Which INSEAD Campus Is Better? 9 Factors You Need To Know
The beautiful Fontainebleau in France or the bustling & charming Singapore?
“Which INSEAD campus are you starting in?”
My interviewer Erin asked me during the interview. She was from the US and had the option of choosing Europe or Asia for her MBA. She chose the Singapore campus and loved every bit of it.
“I loved Singapore more because I was from a very different part of the world. The food, the environment, the vibe, and the culture were all new for me. I learned a lot and loved the full journey”
That made me think. I had never been to Europe before my MBA. But Southeast Asia was kind of like a next-door country. In the INSEAD application, I had to put in which campus I wanted to start in. I am from Bangladesh and wanted to stay in Asia after graduation. So I chose the Singapore campus.
But Erin’s suggestion made me realize I’d be missing out on a unique experience (unique for me). So, I decided to change it. The admission committee helped and I found myself in Fontainebleau six months later!
Tip for incoming MBAs- If you are from Asia, you should start in France. If you are from Europe, Singapore might be a good option.
Why INSEAD has two campuses?
INSEAD has 4 campuses- Fontainebleau (the first one), Singapore, Abu Dhabi, and San Fransisco. The first two are full-fledged campuses where you can complete your whole MBA. Others were for executive education and 1 period (semester) out of the total of 5.
Both the FBL & SG campuses are equal in terms of academic offerings. But they are quite different in how they were built. Let’s look at what makes them different.
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The Location — Fontainebleau vs. Singapore
Fonty is 40 miles away from Paris. It’s a town that has the king’s palace. Apart from that, INSEAD is its biggest structure. Part of the town economy is dependant on INSEAD’s students as well.
Singapore, on the other hand, is one of the most developed cities in Asia. It’s a bustling place with so much to do. Although INSEAD lies in a corner in Ayer Rajah Avenue, it’s easy to access every part of Singapore from there.
The pace of the locations was quite different, as you can imagine. Also, as there was not much to do in Fonty, most Fonty activities happened with classmates. SG had so much to do that everyone moved around more. At any time of the day, we could see lots of people in the Fonty cafe area. But the cafe in Singapore would usually be empty after class hours.
The campuses
I loved the Fonty campus. It was larger and spaced out. The library building was almost half the size of the total SG campus.
The campus had so much character. The breakout rooms, amphitheaters, the cafe, open area in front of the cafe, etc. It was placed just at the edge of the town so it had a lot of privacy as well. When I was on the Fonty campus, I felt truly immersed in the experience.
SG was smaller. It had an efficient design with modern amenities. I couldn’t complain about any of the facilities. In SG, the break-out rooms were better. I spent a lot of time in a closed breakout room working by myself. It was a very productive space.
However, I felt I could spend hours in different corners of Fonty campus but didn’t enjoy SG as much.The housing
Fonty mostly had traditional french houses. In Singapore, it was mostly large apartment complexes.
Fonty was a clear winner. I paid 800 euro for a car and a room in a wonderful house. The house had a great kitchen, a pool, wooden floors, well-sized rooms with an ensuite bathroom.
In SG people usually share apartments with classmates. Most of them live in Dover or Heritage View. The apartments are not bad but nothing special. I took a room and shared a bath with another classmate. I paid 1500 SGD per month plus utilities.
Fontainebleau was cheaper and more beautiful. I still remember waking up to the cool bridge coming through my window. Then driving my way through the forest was an experience I’d never forget. Food
I just loved the French cuisine. I used to start my morning with a croissant, a slice of cheese, a coffee. Sometimes I stored cold sandwiches for breakfasts too. The lunch in INSEAD cafe was just awesome. It had multiple stations with a variety of options including french dishes, grill station, etc. For dinner, we used to either cook or eat outside in restaurants. I loved a place in Fonty called Manhattan. Manhattan had sandwiches with lots of perfectly grilled meat. Also, there was an ok-ish Thai place, a few French ones, fast food joints, seafood places, dessert places, and a restaurant with a Michelin star. We often went to Paris by train to get a different meal. But it was not necessary as Fonty had enough options.
Singapore is also super in terms of food. I missed the baked goodies from France but I got used to having Kaya toast with egg as breakfast. Asian food is flavorsome. I loved switching between Korean fish, Chinese dumplings, Malaysian laksa, Indonesian rendang, Thai som tum, Singaporean chicken rice, Bangladeshi beef, Indian pratha (paratha), local egg tarts and so much more. My comfort food was Big Mac from McDonald’s. Strangely, even after eating so much, I lost a lot of weight. But that’s a different story.
