My Best INSEAD Memories

So I was taking a break from mindlessly hitting the 'submit' button on careerlink, and i stumbled upon a few new blogs from the incoming Dec10 class. Some of them are wiser or funnier than others, but they all exude the kind of optimism and enthusiasm that only newly admited MBA students possess.

They made me remember my P-0 days, also known as the last few weeks before you officially begin your INSEAD journey. Come to think of it, those were some of my best INSEAD memories. The celebratory drinks with other new admits, Facebook banters about housing, CampusFrance, and scholarships, as well as virtually selecting and dreaming about that lovely new home in the (at the time seemed infinitely charming) French town that we call Fonty.

I ended up really enjoying INSEAD after all, despite a difficult start. But i would count on those days as some of my fondest memories about my 'INSEAD Experience.'
So enjoy it to the maximum, P0-ers! There will be many other highlights in your INSEAD year, I'm sure, but this is almost as good as it gets.

INSEAD-Wharton Campus Exchange

So here I'm...back in the U.S. and a stranger in a strange town - Philly.
The biggest benefit of doing the Wharton Exchange is being close to New York - which is where the people I love most live. Other than that, I cannot really think of much upside. Two months is so short... you barely settle down before you have to pack up and leave again. West Philadelphia leaves much to be desired but I have to give the city credit for all the efforts of cleaning up and trying to be hip.

As far as recruitment goes, the Wharton exchange doesn't really help you. I went to a Wharton Career Fair yesterday. Sure, the number of companies that show up at Wharton for this type of thing would make the (undoubtedly hard-working and ambitious) INSEAD career team green with envy. But it's the same old spiel. Scores of ravenous, super aggressive MBAs form a human Great Wall around several harassed-looking HR people from the Fortune 100,000 companies, asking inane questions and beaming hope and hunger. Me? Already tired before I even entered the 'networking hall'.

Here's a soundbite of my unfruitful evening as the Wharton career expo as an exchanger from INSEAD.

ME: Hello, great to meet you.
Harassed Looking Recruiter: Thanks for coming. Are you a Wharton second year?
ME: My name is Alien and I'm actually from INSEAD and right now doing an exchange at Wharton.
HLR: INSEAD? (clearly confused)
ME: Yes, it's based in both France and Singapore and we have the option to spend 2 months here at Wharton as well.
HLR: So it's a French school? (heavy dose of skepticism)
ME: NOt quite. It's rather... international. Yes, very international. (Me sounding slightly defensive now)
HLR: Oh.... (awkward silence)
****By this time, the Wharton students surrounding us were about to stone me to death for taking up so much of their precious schmoozing time to explain about INSEAD. *****
ME: (trying to salvage the situation) Actually, I am really interested in your XXX program... (mentally press play)


**REPEAT**