In Period 5, the last module of the programme, you get to choose eight electives from a range of courses. All courses are designed with a focus on innovation, so you graduate with knowledge and skills that allow you to jump right into action the moment you start work. 

Another highlight is the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) bootcamp which concludes the MIM curriculum. This three-day, hands-on, immersive learning experience equips you with the tools for developing solutions to some of the world’s most pressing problems, and empower you to become an ambassador of change in your career. 

"The electives gave us great opportunities to apply the tools and frameworks to real-life situations and prepare for our future roles."

INSEAD Master in Management Vincent Mehaweg Testa

Vincent Mehaweg Testa
BA Applied Economics and Financial Engineering
French, Lebanese

 

After INSEAD, I’m going to start an internship in a financial services boutique firm, so I wanted to tailor my P5 experience towards finance with courses like Global Strategy and Financial Statement Analysis, as well as Sustainable Finance, Investing in Impact and Financial Technology. These are the trends in financial services at the moment and I wanted to make sure that I have a solid understanding in them. 

All the electives were super interactive with a lot of group work, presentations and many guest speakers. Often there was also a company project that you could work on during the course, which you then had to frame and pitch to the class at the end, so this gave us some great opportunities to apply the tools and frameworks to real-life situations and prepare for our future roles.  

 

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) bootcamp was a very intense and rewarding experience. This practical put us at the intersection of profit and impact, and we were given a toolkit to ideate and prototype solutions in our teams. My team took on SDG 6 which is “Ensure access to water and sanitation for all”. We worked on solutions to address the problem of water scarcity in Rajasthan (India), tackling both water quality and accountability issues. We were supported by fantastic mentors – seasoned professionals from the impact industry - who shared their experiences and resources with us, and gave us valuable feedback on how we could improve our solutions further to be able to actually implement them in the real world, which was really inspiring. 

For those who are interested to pursue a career in financial services, I would say that the INSEAD MIM provides a strong foundation. Even though I had already studied finance for my undergrad, I found that there was a very different and practical approach here. You are put directly in the shoes of a manager facing complex issues and challenges so don’t expect it to be easy! I’ve now gained a well-rounded understanding of not just the numbers, but also the strategic aspects and all the synergies of finance in business. 

 

"What I learnt has made me rethink how I want to go about my career."

Mu Yutong INSEAD Master in Management

Yutong Mu
Bachelor in Economics and Global China Studies
Chinese

 

I want to pursue a career in consulting, so I opted for Global Strategy and Analytics for Real Business Impact – both courses are going to be really useful in this field. For the other electives, I went with topics that interested me, and Financial Technology with the legendary Professor Massimo Massa was my favourite of them all. 

I had previously done an internship in this field so I went in thinking that I had a good idea of it already, but the approach we took in this course was absolutely eye-opening. Things like blockchain and artificial intelligence tend to be buzzwords that many people use without actually understanding what these concepts mean, but once you dig deeper you realise that beyond technology and fancy algorithms it all comes down to whether or not an idea actually makes sense and works alongside human behaviour.

 

This process of discovery was very inspiring and actually made me rethink the way I look at things and how I want to go about my career. 

My personal highlight in P5 was the farewell dinner we had with our home group in Singapore. We had started our journey in Fontainebleau nine months ago and have grown incredibly close. The sunset was amazing that night and we kept on talking for hours. Of course, we will keep in touch and meet again, but I already miss my friends!

 

"Hands down the best way to end the programme!"

Jeremy Teboul INSEAD Master in Management

Jeremy Teboul
Joint Bachelor's degree, Economics & Mathematics
Swiss, French

 

I’m really passionate about tech, and before INSEAD, I ran my own company in this sector. My family also owns a real estate business, which I may get more involved in in the future, so my elective choices were all geared towards these interests. 

I selected courses ranging from Private Equity & Venture Capital to Technology & Innovation Strategy and Family Business Leadership, as well as Building Businesses in Silicon Valley (BBSV) which took place in San Francisco. 

The San Francisco trip was amazing – we were actually the first group of students to visit the new INSEAD Hub there so that held a special meaning to us - and BBSV was absolutely fascinating and turned out to be my favourite course in the entire MIM programme.

 

It was such a great mix of activities and speakers, we got to participate in a hackathon, learnt about artificial intelligence, and networked with alumni in the Bay area. It was – hands down – the best way to end the programme! 

Despite all these highlights, P5 was also a very emotional period for all of us because we realised that we were going to have to say good-bye soon, which is not easy when you’ve built such close bonds. This was especially true for our pioneering batch, as we’ve been through so many disruptions and challenges together due to the pandemic. Therefore, what I’d like to say to future students is: Make the most of your time at INSEAD! We’ve learnt the hard way that things can be so unpredictable, so every day is precious.

But while many things are coming to an end, P5 is also a transition and the beginning of something new and exciting. We are now becoming part of the alumni network and embarking on our career, and I can’t wait to see what’s next! 

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