r/INSEAD

Hey everyone,

I am currently stuck in a dilemma and would appreciate your advice.

I have been working in a boutique for 4.5 years (I have now been an Engagement Manager for 6 months) and got accepted to the INSEAD MBA. My MBA is sponsored by my firm, but the pipeline is weak, so I am unsure about returning and staying for 2 years. (Of course there is always the chance of getting into MBB after INSEAD)

I also received an offer to join a T2 firm as a Senior Manager in their Value Creation team. This is essentially a promotion and quite a substantial payrise. This means I need to decline INSEAD, and potentially do it on my expense in the future if needed.

(FYI, London Based)

Any thoughts of which one I should go for?

Hi, I have an upcoming interview for Jan 2027 intake in the next few days, and I am wondering if any current or past students would be open to sharing tips or helping me with some mock practice? I would love to take some insights from the experience.

I have 8 years in social impact, and my only concern is that my interviewer may not see my viewpoint. Please do share your experience or any other tips. Cheers!

Hi all,

I'm 24F, a non-engineer from India.
Went to a tier 1 undergraduate school (Hansraj College, Delhi University). Graduated in 2022 with an 8.9/10 GPA
Started my career with Bain (BCN) - where I spent 3.5 years in the private equity practice doing commercial DDs along with value creation and growth strategy for clients across the US and EMEA.
I've recently switched to a more execution focused
role - working as a Manager for the InstaHelp which is Urban Company’s 10-min house help service. My work involves expansion into new markets, taking calls on product offering and pricing and working on revenue levers like retention and aov

I'm considering taking a shot at the GRE as well to stand a better chance of getting into Wharton, Kellogg, and other M7S.

Would appreciate your thoughts on whether I'm thinking in the right direction. Would also love to connect with people who have similar profiles and have been admits to these schools

Looks like I'm in the same boat as most Indians here, waitlisted for the Jan intake in R1. Has anyone heard anything about waitlist movement, or are we all just sitting in the dark together? 😅

I know admissions are individual, but does applying as a couple have any impact at all on admissions outcomes?

Incoming INSEAD 27D.

I an incoming INSEAD MBA (27D) currently looking at housing in Fontainebleau, specifically Club 16 vs Club 8.

I’ve been offered a private ensuite room with bathroom for ~€500/month in one of these houses. However, from what I can see, most other shared housing options in Fontainebleau typically start around €800–€1,200+ per month, so I’m a bit confused.

My main questions:

Is Club 16 / Club 8 genuinely a “cheaper” option, or is €500 likely too good to be true / missing something (fees, shared arrangements, smaller sub-rooms, etc.)?

In terms of living experience, how do Club 16 vs Club 8 actually compare (room quality, noise, social life, crowd, privacy)?

Am I compromising on quality, space, or overall experience if I choose these vs other premium coliving houses?

For anyone who has lived there or knows people who did — would you recommend it, or are there better alternatives around the same price range?

Would really appreciate any alumni/current student insights before I commit.

Thanks a lot!

Hi,

My alumni interviewers for the R2 application haven’t responded to my emails for the interview scheduling. I sent them emails last week right after I got the interview invitition from my AO but neither have responded yet.

I'm gonna send out reminders today but what if the don't repond again? Should I just email my AO? Also, is this happening or have happened to anybody else?

Has anyone received an interview invite for INSEAD January Intake (R2) and would be interested in practicing together?

I’m especially keen to connect with applicants from India, as there seems to be very little information available about the Indian alumni interview process. It would be great to exchange insights, do mock interviews and help each other prepare.

Feel free to comment or send me a DM.

Thanks, and good luck to everyone with their applications!

Hi,

I applied, went to the last stage, then got rejected without any specific reason on the gap.

I am confused and a little bit disappointed.

My profile:

30 y.o

Citizen of Asia (not India or Singapore)

MEng in France

6 YoE in France (IT engineering -> project management -> business development)

Wanted to grow towards strat roles in Europe since I have no heavy business background.

Anybody had the same experience? Appreciate sharing of what could've not working.

Also interested in other alternatives than MBA given my age.

I've been researching both schools and understand that, from a pure MBA brand perspective, INSEAD is generally considered a tier above HEC globally. That's not really what I'm trying to understand.
What I'm struggling with is the actual student experience.

For those who attended either school, how much does campus life matter?

One thing attracting me to HEC is the residential campus environment. You're living with classmates and it seems easier to build a close-knit community.
With INSEAD Singapore, from what I understand, most students live off-campus, and the experience feels more city-based than campus-based. Even Fontainebleau seems quite different from a traditional university town and more isolated compared to major cities.

So I'm curious:
How much does the HEC campus experience add to the MBA?

Does INSEAD's stronger brand/network outweigh the campus-life advantage?

Not trying to start a rankings debate. Just interested in hearing from people who have actually lived through either experience and whether the differences are as significant as they appear from the outside.

I’ve been preparing my application for R3 of the December intake, but seeing some incredibly strong profiles getting rejected this year has made me reconsider my timing. It seems like this cycle has been particularly competitive. I wanted to get perspectives from current students, alumni, and applicants, does applying in R3 materially put candidates at a disadvantage?

I understand INSEAD says all rounds are evaluated similarly, but practically speaking:
- How much of the class is typically filled by the start of R3?
- Are there fewer seats/opportunities left?
- Is R3 mostly harder because of class composition balancing (nationality, industry, background, etc.)?

Would appreciate any insights from people who have gone through the process. Trying to decide whether to apply now with my strongest possible application or wait for an earlier round in the next intake.

Hi, has anyone already received their decision?

Is there anyone who still hasn't received the decision notification for round 2?

Given that tomorrow's the deadline, is their any scope of this deadline beinh extended as well?