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INSEAD takes its mission as a business school for the world seriously. With campuses from France’s Fontainebleau forest to bustling Singapore and Abu Dhabi and partnerships with American universities, the school has made a commitment to provide students with a global education. The school also tops Bloomberg Businessweek’s international ranking of full-time MBA programs, knocking Canada’s Queen’s University from the No. 1 spot in 2010.
The school features a language requirement as well as opportunities to campus-hop between countries. There is no majority ethnicity, country, or language, according to Pejay Belland, acting director of marketing, admissions, and financial aid. Belland received her Masters in e-business from the University of Aberdeen.
Belland spoke to Bloomberg Businessweek reporter Kiah Haslett about the reasons why an American student should consider an INSEAD MBA, the school’s rigorous one-year curriculum, and how the career services office managed to find jobs for 93 percent of the class of 2010. What follows is an edited transcript of their conversation.
Describe INSEAD in one sentence.
INSEAD is one of the world’s leading business schools, offering a truly international management education on its campuses in France, Singapore, and Abu Dhabi as well as a U.S. presence through exchange partnerships with (Wharton Full-Time MBA Profile) and (Kellogg Full-Time MBA Profile).
What is the structure of the curriculum?
The MBA program is 10 months long, divided into five periods of two months each. The first two periods focus on core curriculum. Students begin to tailor the program in period three with a choice of electives that continues through to the end of the program.
We were the first school to introduce a one-year program, and it covers approximately 80 percent of the course hours of a traditional two-year program. It works well for our students since it means they are out of the work force for less time and the opportunity cost is less than for a two-year program. It prepares students well for the subsequent intensity of an international business career. They also need to be mature in order to follow such an intense course.
Why would an American student want to attend INSEAD?
An American student wishing to work abroad or at least in a role that required a good understanding of the global business arena would definitely benefit from coming to INSEAD. Diversity among our student body as well as in our faculty is one of our strengths. The teaching material used in the classroom draws on business examples from all around the world. Our faculty represents 36 nationalities and regularly interacts with global businesses in their research activities, so they’re constantly bringing a multicultural perspective to their teaching approach. A unique aspect of INSEAD that emphasizes the cultural diversity is National Weeks, where students from a specific culture organize a whole week of activity, showcasing their cultural habits, food, dress, and businesses from their country. We are very proud that there is no dominant culture in our school—in fact, everybody is a minority.
What are some key mistakes students make during the application process or interview?
We expect candidates to be themselves during the interview, as the alumni interviewer is considering the various different criteria we look at, including the fit with the school. The biggest mistake a candidate can make, therefore, is to try to be somebody they are not—the interviewers will see through that. The interview process is also a great opportunity for candidates to get to know the school better and to ask the alumni questions about their own experience.
What kind of financial aid is available? How do students pay for their MBAs?
