Nations at INSEAD

Some random numbers
Of the 359 registered INSEAD class of 2008

The Americans are No. 1 with 45 students or 12%
We are 42 Indians!!! - Almost 11%
France is No. 3 with 34 - 9%!
Canada - 23
Germany -20
Russia, China (12),UK, Belgium, Australia,Netherlands, Taiwan all stand at 10 students a piece
Even Portugal has almost 10 I think...
Pakistan with no loan support for its students comes in with 3 students
Africa all together garners around 10
Europe obviously leads in the continent race, Asia comes a close second
And we are approx. 57 nationalities...not bad for the diversity!

Stamped & ready to go!

Yup, the visa is duely stamped & in my hands! Seems I'm the early bird coz they kept asking me why I was applying so early...hell just coz I can and i like sitting easy on my ass with no admin worries.
So here's the lowdown -
Warning: information is decidedly Indian in bias

1st Step - You can contact the Consulate via their website.
You need to download the long stay visa form & print the two pages on the same page - back & forth. You may even go to the Consulate & pick up the original. Be warned - the form is in French! The translation is available at the Consulate though I managed with help from my French tutor. Yes, I think the French are telling us what to expect when we get there...speak French or suffer

2nd Step - You can book an appointment via the website itself or on the telephone. Both are impersonal events as you only get a recorded synthetic voice over the phone. maybe the French are telling us something again, there was no option at all of talking to someone!

3rd Step - You will also have to book an appointment with the Educational Attache at the Consulate. Her details are provided on the site and thankfully this is a living breathing (even holidaying!) being. Do remember though that the Education Attache is only to provide the NOC - No objection certificate. You need a separate appointment with the visa officer.
Plan both these appointments on the same day, just half an hour apart.

4th Step - Collect all the data. This is a bit of task if you happen to be a disorganized person like me but nothing to bother for us MBA applicants. After managing applications successfully, this is a piece of cake.
You'll need the following documents -

1. A valid passport for the entire period of your stay in France
2. One long stay visa application form with all columns filled in and 2 recent photographs in the size of 3.5 cms x 4.5 cms with white / light background. The face should cover about 70-80% of the photo area*
3. A letter of registration / admission from a French academic institution
4. Proof of resources for living expenses for the period of your stay (420 euros/month) OR An accommodation certificate from a respondent in France and proof of resources for living expenses for the period of your stay (210 euros/month)
5. Proof of accommodation in France for the period of stay (we need to ask her about this one before getting our appointment)
6. A short bio-data
7. Copies of your degrees, diplomas and/or certificates
8. Overseas medical insurance policy + repatriation, evacuation cover (equivalent to 30000 euros)
9. Copy of air ticket

This information is available on their website too. I would advise though to carry all other documents you feel may help your unique case. For e.g. for married students carry your marriage certificate. For students with bank loans - carry the loan sanction slip. For students taking family loans - carry a sponsorship letter etc.
I carried my transcript, GMAT scores etc etc.
Btw the housing receipt is also easily organized. I found the house via city-junction, so I presented a domicile receipt with the house address that I'll be staying at. This receipt was obtained after paying the city-junction agency fees and not the house deposit. So you needn't wait till you pay the deposit too.
I forgot to carry my bio-data but she sweetly filled out most of the information required.

Step 5 - Land up on time. Things move swiftly enough. You will first be escorted to the Education Attache. He/She will want to see all your originals and will conduct a mini interview - v basic like why France, why Insead and how are you financing it. Have you been to pairs before etc. She will make an NOC which she will directly forward to the visa section. you dont see or touch this copy.
Beyond this it's just waiting for your turn. Forwarding your visa form all filled out & all your xerox's of other documents. They will not ask for the Originals again. You pay the visa fees - which as of now is 50 Euros for Students.
Then its another bit of wait - approx. 20 mins and you will be handed a student visa valid for 3 months from your date of departure. You need to reach your school where they will register you and convert your visa into a 'carte de sojourn' which will let you roam free in Europe for he year.

So it's that simple.
A few pointers - carry a book or magazine and be prepared to hand over your cell phone, Ipod or laptop. All in all it takes about 2 hours and the staff is helpful. Make sure your air ticket has the date that you wish to travel on - your visa will be granted from that date itself.

So now the new super cool me has already notched up a few tick marks on my extensive to-do. House -booked
deposit - paid
visa -obtained
medical insurance -done
air ticket - done
Information on bank account & tenant insurance has been gathered and in the next two weeks I shall have put a done on their side too :)
Feeling really warm with the thought that once I leave my job there will be v little nuisance to take care of...
Just a lot of shopping, relaxing & French

For a fistfull of euros

Finally the scholarship essays are done. I managed to apply to 6 though I qualified for around 8 or 9. But no point in being too greedy. The focus has to be on the quality of your essay rather than the quantity of essays.
Though the greed is just a natural phenomenon with INSEAD offering a multitude of scholarships but a student can be awarded only 2 by law and only 1 really by tradition. I suppose they try their best to spread the money over as many students as possible.
INSEAD is also one of the few schools that doesn't offer scholrships along with your application. The school makes you work hard for your money by doing innumerable essays for each scholarship. Somehow though even the thought of cash and less debt is not very motivating.
here's my grouse with the whole system -
a) The questions for most of the scholarships are so vague and open ended that you dont know where to begin
b) every website, essay writing service, students, etc etc warn you not to keep talking about yourself - keep the I, me, My less. But what do you do when most of the essays simply ask you - Why do you think you deserve this award? hello, I don't know why, I just want it thats it plain n simple
c) the process expects you to grade yourself against your classmates but how do you compete with ppl you don't know jack shit about? I mean I don't know why I'm such a creative hot shot or diverse candidate if I have no clue who's in the class with me...

Anyways I'm done with them and thats all. I still think I have a fair chance at bagging one and I guess we'll know by July if i'm right. My evaluation is purely based on the fact that my gender, geographical location, job background and life goals will all come together to make me sound rather award worthy...keeping the fingers crossed but who's to know if there isn't someone absolutely brilliant, beautiful, gifted who saved the whales & the tigers in their spare time who I'm competing with.

Scholarship Blues

Just finished one of the most grueling jobs I've ever undertaken and sleep is seeming to be a luxury to pine for... good preparation for an intensive MBA, I suppose.
So after about 125 hours of little or no sleep I find myself sitting in front of the comp in my first free hour in a month, hoping to find the motivation to get started on my scholarship essays...
even the prospect of winning close to all my tuition is not making the gray cells work and I find myself drifting to this blog and of others, in hopes to feel connected to my goal of an MBA...
After months of obsessing about little apart from an admit decision, I find myself drifting on a fast track life without a moments pause to wonder - how did I find myself here? is this really my dream? is this going to realize my ambitions? c est la vie....
Am i having doubts about doing an MBA? no not really...just after the entire gamut of feelings experienced in the process of gaining an admit, I'm feeling a bit disconnected...life is going on and August is feeling far removed...almost a morning dream whose details you cant quite grasp


And as those scholarship essays beckon but little seems to flow out.... except an ardent desire to be on the beaches of goa with hubby dearest, just sitting, doing nothing and staring at the sun... re energizing the stars in our eyes