How to get in?

October 31, 2007 3:17 PM

I am interested in hearing the experiences on applying to MBA programs in Europe (specifically to IESE, IMD, INSEAD, LBS and Oxford/Said) and [the US].

I am interested in experiences, strategies that worked, things to know and expect - comments welcome from those who got in and those who didn't. I am possibly thinking about applying to these schools and would like to know what it is that I need to get in. Although I'm mostly interested in the abovementioned European schools - for posterity, you're welcome to share your experiences with applying to top US programs.

Bonus question, for those who did their MBA in any of the Euro schools. What were your impressions?

posted by barrakuda to education (2 comments total)

Nobody knows?
posted by jeffamaphone at 9:20 AM on November 1, 2007

I applied to INSEAD, as well as to a number of U.S. schools, and ultimately ended up earning my MBA in the U.S. (although I was admitted to INSEAD). I grew up and worked in Europe, which was the main reason for my ultimately choosing to go to b-school in the States.

My experience through the MBA application process was that each business school emphasised different things in its application process, and seemed to be applying different criteria when reviewing applications. Therefore, it was key to understand what each school was looking for and tailor the application appropriately.

In the case of INSEAD, they seemed to be extremely focused on one's international experience and desire to have a global career. Implicitly, they were positioning themseleves as the "global" business school. In my application, this meant emphasising my "international" credentials (lived and worked in multiple countries, speak several languages, etc) and stressing my desire to have a global career post the MBA.

One other area it's worth thinking about for INSEAD is the language requirement. They require some degree of knowledge of three languages at graduation (or did when I applied). If your language skills are limited it might be worth taking some classes to help better position yourself.

There are multiple books on the subject, but there is a book that was written by two INSEAD grads that was quite helpful for me called "ABC of getting the MBA applications edge".
posted by techrep at 12:53 AM on November 3, 2007