So Far So Good
Pre-MBA
Coming from an isolated country, I was overjoyed to receive multiple b-school offers.
I selected INSEAD because of the large alumni network, diversity of thoughts and culture, and positive feedback from a high school friend who had graduated from INSEAD.
As a round 1 admit, I had eight to nine months before starting. Hence, I took this time to reflect on my future and decided to pursue a start-up role to diversify my work experience. After some travelling, I settled in Sydney to grow an early stage start-up, a role I secured through the help of a '19D!
I realised the power of the alumni network during regular “Thirsty-Thursday” meetings, where I met alums, including those from the GEMBA programme, from 1990 - 2018, each sharing their wisdom and reminiscing one of the most memorable time of their lives.
P1 – Highlights
“Force for Good” in action
The launch week was a gradual initiation into the INSEAD community. However, the highlight was the ‘Splash project’ where I first witnessed and lived through our school motto. The project moved every student in one way or another. Pure rocket fuel!
One of the challenging aspects of the programme is the fact that there are so many choices.
While you have academics at the core, there are ongoing club activities, recruiting, networking, or weekend trips with friends. You learn to prioritise and organise yourself quite quickly.
One of the best decisions for me was going through the renowned INSEAD Start-up Bootcamp; I learnt more about myself in 48 hours than the past month, made new friends and saw amazing solutions in the process.
The motto was in action again during the second defining moment of P1, Master Strategy Day. The challenge was to implement the frameworks we had learnt in P1 to solve a real problem for a client in Africa. Since the students are still discussing their experiences it demonstrates how carefully INSEAD selects its cohort that is not only mentally agile but also socially aware.
I feel lot of the readers, or future readers, are curious to understand our frame of mind as the COVID-19 virus creates havoc in the globalised world.
Admittedly, I couldn’t feel more safer in Singapore; the government has responded efficiently and decisively to contain the virus. However, I want to highlight the unsung heroes of P1: Singapore faculty.
Whereas other business schools rely on HBS case studies and lecturing, INSEAD professors actively engaged the students to develop their intuitions and debate the Corona pandemic. For instance, our Uncertainty, Data and Judgment (UDJ) professor highlighted how Poisson could be used to model the infections and our Prices and Markets (P&M) professor facilitated discussions on the global economic impact. These for me were a key learning outcome and something I will carry with me for future scenarios.
The MBA experience was going to be memorable regardless, but the added obstacles brought on by Corona will bind us even closer. Bring on P2!
