INSEAD Essay 3 (EC activities): Tips & Winning Essay/ Sample : INSEAD

Concluding our trilogy on INSEAD's (main) Essays, hoping this would assist you in crafting compelling answers. Feel free to reach out at consultingteam@admitstreet.com if you would like me to work with you on your MBA application.

Essay 3: Describe all types of extra-professional activities in which you have been or are still involved for a significant amount of time (clubs, sports, music, arts, etc). How are you enriched by these activities? (maximum 300 words)

Top 3 Tips:

1. Create a master list of your key ECs. Then, carefully select some key activities, where you had the most impact and/ or the activity had a major impact on you. Follow the CARL framework wherever possible. Describe the Context/ Challenges, the Action you took, the Result of your action, and the Lessons you learned thereby.

2. Explain why these activities are important to you, and how you evolved as a person. For example, "This exposure to the art scene in India has furthered my own creativity and encouraged out of the box thinking in my business pursuits" establishes the link between how these activities helped with the business pursuits, and it also indirectly links to why MBA (!)

3. Pro-Tip: Link the key traits embodied in this essay to INSEAD's core values, and if possible, also to your MBA (and post MBA) goals. Doing this, even if it is indirect, strengthens your application, as it establishes your values while communicating the coherent story.

Sample/ Winning Essay

"
Having grown up and extensively travelled in underdeveloped parts of India, I have had the chance to see food-poverty and its devastating effects firsthand. Since my college days I have been volunteering with various charities such as the Rotaract club and the Delhi NCR Foodbank to do my part in eradicating food insecurity in India. Using my businesses in the F&B space I play an active role in making and distributing food packets, most recently with the Chattarpur AKSM Trust Foundation. Helping to combat India’s food poverty problem is incredibly fulfilling, and I feel this endeavour has helped me grow into a more empathetic person.

Through my business I have partnered with some of India’s largest art galleries and exhibitions in the past year, and have subsequently developed a passion for art and creative design. I am a member of the Bikaner House Art Collective which has given me the chance to interact with India’s biggest artists, such as Paresh Maity and Jayasri Burman. This exposure to the art scene in India has furthered my own creativity and encouraged out of the box thinking in my business pursuits.

I also enjoy physical exercise and sports. I am an active member of the Siri Fort Sports Club. I have run half-marathons before the COVID pandemic and am currently in training to run a full marathon before starting my MBA program. Working out has made me more disciplined and mentally strong as a person, and has helped me be more productive throughout my day.

Other than this, I am an active member of my college’s mentorship group. I have recently mentored 2 juniors in business fundamentals and case studies and helped them gain their dream consulting jobs, which has been a personal high point for me in the past year.
"

Regards,
Arvind
HEC Paris MBA alum, Admissions interviewer
W:https://admitstreet.com | E: consultingteam@admitstreet.com