Can you tell us more about yourself?
My name is Nathalie. I graduated with a License en Sciences de Gestion (Bachelor of Science in Management Sciences) from the Universite Catholique de Louvain. As I also aimed to be a teacher I studied the Agrégation de l’enseignement secondaire supérieur en sciences economiques, enseignement (Aggregation of upper secondary education in economics). I began my career in finance when I joined Dexia Bank Belgium as a Credit Risk Analyst. I moved on to Antwerp Bulk Terminal (SEA-Invest Group) as a Management Trainee and later to SEA-Invest AFRIQUE, a subsidiary of the Belgian group with operational bases in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, as a Project Manager.
What prompted you to apply for an MBA?
I received an education to become a school teacher and studied business and economics in the process. Before my MBA, I was working in the field of logistics. I realized that my career was way off the track than I had imagined and decided to go for an MBA as my education was also sorely lacking in that regard. I wanted to have a fast transition and decided to go for the most reputable and best investment for me. Keeping in mind that I needed a degree that could be completed very fast and was not too expensive I chose INSEAD as it fits all my requirements perfectly.
What did you find the most difficult in the application process?
Having a good level of English, I managed to get 710 in GMAT after just three months of group classes at the MBA Center. What I found more difficult was the admission process. Till then, I only had to pass a class by appearing for the classes and giving the exams. I had never had to market myself and prove to the admissions committee through letters and essays why I considered myself a worthwhile candidate for any program. In the beginning, I thought that my achievements would be enough but I understood soon enough that presenting them was more difficult than I could have ever imagined. Dr. Hubert Silly challenged me a lot as he said that my natural talents and prior achievements if not properly communicated would not take me to where I wanted to go.
What is life like at INSEAD?
INSEAD was an investment from my side and I must say I have been very happy with the return. The classes are instructional without being didactic. There are a lot of different perspectives that you can find amidst the diverse student body and you learn a great deal just from your interactions with them. I needed a career change and being a part of the INSEAD student body has made me realize that I can do a lot more than change my career path, I can build a career by myself. The great experiences at class and the leadership mentoring and networking that INSEAD provides have been a boon for me.
Apart from that, there is plenty of student interactions and you can actually manage to create your own network amongst your peers right at school.
What would be your advice to someone applying for an MBA program?
I believe that an MBA is more than a degree, it is an experience in itself. It is a degree that you usually complete when you are over 30 years old and at that age, you have much bigger expectations out of the program in terms of placement, atmosphere, approach, is much bigger than what it would be at 18 or 22. That is why I believe that people should make a thorough and deep investigation into the schools of their choice, starting from its rankings and going much deeper into their values and what they can offer to the students in general.
Another piece of advice, do not wait for the last minute to apply and do not just apply to one school and leave it at that. I was aiming for just one program, so I only applied for the particular one. It was a very risky move and probably a mistake on my part and I should have applied to more. However, it should also be mentioned that if you are looking for one-year programs in Europe there isn’t much choice.
As a professor myself, I was quite skeptical at the beginning of a private institute like the MBA Center that could offer quality courses and did not know what to expect. I was very impressed by the pedagogy, the approach that Dr. Hubert Silly and MBA Center had developed. I could identify the added value that Dr. Hubert Silly and his team could bring to my admission process and would recommend their services to future candidates.