We’re moving right along in our Real Humans series focused on current students at leading business schools around the globe. Today, enter INSEAD, under a spotlight.
Ranked the number one MBA program in the world by the Financial Times in both 2016 and 2017, the global school with campuses on three continents was knocked to second this year by Stanford, but the many of the qualities that helped it dominate in prior years remain. Compared head to head against other international business schools (outside the United States), Bloomberg BusinessWeek ranked INSEAD tops out of 31 schools in its most recent ranking.
Distinct from its U.S. rivals, INSEAD offers students an accelerated 10-month program that comes at a significant savings, both in terms of tuition and time out of the work force. Current tuition fees for the class that will graduate in December 2019 are €84,000, or roughly $103,680.
There are two intakes each year, one in September and another in January. The size and composition of the two intakes—as well as the curriculum, course structure, and opportunities for campus exchanges—are largely the same. The main difference is that students who begin in September study straight through, graduating the following July. Those who begin in January have a two-month summer break when they can pursue internships, after which they return and graduate in December.
In case you’re wondering how a school spread across three campuses really works, here’s how things play out for INSEAD students. They choose their preferred starting campus as applicants to the program, and most admitted students are given that preferred location for their first two periods (though that is not guaranteed). Six weeks into their program, students can specify their preferred locations for their third, fourth, and fifth periods. In addition to INSEAD’s France, Abu Dhabi, and Singapore campuses, students also have the option of participating in Wharton and Kellogg campus exchanges. (The school can’t always guarantee a student’s preferred order, but it does ensure that all students can study at all its campuses.)
In leadup to introducing you to current members of the INSEAD MBA class that will graduate in December 2018, we’ll offer up some statistics about class profile overall. The 536 students in the ‘18D class represent 74 nationalities, with the largest national groups being Indian, American, Chinese, Spanish, Brazilian, and Canadian. One third—33 percent—of the students are female. The average GMAT score for the ‘18D class was 706, down from the all-time high score of 712 for the preceding Class of ‘18J.
The average age is 29, and students bring an average of 5.6 years of prior work experience. In terms of industry, 34 percent of students in INSEAD’s combined 2018 MBA class came from corporate backgrounds generally, followed by 31 percent specifically from consulting and 24 percent specifically from financial services. A smaller slice, 11 percent, came from technology, media, and telecommunications.
Now without further ado, let us introduce you to a handful of the Real Humans of the INSEAD MBA Class of 2018D, who help bring things numbers to life.
