Behind enemy lines

I probably should have mentioned that the wedding I was going to was in Fontainebleau, a suburb outside of Paris, and incidentally, the groom just graduated from INSEAD.

Because both the bride & groom are my good friends, I'll admit the above had completely slipped my mind - unsurprisingly, I was instead worrying if I had enough time to buy a new dress, since I had been given a role in the ceremony. However, during the wedding I got to meet a good number of INSEAD graduates and students, and did get some brief impressions.

- The recruiting this year was brutal. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. I heard a story about not just one but many companies who held interviews only not to take any students. More than one student was told by the big consulting companies that there were no positions available in the US. Period. More than one student in the January intake have forgone their internship (in the sense that looking for an internship is futile) to do something else, such as language study or travel.

- The one year (actually 10 month) program just whizzes by. I'm constantly reminded of the trifecta of Courses - Recruiting - Networking, the difficulty of juggling and balancing the three, and I can't imagine the intensity of getting it all done in less than a year. I'm glad I'm doing 2Y.

- At least for INSEAD, it seemed like the closest bonds are formed through outside activities & shared living. I visited Tavers, a beautiful old chateau that was converted into 8 or 9 student apartments, and located in a forest by the Seine. I'm told that they regularly host corporate-sponsored dinners (some of which have dropped off, unfortunately) and also crazy parties there, with 300 people coming for the Halloween party.

- I think INSEAD's language requirement (2 to get in, 3 to graduate) gives their students a huge competitive advantage. This is unsurprising considering their international brand name and prestige. One of my goals is to study Spanish during my time at Kellogg; speaking of which, I need to figure out how to enroll in the NW undergrad language class.

- The b-school world can be a surprisingly small place. At least 2 people I met have close friends who are in my class; I look forward to meeting them.