The school’s facilities are average. The buildings, though relatively new, already seem to be showing their age. Because INSEAD isn’t part of a larger university, the school seems rather small and doesn’t have the pleasant “campus” feel to it that many American schools have.
My visit to INSEAD started off badly. I was late to the information session, and when I finally took my seat, my mobile phone rang, much to my embarrassment. The adcomm lady running the session gave me an unpleasant look.
After the information session I sat in on a marketing class. The format was quite interactive, but I sensed some open hostility among the students, which I found very unprofessional. Later that night I went out in Fontainebleau with one of my friends, a new first-year student, and some of his classmates. The INSEAD students really know how to unwind and I stayed out drinking with them late into the night.
Some of the students I talked to seemed to find the pace of the program a bit fast. One student remarked, “One year seems too short for all they’re trying to teach us ... sometimes I feel we go over material too quickly.” On the other hand, virtually all the students were united in praising what is perhaps INSEAD’s greatest asset, the school’s international character.
My interview was held in London at the offices of Deloitte & Touche. Though I was well-prepared, I felt nervous. My interviewer, Alex Brown, Senior Associate Director of Admissions immediately put me at ease with his easy-going style. None of his questions were out of the ordinary and I gained confidence as the interview progressed. At the end, we chatted about WiFi networking and a book which was sitting on his desk, Liar’s Poker, which I happened to have read just a few months prior. I walked away from the interview feeling very good.
