Remember that boyfriend or girlfriend you had in the past? Yes, that relationship – so intense that you felt amazing while you were in it and uncomfortable without it. You had your inside jokes and your own rhythms of interaction. It felt amazing. Of course, you sacrificed a lot to be in it as well. You noticeably talked to your friends less and neglected your family. They sometimes confronted you about it, but you were fully committed to the relationship.
While you were in it, the actions, assumptions and experiences were natural and totally normal. Only when you ended the relationship did you appreciate what the experience was, what you learned, how you changed (temporarily or permanently) and its significance on your life.
The INSEAD experience has a lot of the same characteristics of that intense relationship. Yes, most people have heard about the INSEAD bubble before arriving, however, no one appreciates the power of said bubble and its ability to trap you inside.
Common symptoms of people who are caught in the bubble when in “Singy”:
- Your linked-in profile is blowing up with hundreds of new connections
- You can name at least 6 beach destinations in S.E. Asia
- You do not know how to spell “Fontainebleau”
- You live in Heritage or Dover
- You often get called by your real name that was given to you by the Rugby Gods
- You have added 300 new friends on Facebook in the past 2 months and your wall only has INSEAD people posting on it
- You are a part of at least 5 INSEAD what’sapp groups
- Your family/bf or gf is getting upset at you for not giving them enough attention
- You feel like you have very few topics of conversation with “Out”siders
- You have at least 3 INSEAD polo shirts
- You are just “hanging out” with him/her
- You use INSEAD acronyms (BOR, MBS, FMV and UDJ) in every other sentence.
- You have a nickname designed specifically for you (Izzerly, Yinda, Diedu)
- You find it difficult to recollect your life before INSEAD
- You are planning/have planned 4 trips for the next 2 months
- You have been to the same nightclub 3x in the same week
While some of us have been able to identify these symptoms as important trademarks of the “Singy” experience, the true impact of the overall INSEAD MBA will only be truly understood after we finish the program and join the ranks of the alumni. Hopefully then, we will understand the power of INSEAD in our lives.