Nidhi Joseph

Why did you decide to do your MBA at INSEAD?

The management training programme I was on gave me a taste of international exposure - 400 trainees from 80 countries and I just wanted that intensity of experience to continue. But I also wanted to stop doing more of the same and move towards general management. The INSEAD MBA just seemed a brilliant way to learn from many perspectives. Other schools weren’t as focused on learning this way.

Did INSEAD live up to your expectations?

Definitely. Most MBA programmes provide a similar curriculum. But at INSEAD we don’t just learn about finance, for example. We learn about how finance is practised all over the world. It’s also very, very interactive. There are no subjects where the professor just talks at you for a full 90 minutes. The faculty even research our backgrounds so that they know who to call on in class.

How would you describe the INSEAD study group experience?

Every group has a different composition in terms of cultures and professional backgrounds, and consequently, each group has a different experience. My group, for example, was comprised of an American, an Italian, a Chinese, a Kyrgyz (I’d never met anyone from Kyrgyzstan before), an Israeli and me. One of our professors once mentioned that we would need to engage and disagree with each other to get the most out of our group. Given our backgrounds, each of us see things differently and this positive friction makes for great learning.

Can you explain how this “learning from each other” works?

I have, for example, benefitted from my team-mates’ expertise and developed in areas where I was previously lacking and they have done the same. This makes for an incredibly collegiate, supportive atmosphere, which permeates the entire INSEAD community including the alumni, who are always ready to help. And needless to say, it’s perfect preparation for an international career.

And where will that career take you next?

At the moment I’ll just say that INSEAD is opening a lot of doors. Right now, I’m applying for internships. This one of the few one-year programmes to provide that opportunity. Again, we learn a lot from each other about our future options, but Career Services gives so much support: CV feedback, cover-letter reviews, lots of workshops and sector advisors, who are very approachable for one-on-one, honest advice. There are also external advisers who come in to give additional support. I just couldn’t have found out so much in such a small timeframe on my own.

What clubs and activities are you involved in?

The INSEAD campus is an incredibly inclusive culture. You can join any club and go to any event. So far I’ve joined the Consulting Club and the Retail Club and “amphi-stormed” with the Koreans during their National Week. I learned more about Korean culture than I thought was possible ¦ and now Israeli Week is coming up. But the club I’m most involved in is INSEAD Women in Business. Having worked in a male-dominated industry, it was important for me to join.

Of course, the gender ratio is skewed here too, as it is in all business schools. But things are changing. My study group is two girls to four guys, while women taught two out of seven of my classes this period. I firmly believe INSEAD will play a key role in taking women to the top in business.