INSEAD Application Essay Tips, 2025–2026
Get ready to write! INSEAD has one of the longest sets of required essays of any top MBA program — they definitely demand that you put in the time to prove your interest in the program. Additionally, you’ll need to record three short videos and perform a live written assessment for the video component of the school’s application. So give yourself plenty of time to think about the stories you want to tell and the messages you want to convey across your Job Description and Motivation Essays, and make a plan so you can be sure to include them all.
Job Description 1: Provide a summary of your career since graduating from university, explaining the rationale behind your key decisions and career progression. Include a description of your current (or most recent) role, covering the scope of your work, major responsibilities, employees under your supervision, budget size, clients/products, and any notable results achieved. (500 words)
For this first prompt, describe the different phases of your career thus far, and don’t forget to explain “the rationale behind your key decisions” along the way. INSEAD wants to know what has motivated you professionally. You also need to describe multiple elements of your current job or most recent one — the kind of work, primary responsibilities, employees, budget, and so on — so take care to cover them all and not overlook any.
Job Description 2: Describe your short and long-term career aspirations, including your target geography, industry, and function. How do you plan to bridge the gap between your current position and these goals, and how will INSEAD help you achieve them? (300 words)
For this second prompt, the school doesn’t want you to just share your goals in detail but to also tie them specifically to INSEAD. Be ready to point out specific courses, clubs, experiences, and other offerings you believe will help prepare you to reach your goals. You might also want to reference INSEAD’s most recent Employment Statistics to ensure that the story you’re sharing is aligned with the results of the program.
Motivation Essay 1: Give a candid description of yourself as a person and a leader, emphasising the strengths and weaknesses you recognise in yourself. Explain how you are actively working on your development, sharing key experiences that have shaped you, providing specific examples where relevant. (500 words)
Focus on the parts of your personality and character that are deeply authentic and most indicative of who you are as a leader and of how you live. Keep in mind the program’s mission statement: “INSEAD brings together people, cultures and ideas to develop responsible leaders who transform business and society.” INSEAD really values diversity and an international mindset, so this essay is a good place to discuss these aspects of your life.
Begin by identifying the core personal qualities that define you beyond your accomplishments: your motivations, values, and personality traits. Avoid generic labels like “hardworking” or “perfectionist.” Instead, focus on qualities that have genuinely shaped your path, such as resilience, curiosity, empathy, or self-doubt, and tie them to meaningful experiences that have challenged or shaped you. Concrete examples are critical; rather than listing traits, show how they’ve emerged in your life through specific stories, decisions, or turning points.
The admissions committee wants to understand how you think, grow, and relate to others. What have been the major influences on your development across family, culture, adversity, mentors, failures, and passions? And how have these influences helped you understand yourself better? Don’t shy away from vulnerability, your willingness to own areas for growth can signal maturity and self-awareness. Conclude with a sense of who you are becoming and how your self-understanding will help you contribute meaningfully in INSEAD’s community and beyond.
Motivation Essay 2: Describe a highly stressful situation you faced and how you managed it. What did this experience teach you about yourself and your interactions with others? (400 words)
To effectively approach this essay, select a situation that was genuinely high-stakes and emotionally or mentally taxing, not just logistically complex. It can be personal or professional, but the key is that it pushed your limits in a meaningful way. Begin by setting the scene with just enough context for the reader to understand the gravity of the situation and your role within it. Choose a moment that reveals not only how you react under pressure but also how you take ownership, navigate ambiguity, or support others when things feel overwhelming.
The core of your essay should highlight how you managed the stress: Did you communicate transparently with your team? Make a hard decision despite uncertainty? Seek support or recalibrate your mindset? Show your coping mechanisms and emotional intelligence in action. Then, pivot to what the experience taught you in a specific and sincere way. Go beyond surface-level takeaways to reflect on how the experience shifted your self-perception, decision-making style, or the way you engage with others. Did you uncover a tendency to internalize stress? Learn to lean on others more effectively? Word count permitting, subtly tie your insights back to qualities INSEAD values, such as international outlook, resilience, and collaborative leadership.
Optional Motivation Essay: Is there anything else that was not covered in your application that you would like to share with the Admissions Committee? (maximum 300 words)
The optional essay should always be used judiciously, and considering how many opportunities INSEAD already gives you to share your stories and experiences, be especially thoughtful about whether you really need to submit yet another essay at this point. This is not an opportunity to squeeze in an additional story you think is interesting but that will not actually add to the admissions committee’s knowledge or understanding of you in any meaningful way. So, you should probably provide this optional essay only if you feel the need to explain a confusing or problematic issue in your candidacy, such as a poor grade or overall GPA, a low GMAT or GRE score, a gap in your work experience, a disciplinary issue, or why your direct supervisor is not your primary recommender. And in any case, there’s no need to make your response any longer than necessary — just communicate the critical information.
That said, INSEAD does leave the door open to discuss something that is not a problem, so you have a bit of leeway to share anything you think might be pivotal or particularly compelling. If you have something truly unique to share that you believe would make you stand out or that the admissions committee absolutely needs to know to be able to evaluate you fully and fairly, then this is your chance. But remember that submitting an additional essay means you are asking the admissions committee to do extra work, so make sure that time is warranted and keep your submission as brief as possible.
Video Essay
INSEAD also requires that you complete a four-question video interview within 48 hours of submitting your application. The final question is a live written essay, which you will have five minutes to complete and submit.
This video component is not meant to be a test, so don’t stress about it. It’s just to give the admissions committee a more complete view of who you are as an authentic individual — your style, your personality, your individuality, and maybe, to an extent, your language skills, given the school’s international focus. Your goal here is just to be yourself and to respond and act as naturally and authentically as possible. Relax, smile, and be confident!
In Stratus Admissions’ Guide to Getting into INSEAD, you will find information on a variety of the MBA program’s offerings, such as the INSEAD capstone course, the Women in Business Club, and the annual DASH event.