A Wharton Exchange student talks about her exchange with INSEAD Singapore - please note that this does not apply necessarily to Fontainebleau.

This reminds me that I could write up a bit on opinions of school differences.

Enjoy at http://www.whartonjournal.com/news/2004/02/09/Insider/The-Inside.Scoop.On.Insead.Singapore-601385.shtml

I post the text here - just in case...

"When I first told my friends that I would do the INSEAD exchange program in Singapore, they wailed, "You're abandoning us... we only have a few more months of second-year bonding time!" One friend taunted me by saying, "Isn't this just another trip like that WIVP International VACATION project you did last summer?!" I tried to explain why I wanted to leave Wharton for the third quarter of my second year. Of course, I had already ticked off all the reasons why it WASN'T a good idea: the logistical hassle and expense of subletting my apartment, stopping my mail, flying 24 hours, abbreviating my winter vacation, putting my job search on the back burner, and choosing from a sparse list of quarter-credit classes to take during Wharton's fourth quarter.

But then I thought about why the exchange WAS a good idea. First, I feel driven to explore new cultures and countries. Also, the exchange was an opportunity to expand my network globally; cure the restlessness that had set in after a year and a half of cases, classes, and Philly; see what INSEAD is all about; escape a cold northeastern winter; and travel around Asia. Also, after studying abroad in Europe during high school and college, I felt I had an "Asian gap" to fill in.

So here I am in Singapore, doing the INSEAD exchange. If you are curious about how INSEAD and Wharton compare, read on for my impressions.

International: International is to INSEAD what leadership is to Wharton. Just as leadership is drilled into Wharton students who already have much leadership experience, an international outlook is further honed in INSEAD students who already have vast cross-cultural experience. No more than 10% of INSEAD students come from any one country, and the faculty hails from multiple nations as well. Internationalism is built into the cases and curriculum to a much greater extent than it is here at Wharton. Our in-class discussions are not limited to asking the lone German or Japanese student if the case has any relevance in their country. And it goes beyond afterthoughts like: "When doing market research in a foreign country, make sure you're aware of language and culture differences."

To me, the aspect of INSEAD that seems most unique is that students are so geographically flexible. A certain rootlessness reigns. In the words of a career advisor here, "it's an environment for international misfits." It's common to meet someone who says, "I'm French, but my mom is Belgian, and my dad is from Morocco, and I grew up in Australia and then worked in Germany, and now I'm in Singapore, and after school I think I'll work in Malaysia." Meanwhile, at Wharton, you're more likely to hear people say, "I'll live in New York after school because my partner is there," or, "I'm taking a job in California to be closer to my family."

Where are the women?! My goodness, I thought Wharton was male-dominated! The proportion of women in the current INSEAD class is 16%. I've been in classes where there were 35 men and only three women. And since this is not a US school, political correctness is noticeably absent from discussions inside and outside of the classroom. Interestingly, learning teams at INSEAD either have zero women or two. One explanation a student gave me was that they ascribe to something called the "princess effect", whereby a lone woman in a group with five men behaves like a princess and is treated too 'specially.'

Student Life: INSEAD is, well, smaller than Wharton - a lot smaller. An elective class at the Singapore campus is considered big if there are more than 25 people enrolled. Therefore, it's hard to skip your case reading and sulk in the back of the room. Moreover, the people here have only been in school since September, so they're not yet feeling the "senioritis" that Wharton Second Years have grappled with. Students seem to actually read their cases and prepare for classes. People here are still fairly motivated academically, whereas Wharton students in their second year seem more motivated by job-searching and socializing.

Also, INSEAD lacks the resources of a big university, has no mixers with law school students, experiences no shaking head at the idealism and innocence of ambient undergrads, publishes no MBA newspaper, has fewer clubs, and hosts fewer outside lecturers. INSEAD is about getting a low-frills fast-track MBA in ten months in a wildly international setting. On the plus side, the competition that plagues Wharton students for things like Quantico spots, seats in classes, or club leadership positions is muted in this smaller program.

Socializing: The social life at INSEAD is quite similar to Wharton. Big parties. Late parties. Drunken parties. Cultural events. MBAs really are quite similar wherever you go: we have no problem living beyond our means and staying out late engaging in behavior that ill befits future business leaders. But at INSEAD's Singapore campus, instead of weekly Pubs, there are frequent impromptu pool-side barbecues, complete with burly European guys tossing everyone in for a swim. Also, there's more social interaction among people of different countries. On the other hand, at Wharton there seems to be less commingling, more Europa-ing.

Weekend Jaunts: On weekends at Wharton, people go to places like New York, DC, or Amish country. Here, it's sunbathing in Bali, touring in Bangkok or scuba-diving off the coast of Malaysia. As an exchange student, I only have to take three classes while others here take six. Hence, there is plenty of time to take advantage of cheap tickets to exotic locales for weekend jaunts. Even better, my classes finish here on February 20th, which gives me a full three weeks for spring break.

Way of Life: Ah, the expat life is very good here. Honestly, I don't understand why more Wharton people don't do this exchange in Singapore. This city is modern, well-organized, clean, civilized, and for the most part, cheaper than the US. It is safe, too: by now, it seems perfectly reasonable to me to save my seat in a busy food court by putting my purse down while I turn my back to retrieve my dinner. I worry that my Philly-honed street smarts will have flown out the window when I go back to Wharton.

Most INSEAD students in Singapore live in groups of two or three in luxury condo high-rises near school. Many apartments have maid's quarters, although in my apartment there is no maid, save a once-weekly cleaning lady who charges $18 US for three hours of her time. The complexes have security, tennis courts, three pools, a gym - all this for about half of what I pay for my antiquated apartment in Philly. The food situation is good too: there are food courts near school that provide a choice of meals for less than $2 US.

Views on Wharton: People are intrigued that I'm from Wharton, very willing to talk to me, and curious about how I perceive Wharton versus INSEAD. The most common question I get is "Why don't more Wharton students participate in the Singapore exchange?" I tell them that the exchange is difficult because most of our classes last four months, that almost half of Wharton students are international (and, hence, studying abroad already), that Wharton people don't want to take a break from their job search, that people don't want to leave their significant others, and that we have several different schools to choose from for international exchanges. But every time I recite these reasons, I wonder why more Wharton students aren't interested in the INSEAD Singapore option. Are we too rooted, too content with our Wharton experience to engage in something new, risking the new-kid-at-school feeling once again? As a professor of mine said, by being in Singapore for two months, my Wharton network does not suffer, and, at the same time, I can build a whole new set of contacts in Asia and around the world.

Meanwhile, interest in the Wharton exchange is high among INSEAD students. It seems they are interested in Wharton not only as a launch pad for US career opportunities, but a chance to take finance classes and experience the two-year American MBA program. INSEAD students actually have to bid the majority of their course auction points to do the Wharton exchange - and that's before even entering the Wharton class auction with an allotment of points uninflated by three semesters of speculation and trading.

So if you're interested in being unable to pronounce 80% of the names on name tents, expanding your international knowledge and network, taking weekend jaunts to Phuket, and temporarily eliminating your chances of getting mugged, consider doing the INSEAD Singapore exchange. I'm glad I did."
2nd Year Wharton Student