I just decided to end the interview after four questions.

Like many prior applicants experienced, the entire interview was relaxing, more like a conversation. The alumnus is a 1993 December graduate, worked in Bain Consulting and GE Capital, and now is running his own business technology consulting practice and a small hedge fund with couple partners. The most amazing part of his credential was that he was a physicist before entering INSEAD. So again, business school does provide opportunity for people who want to change career(s) into business.

I was fully dressed in my suit and tie. Because it was a very hot day in New York, I decided to arrive the hotel a little early to cool down myself, instead of having sweat dripping down. The INSEAD alumnus was wearing business casual, which I can care less. We didn’t do much small talk as he went straight to the point. The only reference he has about me was the six-page application profile that I sent to him via email, and I was not even sure he had read or not. He started with a brief introduction about INSEAD and what we would do for the interview. Some of the questions he asked:

- Why MBA? (He stated that since accounting is a stable and demanded profession). Then based on my reply, he asked if I considered achieving such goal without getting a MBA.
- Why INSEAD?
- What other schools are you applying? (INSEAD is my only school right now). Then based on my reply, he asked what other schools I will consider to apply.
- Tell me about your work?
- What is the greatest achievement you had at work?
- How do you lead/manage co-workers who are below you?
- What are the challenges you have faced/dealt at your work?
- Was there any conflict you faced at work? How did you resolve it? (This one I had to think a little bit. I wasn’t quite prepared for this one, which I should have)
- What do you plan to do right after INSEAD?
- Which geographic region (U.S., Europe, Asia) you will want to work right after INSEAD?
- What do you see yourself five years after INSEAD?
- INSEAD’s program is very intense yet it’s also a very social place. How will your personality fit into INSEAD?

That’s all I can remember from our “conversation”. No surprised questions or anything difficult to answer. I think getting tough interview or not really depends on the interviewer, as some people had shared their experience on-line faced tougher interviewers. The entire interview really was more like a conversation because it was not simply he asked a question then I answered. He would make comments on my answer or asked a further question from my answer, and I would sometimes make comments on his comments. So I wasn’t feeling too nervous, although I might speak a little fast when answering (I tend to speak fast when feeling a little nervous). Toward the end he shared some of his experience in INSEAD and his career. He also gave me some advises, both personally and professionally, which I found very true.

He also asked me if I met any alumni in New York, and I told him I did. He asked at what function and whom I met, and what the event was about. I think whenever it’s available, it’s important for applicants to meet INSEAD alumni to show serious consideration for INSEAD, since the school and alumni know not everyone can travel to France or Singapore to visit campus. By reaching out to alumni, applicants can demonstrate their effort to get to know more about INSEAD from a personal view, just reading info on-line. He asked me if I visited either campus, and did I plan to visit (because I said I hadn’t).

Overall the interview was a good experience. Although I still have to wait for my decision, I will advise future INSEAD applicants to do their homework/research about the school, talk to any alumni you can find, and prepare the interview like any other interview and just be yourself. This is the first MBA interview I have, and I hope it would be the last as well.

[rays]

謝謝分享，
期待能夠儘快聽到好消息，以及後續的大作。

[lunar916]

很詳細的的文章呢~
謝謝分享~
good luck~

[Yimmiwan]

今天下午接到Adcom的電話通知，看到號碼就知道是學校打來，接的時候我的小主管還就在旁邊。雖然想裝的若無其事的樣子，對話也盡量不要透露出興奮的表情或是講出什麼可能被猜出的話，但我想最後掛電話的一句"good night"還是洩了口風(當時是巴黎時間晚上八點) 。不過小主管當初就是幫我寫推薦書的人，所以他知道我也不太在意。我很相信他，他也說會幫我守口風，畢竟我也是要到年底才會辭職阿。

基本背景
GMAT: 710
GPA: 3.1 from a U.S. private university (我大學和碩士的成績都差不多在這範圍)
U.S. CPA
到入學時差不多4年出頭會計工作經驗，一年在藥廠，三年在金融業(非事務所)

跟其他很多這邊的申請人比起來我算是很幸運，總夠也才申請了兩間學校 – London Business School & INSEAD。LBS二月就得知槓龜，但我知道是因為我當初申請的很匆促，申請書還有推薦函都是在三個星期內趕出來的，品質自然大打折夠。基本上申請歐洲學校的原因是商業上的經驗都是在美國的課堂和實業上取得，覺得應該要出去其他地方看一看不同的觀點和認知。既然LBS & INSEAD MBA都是可以跟美國好學校分庭抗禮的program，why not? 如果真的不幸兩間都失利的話，我大可在重新準備申請美國學校08年的入學。

