Talking to alumni before starting INSEAD, I was told that this year would be very intense. “The content of a full MBA programme is squeezed into ten months, but the intensity is not limited to the academic level”, they said. “You will meet plenty of amazing students, you will be taught by world-class professors and there will be great opportunities all over the place.” Several times, our discussions concluded with this unexpected piece of advice: “Sleep a lot before the programme begins, because you won’t have much time for that during your INSEAD year”.