INSEAD Singapore’s campus food wasn’t as good. But I guess they knew it’s not possible to compete with the hawker centers 200 meters away. It had a basic set of stations and I usually took the salad only.
It's a tie when it comes to food as both places had amazing optionsTransportation
I had a car in Fonty. It was a very small 2-seater but was enough for me. I loved driving along the countryside. But if I didn’t have a car, it would be difficult to move around. Many of my classmates had bikes. A lot of them walked to and from INSEAD. Public transport wasn’t that available as it’s a small town. Uber was hard to find in 2016. If we wanted to go to Paris, we could go with someone in a car or take the train.
Singapore’s public transport is one of the best in the world. I could go anywhere almost anytime. The MRT and bus system was super-efficient. I lived close to school so I was mostly walking to and from school every day.
Singapore is a clear winner in transportation-unless you have a car in FontyActivities
There were a lot of group activities in Fonty. I went on a hike, a forest walk to listen to mating deers at night, The Fontainebleau Palace. But they were limited. So we spent a lot of time with groups or on the campus.
In SG, there was a lot more to do — food, sightseeing, bars, clubs, tinder. After class hours, people went out of campus.
I loved that people were spending more time in Fonty campus together. It was a better opportunity to make friends. Traveling
I went to Noire Valley, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Barcelona, Amsterdam, and Berlin from Fonty. Most of those trips happened during weekends. A couple of times I went during period (semester) breaks. We used to drive in groups to those locations. I loved the drives as that allowed us to bond more and become better friends.
From SG, my friends traveled a lot to nearby Asian countries. Changi is one of the best airports in the world. It was so easy to just take a bag after class on Friday and fly to another country for a couple of days. I didn’t travel much then as I have been to most of the South East Asian countries before. I had a trip to China and went to Malaysia a couple of times.
Getting Visa for countries was easier in Singapore. I went to get a Chinese visa one morning. They asked for a lot of additional documents. I called up a friend to share some and he did that within 30 minutes. I got them printed and then got the visa within another 30 minutes. All of these, including the trip to and from the embassy, happened within a couple of hours. I was back to do a class after lunch.
I also wanted to go to the UK from France but I got an appointment 15 days from the day of application. I wasn’t sure that I’d get the visa before Christmas break so I didn’t bother going to Paris for the appointment.
Singapore is extremely efficient in any type of administrative work, including bank account opening. Traveling wise both location has advantages. It depends on which locations you want to go to.Academics
Both campuses offered the same courses. Some faculty members used to fly to campuses so that they could take the same course on both campuses. But for specialized electives, some faculties only taught on one campus. My favorite was Neil Bearden, who took Management Decision Making in Singapore. The course had a profound impact on me. I felt only for that course, it was worth it to be in Singapore. I am not sure if Neil teaches in INSEAD anymore as he has his startup now in the US.
I also loved Gianpiero Petriglieri, Roderick Swaab, Ian Woodward, Theodoros Evgeniou, Noah Askin, and Felipe Monteiro among many others. Some of them only took courses on one campus.
I don't think it matters much and the difference is very minimal. So, you don't need to worry about this aspect while choosing a campus.Career opportunities
While INSEAD is quite well known in France, it has still got a lot to do in Singy. In terms of brand presence, INSEAD does better in Europe. But France and other European countries have language barriers. So, for English speakers, there are not many options. During our year, Brexit happened so the UK was mostly closed. Other English-speaking destinations included Amsterdam and Scandinavian countries.
For some on-campus recruitments, it doesn’t matter which campus you are on. Big tech firms or consulting firms hire from both campuses and places candidates where it’s suitable for both parties. But not all companies have such a global presence. So, if you want to be in a specific region, you should spend your final 3 periods there. Then you can find opportunities and network by yourself.
Comparing Fonty and SG
I loved Fonty. I guess I was a bit biased as I started there and spent less stressful times there. By the time I was in SG, my job search had started. People also were tired of introducing themselves anymore. I still made a couple of good friends but most of my friends also started in Fonty.
If we consider all the elements mentioned above, I’d say Fonty wins over SG. But if you are from Europe or North America, you’ll likely like SG more. Same for Asians who’d love Europe more.
So obviously there’s no one answer for all. But hopefully, this story will help you choose your way.
You can read my other stories on INSEAD by clicking on the links below-
— Landing in France: Day 01 in Fontainebleau
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