P4 takes place in Singapore, a vibrant city state and international business hub in the heart of South East Asia. Academically, there is a heavy emphasis on Strategy, as you will tackle this topic both in the core courses as well as the Practicals, while further refining your teamwork and negotiation skills.
By now, you will also be busy with interviews and applying for jobs which makes P4 particularly special – and as some students say, one of the most exciting times of the MIM journey.
"The classes were very interactive."
Sarah Witlox
MSc in Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
Belgian
P4 was so far the most fun period for me! After settling in and diving into the course work in the earlier periods we now got to discover Singapore which is a whole new experience and very exciting.
In terms of the curriculum, many classmates had been eagerly looking forward to the Strategy core course and it was also my personal favourite. The class was very interactive and had many real-life examples to bring the theory to life. The Blue Ocean Practical was a very logical extension of this course, where we experimented with a different way of looking at strategy which is to create new markets instead of competing in existing ones.
In Macroeconomics, each group was assigned different countries that we had to keep track of during the course by studying various economic indicators. Bringing this together in the class was so interesting, because suddenly you could see how all the details are actually woven together and form a constantly evolving story.
P4 was also all about preparing and interviewing for jobs. Since I am planning to go into consulting I booked a mock case and fit interview which was really interesting and helpful – both sessions felt very real and I got very detailed feedback afterwards which I could use for the actual interviews.
I also attended a very useful session organised by the Career Development Centre (CDC) on how to negotiate offers or what to do if you find yourself juggling multiple offers at the same time.
For those who are keen on consulting, my advice would be to make use of all the sector information and resources offered by the CDC and start early to practice cases, and connect with your peers and alumni as much as you can.
"My personal highlight was the intensifying job search."
Christian Edwin Pranata
B.Eng in Electronics Engineering
Indonesian
My favourite course in P4 was Macroeconomics. With my background in electronics engineering I didn’t really know much about economics before so when reading articles in Wall Street Journal or on Bloomberg I would sometimes get lost with all the jargon - but now all this makes so much more sense!
Working in Teams was another very interesting and exciting course which we took with our Home Groups. Each session would start with a 30-minute briefing and then we would dive into role-playing activities before coming back to the class for discussion and analysis. We got to practice all kinds of real-life scenarios that you may come across when working in teams, such as how to navigate cultural nuances or what to do when there is some misinformation amongst team members, so it was very helpful to prepare for our future jobs.
The Blue Ocean Strategy Practical was closely linked to the Strategy core course, and we got the opportunity to propose a market strategy and business model for a real company founded by an INSEAD alum. It was a one-of-a-kind experience to receive feedback directly from the CEO and our faculty.
My personal highlight was the intensifying job search in P4. The Career Development Centre (CDC) is very proactive in providing support and opportunities, so we are all in the midst of interviewing now and offers are starting to come in which is very exciting!
My advice to future students is not to stress too much about finding a job early on in the programme. Take a step back and trust the process, enjoy the journey and try your hand at different kind of things and activities - there is so much going on at INSEAD, so make the most of it!
"I hadn’t experienced this kind of practical and business-focused approach before."
Andrei Dogaru
BSc in Philosophy, Politics and Economics
Romanian
Working in Teams was the most unique course we’ve had so far in the entire programme, and my favourite in P4 because it was so interactive with lots of role plays and real-life scenarios.
Macroeconomics was special too – even though I have an economics background, I hadn’t experienced this kind of practical and business-focused approach before. Every class followed a similar structure, whereby we would spend a quarter of the time exploring a theoretical framework and then the rest of the time going through data of different countries and seeing the theory coming to life in the real world. We also touched on very recent phenomena such as the impact of cryptocurrencies on the global economy and scenarios around the outcomes of the pandemic.
I was really excited about Strategy because I knew that INSEAD is very strong in this field. We learnt about different kinds of frameworks for strategic analysis and what to look out for at each stage, and also got to apply what we have learnt for a company in either the banking or the insurance sector. The course was once again very practical and applied, and provided a solid foundation for the Blue Ocean Practical at the end of the period, which greatly complemented our understanding of strategy.
Outside of academics, Unification Day was one of the best moments in P4. On this day, we celebrated being together on campus after going through some tough times in the first few periods due to the pandemic. We also unveiled a plaque with a world map and everyone’s names printed on it to commemorate our pioneering MIM cohort, which made me really emotional. I was looking at the map and realised once again just how diverse our class really is – and what an amazing network this will be for the future. No matter where we go - we will always have someone to fall back on!
"I could use both the theory and the practice in my job applications!"
Aakriti Agrawal
Bachelor of Technology
Indian
Personally, I am very passionate about consulting so having the Strategy course in P4 was exactly the right time, as it also coincides with the strategy recruitment season. I’m in the middle of my consulting case preparation, and so I could use both the theory and the practice of this course in my applications!
The Blue Ocean Strategy practical felt like the trophy of INSEAD. It was very well structured around implementing the strategy we had previously learnt, together with frameworks and tools from all the other courses, and then putting it all together for a real company presentation. It was also great to get real-time feedback from the faculty and company CEO.
But if I have to pick a favourite, I must say Macroeconomics was the highlight of my entire MIM journey so far. I loved our professor so much – he was so knowledgeable and eloquent, and all the content was very relevant to what is happening today, with real data, real country scenarios and real insights. It was an absolute privilege to take this course.
I’m now enjoying a short break before we embark on our electives in P5, and I’ll be using this time to work on my job applications and also explore Singapore, which I haven’t had much chance to do yet.
My tip for future students: Don’t be shy to ask questions or make comments! Keep participating in the classroom discussions as much as you can, because this is what makes the experience so enriching.
