INSEAD Recommendation Questions
The recommendation questions for the MBA program at INSEAD are available below. Two recommendation letters are required, and should ideally come from the workplace in order to say something about your leadership and management potential. Current supervisors or managers are preferred, but alternatively, it can be from someone who has had an opportunity to evaluate you in a professional setting, such as a client, a former supervisor, or a colleague from your community service or extracurricular activities.
INSEAD allows a third recommendation if you feel it will add value to your profile. There is no imposed format for this additional reference, and you can choose to upload it in your supporting documents section of the application or email it.
2024-2025 INSEAD MBA Recommendation Questions
Relationship to Candidate
After some personal identifying information, the form proceeds to inquire about the recommender’s relationship to the applicant.
Please, specify your relationship to candidate:
- Professional
- Educational
- Personal
How long have you known the candidate? Define your relationship with the candidate and the circumstances whereby you met.
Candidate Rating
How do you rate the candidate on the following criteria? (Using the following scale: Outstanding (top 2%), Very Good (top 10%), Above Average (top 25%), Average (top 50%), Below Average (bottom 50%), Unobserved
- Competence in his/her field
- Professionalism
- Focus on the task at hand
- Readiness to use opportunities for achievement
- Creativity and resourcefulness
- Intellectual curiosity
- Energy and drive
- Personal integrity
- Ability to work in a team
- Organizational ability
- Oral communication skills
- Written communication skills
- Excellent (top 2%)
- Very good (top 10%)
- Above average (top 25%)
- Average (top 50%)
- Below average (bottom 50%)
Recommender Questions
Please give your answers to each of the following questions.
- Comment on the candidate’s career progress to date and his/her career focus.
MBA Applywire
Licensed PE in Mech Eng; GMAT Focus Score; Limited EC's; BS ME at Georgia Tech with Highest Honors and Econ Minor
Work Experience
- Worked Offshore for 1.5 years on Oil Rig
- Project / Package / Systems Engineering 4+ Years Experience
African American male - 28.
My goal for an MBA is to build tools for music creators. I joined a band during Covid and found a passion for digital music creation and machine learning, but I lack the business skills.
Top Choices:
HBS: Offers cross-registration with Berklee for classes like audio engineering and entertainment law, plus a chance to collaborate with potential users and experts in the music field.
MIT: Media Lab aligns with some of the audio breakthroughs I’m interested in
My challenge is a lower GPA. How can I offset that weakness?
White Male with Non-Target (T100) undergrad degree in International Studies.
Would like to pivot into Corporate Strategy specifically focused on international business/emerging markets.
Classic low GPA high GMAT conundrum. Nothing special in extracurriculars (although I do have a number of outdoor-oriented hobbies).
Confident in my Recommendations/Essay writing skills.
I attended a top 25 state school and have extensive extracurricular experience, including serving a 2-year church mission, managing a college prep program for underprivileged students, and running a nonprofit in Ukraine.
My post-MBA goal is to build a company focused on housing affordability.
Enlisted military, stem degree from top LAC, currently at a nonprofit. My post mba goal is to do management consulting for a couple years then get back into the nonprofit space. Taking the GRE in December
MBA LiveWire
Non-B4 Consultant
Non-B4 consultant
8YOE Army Officer, Combat Arms
Applied through consortium