INSEAD is a highly regarded international program located in both France and Singapore that has the added benefit of opportunities to study at some of the top US MBA programs as an exchange student.

While INSEAD has a diverse, international focus it also has the name recognition in the US to translate to interesting career opportunities. If you are an international student interested in the shorter length of an international program, yet interested in recruiting at US firms, INSEAD may be the ideal program for you.

To learn more about INSEAD, there are opportunities to attend one of the many admissions events.

Each essay topic listed below and in the subsequent pages must be answered.

Essay 1: Give a candid description of yourself, stressing the personal characteristics you feel to be your strengths and weaknesses and the main factors, which have influenced your personal development, giving examples when necessary. (400 words approx.)

This essay asks for a self-aware and candid exploration of your strengths and weaknesses. Ideally you can use one concise example that will highlight both a few strengths and at least one weakness. Think about an example where you were able to interact with others and exhibit leadership and teamwork. When you discuss your weakness, make sure that your weakness is genuine and that you are able to provide evidence that you were self-aware enough to both recognize the weakness and work on it to improve your effectiveness.

While you can use non-work examples in this essay if they exhibit the key characteristics you would like to explore, it is probably most effective to focus on a great professional example to start the set of essays in the right tone.

Essay 2: Describe what you believe to be your two most substantial accomplishments to date, explaining why you view them as such. (400 words approx.)

This is a fairly similar essay to the HBS three accomplishments essay. Similarly, you will want to choose two examples that highlight different sides of yourself. If you chose a professional example for Essay 1, you may want to choose extracurricular and personal examples for Essay 2, and if you choose another professional example make sure it is materially different from the example in Essay 1.

Because you only have about 200 words per accomplishment you will need to focus on providing a concise and specific situation, a clear result that demonstrates the significance of the example, and a bit of space for self-reflection upon the accomplishment.

Essay 3: Describe a situation taken from school, business, civil or military life, where you did not meet your personal objectives, and discuss briefly the effect. (250 words approx.)

This is a classic mistake essay. While some questions ask you to focus specifically on a mistake, this one allows the room for a situation that may have been objectively successful, yet did not meet your personal objectives.

You will want to demonstrate the pivotal nature of this event in your life, and due the leeway in topic areas, you will have the ability to delve into areas of your life that you may not have previously discussed and that may be fairly far in the past. Think about the moments in your life where you have changed direction, defined your goals more clearly, or had an epiphany about yourself or your purpose. Most importantly, you want to demonstrate that you have the ability to reflect upon the imperfect nature of your past and retain lessons that continue to serve your future.

Essay 4: Discuss your career goals. What skills do you expect to gain from studying at INSEAD and how will they contribute to your professional career. (500 words approx.)

This is a classic careers goals essay, yet similarly to HBS asks only the future oriented question of your career goals. You will certainly need to discuss your past a little in order to demonstrate how you have arrived at your goals, but you want to devote most of the space to explaining what your goals are, and how you expect the INSEAD MBA program to assist you in reaching them.

Essay 5: Please choose one of the following two essay topics:

a) Have you ever experienced culture shock? What did it mean to you? (250 words approx.), or

b) What would you say to a foreigner moving to your home country? (250 words approx.)

You can choose either question, and should pick a) if you have a clear and vivid example of culture shock. If you are struggling to recognize and communicate such an example, you will want to choose essay b) which is more oriented towards those who may not have a clear international background.

When answering either question you will want to demonstrate your interest in and sensitivity towards different cultures, and discuss some of the international or multicultural experiences in your own life.

Due to the very short word count, choose a vivid and concise example and reflect upon its meaning in the context of your life and goals thus far.

Essay 6: Is there anything that you have not mentioned in the above essays that you would like the Admissions Committee to know? (200 words approx.) This essay is optional.

This optional essay is the ideal place to write about any aspect that was not covered in the previous five essays, and/or explain any weaknesses in your application. In either case, keep the essay brief, to the point, and make sure you are describing a new aspect of yourself that fits in with your overall application strategy and assists your case for admission.

