Can you tell us more about yourself?
My name is Antoine and I hold a Master of Management Science from the Aix- Marseille University. I also attended Telecom Ecole de Management where I studied Telecom activities, Telco regulation laws, business management, and auditing. I began my career as a Business Manager for Bouygues Telecom Caraibes and moved to AFD Tech as a Sales Consultant. My career path also took me to Verizon Business where I worked as a Key Accounts Manager.
Apart from this, I have been volunteering for Disaster and Humanitarian Relief as a Paramedic and Communication and Partnership Deputy Manager since 2006.
What prompted you to apply for an MBA?
My background was as a telecom engineer but working in the sales department. I wanted to make a career switch that would be more into entrepreneurship and would also move into the global arena. This was the reason that I chose INSEAD and completed my program in the Singapore campus so that the Asian market would be a viable option for me.
What did you find the most difficult in the application process?
I found the entire admission process pretty cumbersome. First, the GMAT proved tough as my GMAT score was quite low and INSEAD asks for a minimum score of 700 on the GMAT. Starting off with just 450, it took me six months of hard work to reach the level required by INSEAD. The MBA Center staff were very helpful for me in the entire process, guiding me through all the varieties of questions, helping me gain the knowledge and confidence to tackle this test.
As I was not very fluent in English, writing the application was another challenge. I had also never written an application before in my life and this process was something really new and unexpected. I found it very difficult to market myself and my experience as I felt that I was just another engineer like almost half the applicants to the program. Again, Dr. Hubert Silly helped me identify my strengths and helped me express and communicate my values, my personality and my project to help me finally prepare an application that was attractive and convincing enough to get INSEAD to accept me for the program.
What is life like at INSEAD?
INSEAD is one of the major schools to have a campus in both France and Singapore. I chose to go to INSEAD Singapore as Singapore is a city that I have always been fascinated with. It is one of the major business hubs of the modern world and the city itself is one of the most beautifully designed cities of the modern world. The courses at INSEAD offer the students a great deal more than just a formal education and I was very happy with my campus life there. Also, getting to be a part of the INSEAD alumni body is a great experience as it has given me a chance to connect with business leaders worldwide.
What would be your advice to someone applying for an MBA program?
First things first, nothing is impossible. I am a clear example of someone who would never have been accepted at a school like INSEAD without a good support system helping me out. But once I was at INSEAD I was one of the best students in my class. My realization in this was that I was a good student but I just had a problem with the GMAT and the type of application process that is prevalent. So don’t hesitate to ask for help from professionals. It is the strength of a good manager to have a clear assessment of what he knows and what he doesn’t know. A manager should be realistic and not allow his ego to dictate to him. I can only recommend the services of Dr. Hubert Silly and MBA Center to anybody who is interested in getting into a top MBA Program