Ask an MBA Admissions Consultant

Dear all,

Working on my MBA application, I would be really glad if you could give a glance at my profile (I tried to make it short) and give me an idea about my chances of getting into INSEAD.

Thanks a lot for your advice, it would be extremly valuable to me.

Profile:

• - 29 Male from France
  - GMAT - 670 (Q42/43, V40) - I dunno what to do with the GMAT, first attempt 670, second cancelled score, third attempt (yesterday) 670 again (I'm around Q45-47 during Prep, but can't make it the D-day...)
  - GPA - Above average (from a B-rank business school)

• - 2002-2007 - Business school (major in bank and finance)
  - 2006 - 5 months in Taiwan for studying econ.
  - 2006 - 5 months in Russia for internship
  - 2006 - Harvard Summer school (econ / game theory)
  - 2007-2009 - PhD in Econ + Master in linguistic - both left for startup
  - 2009-2011 - Startup (free "knowledge" magazine)
  - 2007-2001 - ("very part time" to pay my rent) Professor in econ + freelance project manager at BBDO
  - 2011 - today - Consulting (performance/strategy) - highly regarded collegue with very strong results

Kind of "Achievements":

• - 2007 - Nominee for french best financial essay
  - 2008 - Award for entrepreneurship grant (form my business school)
  - 2013 - Winner "Startup Weekend" (Paris)
  - 2014 - Winner "Call for ideas" (by European Commission) + invited speaker at the European Cultural Forum (in Brussels)
  - Since 2013 - Consulting for "very small NGOs" a few days a month (with the agreement of my firm)

Kind of "Extra Curricular":

• - Architecture competitions (with a friend of mine, he is architect)
  - Mapping/designing (like this one: https://goo.gl/ituNMK)
  - Coding (website, app, mockup...)
  - Sports and cooking ...

Target School: INSEAD.
I don't think that it is possibe with my Gmat score to aim at the very big ones, but do you think INSEAD is "achievable"? Or do I need to give a 4th attempt to gmat?

I would be glad to give any futher information if needed.
Thanks again.

Hi Nerotulip,

I just had a quick look at your profile this morning. I think you are seriously underestimating how original you are (French, Entrepreneur, Consulting). I actually think that INSEAD will judge you a lot more harshly than schools in other countries would (in terms of your undergraduate school - which you qualify as B rank). You're never a king in your own country sort of thing.

I'd actually love to chat with you about your entrepreneurial activities as well as learn more about where you went to school etc. If you have already done 670 on the GMAT twice in a row it doesn't sound like you are going to move far outside your personal average at this point. If you are planning on applying to R2 then time is ticking in terms of essays and reccos.

I'm actually looking for some interesting candidates to work with on a pro bono basis (see my post here https://www.beatthegmat.com/free-admissi ... 80438.html)

Best,
Leah Derus

I disagree with my colleague in that I would suggest you to retake the GMAT if you have only taken it twice. Your 670 is below the average INSEAD 701 GMAT (https://mba.insead.edu/the-insead-mba/class-profile.cfm) and even a modest increase would represent a significant percentage increase compared to the average.

It is a little difficult to gauge your work experience with the limited information that you worked at a startup. You might want to read this article to get a better idea of MBA Admissions Criteria.

Also, feel free to contact us for a free initial assessment.

Good luck,