By the third year of my undergraduate degree in Engineering, I knew I wanted to do business. I didn’t know what exactly business meant, but I did know that I found my internships in commercial and business development teams absolutely fascinating. So how would I make a switch from Mechanical Engineering to Business?

• Read more about Engineering My Way to Business – An INSEAD Story

The INSEAD classroom is a safe space for lively discussions, insight sharing and asking out-of-the-box questions, whilst quickly coming up to speed with a diverse range of business fundamentals. As an English Literature major student and former journalist, I’ve often wondered what it would feel like to learn alongside finance savvy banking or consulting classmates.

• Read more about Academic Learning: Fresh Perspectives and New Insights

An old African tale tells the story of when a fire erupted in the forest. All animals started running and amongst them there was the king of the forest, the lion. Whilst he was fleeing, he lifted his head and saw a hummingbird flying in the opposite direction.

• Read more about From Microeconomics to Hummingbird Economics During COVID-19

When you decide to go for an Executive Master’s degree in your forties, you go in with tempered expectations. After all, after a dozen or more training programmes, and 20 years of professional experience, you’ve learned a lot of what there is to know about your field. Your goal will probably be to build on that experience with some of the latest knowledge and research that a university like INSEAD can provide.

• Read more about A Mid-life Breakthrough

Our cohort is a special one, which makes for an unforgettable and meaningful MBA experience. Although we are in lockdown, we are getting so much support from the school, professors, and students who are continuously committed to alleviating the negative impact on the learning experience at INSEAD.

• Read more about The Capstone Simulation: A Project with Non-simulated Leadership

Business schools teach ‘business as usual’ topics. This is understandable as they are the tools that we use the most on a day-to-day basis. Typical courses in strategy, finance, accounting, economics etc. study how things work in ‘normal’ conditions.

• Read more about How Business Schools Will Change After COVID-19

“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” - Confucius

• Read more about Rethinking Resilience: Lessons From the Poles

This week marks the third week I’ve been following INSEAD’s classes online less than a kilometre away from INSEAD’s Europe campus, and so far the experience has been better than I thought it would be. What I miss the most in online classes are mini interactions that happen in hallways, in the bar, in the restaurant, or anywhere in the city. Last month, a trip to the supermarket or a restaurant would involve me bumping into 3-4 INSEADers along the way. Now, a trip to the restaurant is around eight steps and surprise! I’m the chef, waiter, and guest. “Bienvenue Monsieur!”

• Read more about Making Online Classes Work