So far, the people I’ve met who’ve been in INSEAD or know people who have studied there, tell me things which I can place into two different categories.
Category #1: It’s a very difficult course! You’re going to be so busy! Better do MORE pre-reading now!
This is of course scary to hear.
Category #2: Oh, you’ll have SO much fun. I’m sure you’ll do well. / I know you can handle it.
These two ‘predictions’ have been said to me many times by people who know me well, and by people who don’t know me well. I have not drawn up a table of stats to determine which statement is likely to be more valid for me. However they’re about the same in number … perhaps a bit more in Category #2 or so I’d like to hope!
I also hope that both types of comments are not mutually exclusive. Of course if you squeeze what other MBA programmes take 2 years to teach, into 10 months, we will be going at breakneck speed! I hear we have to skim to catch up with our readings, but I don’t like skimming because you may read things out of context and miss a deeper meaning. Hope I don’t have to re-LASIK my eyes after graduating from INSEAD!
However, I would like to believe that this challenge will be exhilarating. Thus I will mentally prepare myself to be stretched but in the process I will also grow.
I wish I had another 20 or 30 points of IQ so I can understand things better and faster.
I wish I could revive all the brain cells that have been dying since I was a child, so I can remember things better.
I also wish I could be super organised, punctual and attentive in class, and contribute a lot of great ideas and insights.
Looking at the calibre of the class, it will not be easy already. But I would like to see myself as an equal among great people. And that is the spirit I will adopt at school.
3 Comments
Maybe there’s no difference between Category #1 and Category #2. Perhaps, you’ll thrive in the ‘busy-ness’ (pun intended)…
Hi Partha, I hope so! :)
I would definitely suggest to do the pre-readings, esp. micro if you haven’t done yet, (saves you time to do better on the harder stuff)
And most important: Speed-reading (a course, or practicing Tony Buzan’s book), it will save you lots of barrels of midnight oil in the library.
And third, you should scan the older INSEAD blogs about the kind of parties, just to equip yourself with some inventory, which can become quite useful due to high peak demand (there is only a tiny costume store in Fonty).
And forth, relax! You’ll work at least 80-100h the first 4 months, but you’ll have great memories of that time until you are 80-100 years old (the “war stories” about that stubborn laser printer in lower gallery, at 4 a.m and a queue of students in front of it)
Enjoy your best year in your life (promised!)…