INSEAD MBA Admissions: Who Do They Admit? “The Business School for the World”

As an American company based in Europe, we at Menlo Coaching admire INSEAD’s global orientation and inherent commitment to diversity. During our interview with Dean Ilian Mihov, it’s easy to see why they coin themselves “The Business School for the World”. 

Yaron Dahan, Expert Consultant and our Director of Business Development, had the chance to visit Dean Mihov at the Fontainebleau campus to hear about INSEAD admissions and how they seek MBA candidates who align with their virtuous and forward-looking culture.

This interview covers:

• INSEAD’s slogan: “Business as a Force for Good”
• Who INSEAD wants to attract
• Future goals for INSEAD

Jump to Related Articles to see more video content on INSEAD, including additional videos from Dean Mihov.

Business as a Force for Good

The INSEAD slogan is “be a force for good in the world.” The Hoffman Institute is a clear part of this vision, as discussed in part one of this interview on INSEAD’s recent changes and steps toward sustainability. Ilian Mihov believes that this value is core to the way the business world ought to operate. 

“If you want to reduce poverty, increase economic welfare. If you want to make sure that […] the world is developing, you need economic growth and the only engine of economic growth is business creation.”

Ilian Mihov, INSEAD Dean

But that is a tall order for any business school to achieve. Mihov notes that the narrowest interpretation of the motto says that INSEAD students are given the competencies, knowledge, and skills to create productive and efficient companies, accelerate growth, create jobs, and lift people out of poverty. He also acknowledges that this definition alone is insufficient for the school to actually consider itself a force for good. In acknowledging the harm that businesses are capable of, Mihov outlines what else INSEAD offers its students.

• Academics. On a curriculum level, INSEAD offers three courses in “business and society” during the first period. At the end of the course there is a competition for the entirety of the 500-strong student body where they compete to solve a real life case: intervening on behalf of a company with a strategic problem that students are previously unfamiliar with. This September, the case involved Unjani Clinics—a chain of 50 clinics across South Africa whose objective is to provide 15 million people across the country with healthcare. Students attempted to help them become financially stable which culminated in twenty students, under the supervision of Bain Capital, flying to Johannesburg teaching nurses managing the clinics how to implement the winning strategy. 
• Sustainability. Similarly, INSEAD offers a Sustainable Development Goal boot camp where MBA students work on projects related to one of the UN’s 17 goals.
• Student-initiated programs. Many of INSEAD’s socially-conscious programs and opportunities are driven by student demand. Mihov notes that, more and more, MBA students are asking questions about the character and purpose of the company where they are placed. Student interest in taking on jobs that are related to tackling the problems the world faces has led to a number of opportunities at INSEAD and continues to be a core part of their vision.

The Ideal INSEAD MBA Candidate

As INSEAD attempts to build out programs to match its mission statement, it is looking to admit students who are open-minded, inquisitive, curious about learning, and willing to tolerate, accept, and work with others. Also, as touched upon in another interview, the INSEAD MBA class profile is overwhelmingly diverse, and the business school prefers to accept a group of people with a wide range of backgrounds and experiences. 

Key to the ideal INSEAD applicant profile is an interest in the broader world. Mihov is clear, however, that, while INSEAD values students who have interests beyond ROI, they do not screen for it exclusively because an important aspect of the school’s mission is changing mindsets. INSEAD sees itself not as a school for social entrepreneurs but as a school that places MBA graduates who value social entrepreneurship at the top investment banks, consulting companies, and corporations to try and change them from the inside. 

Mihov notes that half of all INSEAD applicants only apply to INSEAD because the school has a unique profile in terms of its philosophical goals. Additionally, students are often discouraged from applying to INSEAD when the school believes that they are a bad match. 

INSEAD’s Goals for the Future

As INSEAD grows it has a long list of locations, programs, and opportunities in development. 

• Worldwide campuses. In addition to its current campuses in Fontainebleau and Singapore, INSEAD is in the midst of developing a new Master’s program on their campus in Abu Dhabi alongside a forthcoming facility in San Francisco. Current goals include streamlining the program so that 75% of the students don’t have to move between those campuses during the year.
• Alumni support. INSEAD is attempting to build a platform for lifelong learning. Given the job and financial instability that MBA graduates can face in today’s changing economy, INSEAD is looking for solutions to make sure that their alumni remain successful through online and in-person job counseling, books, articles, and Coursera courses.
• Deliberate investment. INSEAD is doubling down on its investment in the Hoffman Institute, hoping to make its Masters in Management program succeed and also creating a global learning community. With 60,000 living alumni spread across 176 countries, INSEAD wants to create a more cohesive network to benefit both school and alumni. 

INSEAD’s interest in social entrepreneurship dovetails with its international brand, and one can expect that the school will continue to admit diverse, open-minded individuals who are keen on changing the world for the better. With a growing number of programs, it will be interesting to see where INSEAD goes next. 

Discover the unique culture of INSEAD and learn how our MBA admissions consulting can help you align with its values for a successful application journey.