Re-application

Essay 7: In case of reapplication, please use this page. Your essay should state any new aspects of professional, international, academic, or personal development since your last application. We would also like you to explain your motivation for re-applying to INSEAD. This essay should not exceed 400 words.

Reapplication essays should focus entirely on why you are a better candidate this year than you were last year. Describe any promotions, new extracurricular activities, awards or academic achievements. Keep the descriptions brief and topical, and use the rest of the essay to reiterate your interest in the INSEAD program and your desire to attend if admitted.

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Georgetown has a unique international focus, exemplified by the International Executive MBA program and the Georgetown-ESADE MBA program.  The Georgetown MBA program is seeking candidates who can fit in with the small and focused classroom experience, by demonstrating leadership qualities, cross-cultural awareness and diversity.

You have three brief essays and a list of activities to demonstrate your qualifications to Georgetown.  Be sure to choose examples that show your range of experience and personal qualities, as well as your knowledge of and interest in Georgetown.

Essay 1:  Briefly state your short-term and long-term career objectives. How have your prior professional, academic, and personal experiences influenced your career plans? Specifically, how will your participation in Georgetown’s MBA Full-Time Program contribute to your career objectives? (750 words)

Georgetown leads off this set of essays with a classic career goals question.  The focus is on your goals, your past experiences and how a Georgetown MBA will help you achieve your objectives.  The difference between this essay and other similar questions is the focus on your experiences, not just professional, but also academic and personal.  To answer this question effectively in 750 words think about the pivotal points in your background that may have changed your direction, triggered an epiphany or crystallized an idea.  Focus on these distinct points and relate them to your more general overall path – clearly linking your past, MBA education and goals.

Essay 2:  In your own words, how do you define leadership? Please provide a specific example (professional or personal) of a time when you embodied the characteristics of a leader. Be sure to highlight the challenges you faced and the results you achieved. What areas do you wish to develop in order to become a more effective leader? (750 words)

This essay has three distinct parts, calling for your own definition of leadership, a leadership example, and a question about your plans for leadership development.  When defining leadership, be sure your answer is based on your personal perspective and experiences rather than a stock response.  Ideally your answer would tie in with the example you describe, and the areas you hope to develop.

The leadership example you choose should be specific and concise so you are able to discuss the challenges you faced in the situation, and the results.  In addition, you will want an example where you can illustrate the third part of the question, when you are asked to illuminate the areas of leadership you plan to develop.  If you can incorporate any specific attributes of Georgetown that will help you in your leadership development, they will be a great addition to this essay.

Essay 3:  What is the most significant change you have made to any organization with which you have been recently affiliated? Please describe how you identified the need for change and how you managed the process of implementing change. What were the results? (750 words)

This essay focuses specifically on change within an organization.  You can choose a professional or extracurricular example, likely depending on the type of example you choose for essay 2.  If you are providing a professional answer and are part of a large organization, you may not have a dramatic example of a change you instituted.  Even a small change can be appropriate here, what is most important is how you were able to identify the need for change and implement it. 

Specific examples of your thought process and actions will be crucial here.  This essay can demonstrate innovative thinking, clear judgment and leadership qualities, all important characteristics for a strong MBA candidate.

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Goizueta Business School at Emory University in Atlanta offers a variety of programs, including a one-year MBA, which is more common outside the United States. The requirements of the one year program vary slightly from the typical two year applicant profile. One year students are expected to arrive at Goizueta with a prior business background and undergraduate degree in business or economics. The one year students will have already completed the basic core elements of an MBA program by taking classes in Statistics, Economics and Calculus prior to attending the program. In addition, the one year students will have focused career goals without the need for an internship. The one year program is smaller than the two year.

The two year program is composed of students from all backgrounds who will complete a core program and an internship. In addition, two year students benefit from more elective opportunities and the ability to study abroad.

