Hi everyone! First, let’s start with a little introduction: my name is Vitor, I’m a 28-year-old Brazilian writing to you from Thailand, just before I begin my INSEAD journey in Singapore (Yeah it's good to be travelling a bit and getting to know a few new places). In my first post here, I would like to talk about why I decided to do an MBA, why INSEAD was always my first choice, and some tips for the application process.

• Read more about How I Got to INSEAD

It was a summery night in Miami in April, and I knew that once again I was going to make another turn in my life path. On that day, I decided to tell my manager that I was leaving for INSEAD in a month. My departure, unlike many others, was an already anticipated leave. I had been working in the same company for nearly five years and everyone was already aware that I was leaving, they just didn’t know when. Ever since I heard the news I was accepted into INSEAD, it felt a little unreal.

• Read more about My Stopover Decisions

Too often MBA students advise the incoming class to “land a job as fast as you can so you enjoy the rest of your MBA”, family farewell wishes consist of “we can’t wait for your MBA to be over to have you back”, while some friends and colleagues question your decision to pursue an MBA saying "why are you leaving your stable job?"  These phrases have initiated a spark inside of me to express what’s been on my inner mind for a while: why do we rush through things in life? And more importantly, why do we fear the uncertain?

• Read more about The Beauty in Uncertainty

It was 7 October 2010, a month before my final undergraduate exams, that I knew life would have to be different. Before this point, my life in South Africa had always consisted of two constants, my father and my brothers. With the setting of the sun that day, I was left with one.   My journey to INSEAD started with my parents, who took incredible risks from when I was born in Uganda to allow us to transition to lives that were spent between Uganda and South Africa for most of our upbringing.

• Read more about What We See When Our Eyes Close

A few months ago, I stood before a roomful of my classmates to tell my story. I talked about growing up in Nigeria, influences that shaped my choices, and what I hoped to achieve. Preparing the talk was difficult, but I had help from friends who were skilled at telling stories. I was exhausted but thrilled at the end of the session. Telling that story was so far out of my comfort zone that I could barely believe I had done it.

• Read more about How did P3 pass by so quickly? Where did all that time go?

Its 3:30 pm and I am sitting in the swish and swanky Terminal 3 of the New Delhi International Airport. The contrast is rather stark with the outside sky which remains as smoky, dusty and dull grey as I have always remembered. The flight to Indore – the town where I am supposed to fly next for my brother’s wedding, is delayed by another 2 hours. I have finished my free wifi quota and with nothing else to ponder over, have my INSEAD year book propped up.

• Read more about In Transit

1. Sunk cost is sunk. Get over it. We have come a long way and there will always be some unwanted and costly baggage we drag along with us. It’s painful to admit that they are actually unwanted. It’s even more painful to let go of it. But at the end of the day, everything we have learnt in the economics class shouldn’t go to waste. If something is already sunk, be firm and get over it. 2. Look far and think long-term.

• Read more about 8 Most Valuable Lessons From My INSEAD Year

Six people, six languages and five different nationalities... just within the Recruitment Team! At INSEAD, the staff are as diverse as its student and faculty bodies. The Marketing and Recruitment Team travels around the world throughout the year to meet and help the next generation of INSEADers get through their application journey. Last year we traveled to 60 different countries, organised over 300 events and answered thousands of questions from MBA prospective candidates.

• Read more about When INSEAD comes to you…

On a cloudy afternoon at the end of September, I was sitting in the Shell Shanghai office busy with loads of emails and all of sudden an INSEAD email jumped into my eyes. Opening the email with a presentiment, I saw a long letter starting with congratulations. I was extremely happy but silent as all the efforts I had made and all the unique moments in the past half year were rushing back into my mind. From Shanghai to Singapore, it is a five-hour flight of 2500 miles. From Shell to INSEAD, it is a restarting of another exciting and enriching experience.

• Read more about A 2500 Mile Journey From Shanghai to Singapore

My wife and I are just a few weeks away from the start of our program in Singapore. We have now recounted more times than we can recall how and why we decided to take the MBA plunge, and each time our narrative becomes a bit more coherent, a bit more persuasive. It’s a bit like an application essay – it never turns out perfectly the first time…or the second time, or the third time for that matter. But after multiple readings and edits, the story begins to sparkle: with crisp logic, Hitchcockian suspense, and a denouement that hints at prophetic insight.

• Read more about Pre-MBA Dilemmas We Choose to Forget