Leonard

My name is Leonard and currently, I am an MBA student at INSEAD on the Singapore campus. Prior to this, I worked with various IT companies, most notably Hewlett Packard Enterprise. I hold a Masters Degree in Industrial Sciences, Electronic Engineering with a focus on internet computing from the Leuven Engineering College and a Masters Degree in Management at the Catholic University of Leuven. I applied for the MBA program at the INSEAD Singapore campus and am currently a student there.

Most of my education and career was based around IT and its services. I kept myself updated on all things IT related and got licensed and certified in various programming languages and It innovations. All through the process, I always wanted to evolve into a more strategic position in IT companies. But given my background and position I realized that the movement would take place very slowly. I decided to get an MBA from INSEAD to get the necessary assets, recognition, and skills to become eligible to be a part of management consulting companies such as McKinsey, Bain, BCG, etc. Thus, the MBA would allow me to have a great career change. Another reason for me to do an MBA was that I wanted to go to Asia for work and networking. As a Belgian, it is difficult to get a position in Asia. The Singapore campus of INSEAD allowed me the opportunity to create a great network in Asia for my future career development.

The most difficult part of the entire application process was definitely the GMAT. Strangely enough, I improved quite steadily and fast in the verbal portion of the test but the Math was very difficult. Fortunately, I had access to Dr. Hubert Silly and the outstanding teachers at the MBA Center who helped me improve and get a 700+ score in my GMAT that allowed me to get into INSEAD.

Life at the Singapore campus of INSEAD was very interesting and fulfilling. The program itself is very informative. The high quality of the teaching faculty and the diversity amongst the students made for an amazing study environment. At INSEAD, I was also a blogger and a Student Ambassador and was highly enmeshed in all the activities the college had to offer. Apart from that, the campus itself is located in Singapore, which is one of the most developed cities in the world with the widest range of diversity in terms of people and professions. This was perhaps one of the greatest and most enriching experiences of my adult life.

Do not underestimate the GMAT. That is my first piece of advice to any MBA applicant. I prepared on my own for six months and got a score of 650. Some people are lucky enough to be able to get better scores without help. But it is difficult for most people. So get help from professionals who could help you do better. Most students I was with at INSEAD had taken professional help for their GMAT preparations and it is absolutely normal to want and get help. So do not wait too long as I did before asking for help. I was fortunate to find the MBA Center who helped me throughout my application process to INSEAD. In fact, I was so thankful to them that after having been a student for six months with them, I volunteered as a GMAT teacher at MBA Center, (taking classes only for those who required their score in the range of 600-650), as a way of giving back to an organization that helped me so much.