When approaching the Goizueta essays, it is important to be focused on your overall application strategy and clearly understand your own unique strengths and weaknesses. You will want to demonstrate your professional skills and personal qualities, along with clearly demonstrating that you are familiar with the Goizueta program and that it is an appropriate fit for you.

1. List one of your most significant professional or organizational accomplishments.
Describe your precise role in this event and how it has helped to shape your management skills. Please limit your response to two, double-spaced, typed pages.

This is similar to the HBS accomplishment essay, and you should choose topics in a similar way. Think about the important accomplishments in your life, and pick one that you can describe precisely. Because Emory is asking for an accomplishment that has shaped your management skills you will likely want to think about professional accomplishments first. If you work as an individual contributor without the opportunity to manage at work, you may have robust leadership experiences in your extracurricular activities that would be appropriate for this question.

In describing your accomplishment be specific about what the accomplishment was, and if possible, have solid results. Describe what you did to accomplish the achievement with specific examples whenever possible. You have the room to thoroughly describe the events and your role in the accomplishments.

The second part of this question is to reflect upon how this accomplishment has shaped your management skills. Think about the lessons you learned and the way you were able to grow as a result of the experience. To be thoroughly convincing, a recent example of a time that you used these learnings would be effective.

2. Please complete/address two of the following statements.
Full-time candidates (Two-Year and One-Year Programs) must complete/address choice F as one of the two options. Please limit each response to one, double-spaced, typed page.
a. I have always wanted to….
b. My most memorable cross-cultural experience….
c. My family background is unique because….
d. The person who has had the greatest influence on my leadership style is… because…
e. The greatest lesson I have ever learned….
f. Of Goizueta’s core values (courage, integrity, accountability, rigor, diversity, team, community), which value resonates most with you and why?

This question offers a wide range of options to illuminate almost any area of your application strategy. Think about what you would like to communicate to the admissions committee about yourself and your values, and then choose the appropriate question.

If you are seeking to differentiate yourself, choosing option c or b may be ideal to communicate why you are unique despite any typical statistics or background you may have. If you need to bulk up in communicating your leadership style, option d will be appropriate. Communicating about your personal qualities would be effective in option a and option f.

Goizueta asks all full-time applicants to answer option f. When approaching the question it would be useful to think about what specific example or examples you can use to illustrate why you choose that particular core value. You will certainly want to back up your choice effectively as well as make sure you can use the opportunity to communicate another aspect of your candidacy to the admissions committee.

3. What do you expect to accomplish in the Goizueta Business School MBA program?
How will your participation in the MBA program fit in with your experiences and responsibilities as well as your short and long-term career goals? Please limit your response to two, double-spaced, typed pages.

The classic career goals essay comes at the end of this set of essays and starts with the question of “why Goizueta?” To effectively answer this question you will want to demonstrate your specific knowledge of the program from all angles – academic, social and community. In researching the program you will want to take advantage of the formal programs available, from school visits to admissions information sessions, as well as informal networking with current and former students.

To answer the rest of this question, you will want to demonstrate how you will contribute to the program based on your experiences, and how the program will help you reach your short and long-term career goals. As in other career goals essays, this essay is most effective if you are able to clearly show the links between your past experience, the Goizueta MBA program, your short-term goals, then your long-tem goals.
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UNC Kenan-Flagler rise in the rankings in recent years comes as the program continues to invest in the MBA program and drive innovation through focusing on what actual recruiters want in MBA recruits. Recently Kenan-Flagler announced the new Luther H. Hodges leadership center, which is a great opportunity for students to learn leadership principles and practice them. Kenan-Flagler’s full time MBA program was recently ranked #6 on the WSJ rankings and is in the top 20 for the other major periodicals.

Essay One:
What are the 2 or 3 strengths or characteristics that have driven your career success thus far? Do you have other strengths that you would like to leverage in the future? (500 words maximum)

This question is similar to other inquiries about your strengths and weaknesses, except for the key difference that it optimistically focuses solely on strengths. This is an opportunity to demonstrate your ability to either self-assess or seek feedback from others. When brainstorming ideas for this essay it may help to take a self-assessment test or to refer to the reviews you have received throughout your career. What are the themes? Where have you excelled the most?

