Can you tell us more about yourself?
My name is Olivier. I graduated with a Master’s degree in Telecommunication from the Institut national des Telecommunication. I started work as a Sales Manager for Solucom in 2011 and worked in various positions there for almost 10 years.
What prompted you to apply for an MBA?
My career after engineering has been mainly into IT and Telecom in France. After almost 10 years spent as a consultant in that field, I wanted to make a complete career switch and work in Asia as an entrepreneur. Given my background, I knew that an MBA was the next logical step to secure a successful transition into entrepreneurship.
What did you find the most difficult in the application process?
It was not very difficult for me to get a 700 in the GMAT as my level of English and mathematics were both quite good. So three months of GMAT classes were enough for me to get the score. The most difficult part began after the GMAT when I had to start writing the essays. One of the most difficult conversations I had was with my senior who trusted me and didn’t want to let me go. So convincing him that an MBA was a good choice for me proved quite challenging. In fact, I could not get a letter of recommendation from my company as they felt quite betrayed when I decided to go for an MBA. So I had to contend myself with a letter of recommendation from my client.
Another issue I faced was explaining in my letters why I wanted to go into entrepreneurship. Nothing in m profile was related to entrepreneurship: I was an employee and not part of any club or entrepreneurial groups. So justifying my choice proved quite difficult. In this respect, Dr. Hubert Silly was very helpful as he was able to isolate events from my volunteering and extracurricular activities and some job experiences to show what I could not show through my job experiences.
What is life like at INSEAD?
The best business school in Europe lives up to its name. Getting into INSEAD was a dream and being a part of its student body has been a wonderful experience overall. I have managed to form friendships with people from countries across the globe, which I was unfortunately ignorant about initially. I have managed to get a great deal of experience learning about Asia and its various cultures in the INSEAD Singapore campus and I believe that this experience has taught me a great deal beyond business and finance.
What would be your advice to someone applying for an MBA program?
Fight with your own weapons. Few people have all the qualities and assets required for an MBA program. And those who do will probably not go for an MBA. There are very few perfect candidates. In my case, I had quite unimpressive career in a small IT consulting company. But I still had assets and a plan that was enough for INSEAD to take me in. When I was at INSEAD I was surrounded by great minds, but they were not all overachievers. They were normal individuals with normal careers. So everybody stands a chance.
The admission process is a long one. Plan in advance. Do not wait for the last minute. Some people boast that it took them only three to four-month by themselves to prepare for an MBA. I do not believe that to be true. It usually takes more than that even with help.
Finally, had I prepared on my own, I would not have gotten into INSEAD at all. But Dr. Hubert Silly and the MBA Center team helped me in my application process and helped me through to INSEAD. So I recommend all serious candidates to take the help of the MBA Center and Dr. Hubert Silly.