Learn how to Answer the Job Description, Motivational and Video Essays with F1GMAT's INSEAD MBA Essay Guide
Job Essay 1: Briefly summarize your current (or most recent) job, including the nature of work, major responsibilities, and where relevant, employees under your supervision, size of budget, clients/products and results achieved. (200 Words)
Job Essay 2: What would be your next step in terms of position if you were to remain in the same company? (200 Words)
Job Essay 3: Please give a full description of your career since graduating from university. Describe your career path with the rationale behind your choices. (200 Words)
Job Essay 4: Discuss your short and long-term career aspirations with an MBA from INSEAD. (200 words)
Motivational Essay 1: Give a candid description of yourself (who are you as a person), 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 (approximately 500 words).
Motivational Essay 2: Describe the achievement of which you are most proud and explain why. In addition, describe a situation where you failed. How did these experiences impact your relationships with others? Comment on what you learned (approximately 400 words).
Motivational Essay 3: Describe all types of extra-professional activities in which you have been or are still involved for a significant amount of time (clubs, sports, music, arts etc). How are you enriched by these activities? (approximately 300 words)
19 Sample Essays Included in F1GMAT's INSEAD MBA Essay Guide
Sample Essay 1: Summarize Current job Nature of work Major Responsibilities (200 Words)
Sample Essay 2: Next Position if Remain in Same Company (198 Words)
Sample Essay 3: Description of your Career since Graduating University (183 Words)
Sample Essay 4: Short-Term and Long-Term Career Aspiration (Technology to Consulting) (200 Words)
Sample Essay 5: Candid Description, Strengths & Weaknesses (Marketing Lead) (500 Words)
Sample Essay 6: Candid Description, Strengths & Weaknesses (Consulting to Product Development) (491 Words)
Sample Essay 7: Achievements and Failures (399 Words) (Technology Consultant)
Sample Essay 8: Achievement and Failure (397 Words) (International Relations) (Negotiations)
Sample Essay 9: Achievement and Failure (395 Words) (Woman and Non-Traditional background in IB)
Sample Essay 10: Achievement and Failure (394 Words) (VC)
Sample Essay 11: Extra-Curricular and How enriched you are (274 Words) (Hiking and Vlogging)
Sample Essay 12: Extra-Curricular and How enriched you are (296 Words) (Improv Acting)
Sample Essay 13: Extra-Curricular and How enriched you are (292 Words) (NASA and Scientific Thinking)
Sample Essay 14: Extra-Curricular and How enriched you are (299 Words) (M&A and Orchestra)
Sample INSEAD Video Essay 15 – What do you know about INSEAD MBA (183 Words)
Sample INSEAD Video Essay 16 – Response to Team’s Underperformance (176 Words)
Sample INSEAD Video Essay 17 – Work well with a person with differing opinion (169 Words)
Sample INSEAD Video Essay 18 – Success for me in a Career (158 Words)
Sample INSEAD Video Essay 19 – Unethical Leadership (194 Words)
F1GMAT's INSEAD MBA Essay Guide will:
1) Show with 19 Sample Essays on how to create memorable narratives for your Written and Video Essays
2)Demonstrate with W-Pattern Narrative on how to use context and roles to describe your strengths and weaknesses
3) Show you how to use the IMPACT table to list your greatest achievements
4) Show you how to write about Failure without getting too defensive
5) Show you how to write about extra-curricular activities
6) How to Script the Video Essay Questions with Samples to demonstrate tone and style
Who Should Buy INSEAD MBA Essay Guide?
If your essay looks too bland, INSEAD MBA Essay Guide will show you, with examples, on how to use the elements of Storytelling like Incorporating "The Struggle", using Emotional connectors, narrating the Journey and the use of Chronology, Vividness and Active Verbs to transform your essays.
If you are stuck in the Writing process, INSEAD MBA Essay Guide will show you how to silence the Analytic Mind and overcome mental blocks.
If you feel that the Essays are not persuasive, INSEAD MBA Essay Guide will teach you how to use the W-Pattern narrative, Contexts, Turning Points and "The Show Don't Tell Approach" to write a Winning MBA Essay.
If you don't have enough leadership experience, INSEAD MBA Essay Guide will show you how to highlight non-obvious qualities like Trust, Focus, Listening Skills, Personal Responsibility, Humility, Self-Knowledge, and other secondary traits to prove your leadership.
If you don't know how to review your essays, INSEAD MBA Essay Guide will demonstrate how to improve readability with the power of iteration, and maintain your original voice by removing review biases.
Author: Atul Jose, Founding Consultant (F1GMAT)
Atul Jose spent 14+ years editing, and reviewing Essays for MBA applicants. When no consultant in the market was willing to show how to write an essay that can get you a seat in the hyper-competitive M7 and T10 MBA programs, Atul went about capturing his wisdom as an Essay Specialist into an easy-to-read book format. With Sample Essays for INSEAD MBA and the writing tools and frameworks, you will learn to turn life experiences into interesting stories. Although he spends most of his time writing essay guides and helping applicants gain admission to top MBA programs, he is also the Editor and lead author at F1GMAT - the highly popular MBA and Master's admissions blog.
Book Details
Page Length: 338
Entering Class: 2025
"Of all the books on essay writing, this has to be the best! This is not a generic "you demonstrate these qualities while you write your essay for INSEAD" type of book. It is a step by step how-to book on using W-Pattern narrative on context and roles. I have read this book over 3 times, and each time I find new tips on improving my essay. I'd say that if you are applying for INSEAD Full-time MBA, you have to read this book." - Verified Purchase
"If you are trying to bring personality to your essays, you need to get this book. Not only does the author draws on techniques of storytelling used by novelists, but he shares a secret to structure the essay using patterns. It doesn't matter if you are good at writing or you need specific examples for INSEAD essays, the book has 3 Sample Essays for INSEAD and hundreds of pages on improving the craft of writing." - Verified Purchase
"Best money I've spent on an essay guide. This book straightaway takes you on how to write INSEAD MBA Strengths and Weaknesses essay based on an event instead of listing generic qualities. The book is easy to read. Not verbose nor high-concept. Just straightforward advice filled with Sample Essays- from an applicant working in Advertising to one who is in Technology Consulting. After the INSEAD essay tips, the author demonstrates how to use storytelling, leadership narratives and ends with chapters on editing and reviewing essays. " - Verified Purchase
"For me, this was not just an essay guide but a book on writing. The chapters on storytelling finally made me realize that it is time to stop playing around and start writing. There were many ah-ha moments in each chapter, and sometimes I had to read the chapter again to pick the wisdom. The impact table used to demonstrate achievement changed how I look at my accomplishments. My biased view was broken when numbers were captured for each project. This book was recommended to me by an INSEAD MBA student. A strong 4.9 out of 5 stars. " - Verified Purchase
"Original and practical. I recommend this for all INSEAD MBA applicants, those who have not written any words to those who have a draft. I guarantee you will find a strategy or two you have never seen in any book on writing. The framework on using W-pattern and examples used from the 16-personality types have helped me find the qualities that are relevant for INSEAD. This is the book on essay writing that should be the reference for all your MBA application essays, not just INSEAD" - Verified Purchase