The other aspect of this question is to demonstrate your accomplishments. Rather than listing out strengths, you will want to provide the real world examples of where you have used these strengths in your career and the results you have achieved.

In answering the question about the strengths you would like to use in the future, think about your extracurricular activities and hobbies. Perhaps you are exceptionally creative in your personal life and would like to apply that strength to your career. If you are involved in teams outside of work but are an individual contributor professionally, this is the perfect opportunity to highlight that strength and communicate how you plan to develop it as you rise in your career.

Essay Two: Briefly describe the career path you intend to pursue immediately after b-school. Explain why this career option appeals to you and why an MBA is appropriate at this time. (500 words maximum)

Ideally this question fits in well with the assessment of your strengths you presented in Essay One. Similar to a standard career goals essay, you need to discuss your plans after business school and why an MBA is the correct next step for you. The question implies a “Why Now” inquiry, so you will need to clearly outline where you are at this point in your career and why this is the right time to return to school.

This question focuses on the short term, asking for a very clear link between your short term career path and your MBA. Due to Kenan-Flagler’s focus on the perspective of recruiters, this focus on the short term is logical. However, you may want to add perspective and bring in your long term goal if it fits smoothly with the other goals you outline in this essay and does not require significant explanation.

Essay Three: What personal qualities or life experiences distinguish you from other applicants? How do these qualities or experiences equip you to contribute to Kenan-Flagler? (500 words maximum)

This question is a gift to any applicant who needs to differentiate his or her story. Similar to the Kellogg and Tuck essays with the same theme, think about what is unique about your background or perspective. If you have an interesting and diverse background you will certainly have enough material and the task will be to link your background clearly to a contribution you will make to the Kenan-Flagler community. Think about clubs or activities you will join and what you will bring that is unique.

If you are someone without a particularly unique background you will want to focus on personal qualities. What personality trait helps you stand out in a group? What do people often tell you about yourself? And how will this trait contribute to the community at Kenan-Flagler?

Essay Four: What do you expect from your MBA program? How and when will you measure the return on your investment in the MBA? (500 words maximum)

This question is a great opportunity to address why you want to attend Kenan-Flagler at length. Think about the areas you hope to enhance through an MBA. There are skills you will obtain, people you will meet, and opportunities to enhance your teamwork and leadership skills. Outline what you are expecting to gain from the MBA program, both while you attend and afterwards.

When addressing the second half of the question, avoid a direct discussion of monetary awards (which is likely your first instinct!) and focus on the qualitative benefits you will gain through increased skills, improved leadership qualities, and enhanced network. Also discuss what length of time is meaningful to you. Is this an investment for the long-term?

Be sure to work in many references to the benefits of the Kenan-Flagler program. To research the school, go beyond the website and network with students and alumni. The admissions office is currently on a world tour, offering many opportunities for personal interaction.

Essay Five: If your GMAT quantitative score is low, or if you have not had coursework in calculus, microeconomics, statistics and financial accounting, please tells us how you plan to prepare yourself for the quantitative MBA curriculum (300 words maximum)

This optional essay is straightforward and simply requires you to outline your preparation for the program. If you do not have the requisite coursework you may have gained training through work that will result in the same preparation. If you do not have the preparation through work or courses, it may be worth registering for continuing education classes and informing the admissions committee in this essay.

Essay Six: Is there anything else you think the Admissions Committee should know about you in order to evaluate your candidacy? (300 words maximum)

This optional essay can be used to explain anything unusual or problematic about your application, from poor undergraduate GPA to choice of recommenders. In addition, because it is so open-ended, you may use it to communicate any additional information that may be beneficial to your candidacy. If you did not have the opportunity to communicate one of the areas of your application strategy, this may provide the space to do so.

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For a concise, thoughtful guide that will help you navigate the MBA admissions process with greater success, order our NEW book, The MBA Application Roadmap.