因為在開始動工INSEAD的申請書前就已知LBS的拒絕，所以我更花時間去了解INSEAD這個學校和準備申請的資料。在BW的forum上看了一堆過去申請人的經驗談，找尋網路上各個校友或在校生的blogs，參加了兩次在紐約的說明會，一次校友們辦的活動，反正就是盡可能的蒐集到各種資訊當參考。

我知道申請INSEAD對我來說最大的優勢就是對台(中)美文化都有蠻深刻的了解，在"多元"背景上符合他們對學生的要求。所以在撰寫essays時比較強調從台到美之後對我人生及學習上的影響，以及我如何去面對挫折與困難的過程與經驗。工作經驗的描述則主要是專注在如何藉由會計知識上的經驗作為墊腳石以走向管理經營(這部分我真的寫的很籠統，完全沒有講到畢業後想去哪一種企業) 。我並沒有事先先構思好有什麼內容是必寫的，完全就是看著essays的題目後再去想針對這個問題寫我最想要表達的主題與例子是什麼。也是因為這樣，我幾乎沒有用到我之前寫LBS essays的題材與內容，當然也因為這樣我寫完後一直有修改。我有請一個在法學院唸書的朋友幫我修改essays，她也提供了很多意見與看法給我參考。前前後後我們大概花了將近兩個月把所有essays寫好修改完。

推薦書我請我的小主管和另一位比較資深的同事撰寫。之前藥廠的老闆聯絡不到人，而且時間也隔的有點久，所以只好忍痛放棄。本來有點擔心兩封推薦書來自同一部門會不會有扣分的作用，但我猜大概沒有吧。他們兩人寫完後都有給我看過並問我有沒有需要添加修改什麼。

我個人覺得申請前或申請期間有跟校友接觸過是很大的幫助。他們是最清楚學校和program的人，自然也最容易從他們那裡得到第一手的資訊。尤其對INSEAD來說，他們知道大部分申請人沒有辦法去參觀學校，所以如果有主動去跟校友互動的話可以加深學校對申請人的意願。我猜很多校友在面試的過程也一定會問到有無去學校參觀過或是跟其他校友接觸。我想有的話多少一定會有加分作用。

對以後申請INSEAD的朋友們建議：能申請第一或第二輪就盡量申請，GMAT一定要考夠高(>680)，第二語言最好夠流利，盡量參加任何INSEAD主辦或參與的活動，和學好mingling (應該是說在大部分學校都要會mingle) 。台灣學生在INSEAD過去不多但有逐年增加的趨勢，INSEAD本身有不成文的單一國家或種族背景限制(基本上不超過當界入學的學生人數15%)，所以台灣(背景)學生現在申請INSEAD還佔有"少數民族"的小優勢，但我想這個這個優勢將會慢慢的逐漸消失，所以未來幾年想申請的朋友們請把握機會吧。

[世界和平]

恭喜囉！

[MarkHsu]

congrats, email me and i can add you to the insead taiwan alumni/student mailing list.

[Mango]

congs

[lunar916]

恭喜阿~~
需要學校什麼幫忙隨時寫email給我喔~

[Yimmiwan]

lunar大 已經有在NV上偷描過你的檔案啦
每個上的人來歷都不小
相較之下自己感到有點汗言
您大哥什麼時候要啟程前往法國阿?

[vivinsf]

Hi Lunar:

I am so glad to register for this site and find someone already got in my dream school! Especially we have similar cultural backgrounds from Taiwan and the US.

I have just started my GMAT preparation, therefore, I could see a long and winding road in front of me.

If you can spare some time to help with a newbie on this "long and winding road!" I would be really appreciated

Thanks so much!

Vivian

ps: Can I send some of my questions and concers to your email account listed here?

[lunar916]

Hi Vivinsf
ya~ sure~ u can write me
but er... i might not be able to reply right away
having my finals now, and will be away after the exam for a while...
if u like, u can first vist (for GMAT):
http://www.formosamba.com/phpBB3/viewtopi ... highlight=

or at (for application):
http://www.formosamba.com/phpBB3/viewtopi ... highlight=