Welcome
Welcome to "Un Film Snob Pour Martiens", Lucky's blog about his year studying for an MBA at Insead, in Fontainebleau, France. He started in January 2003 and graduated twelve months later in December. This is his record of the experience, written as it was happening.
Film Snob was originally intended as a way of keeping friends and family aware of what was happening while Lucky was away at business school. However, it soon became apparent that most friends and family didn't really care what was happening, but, surprisingly, lots of other people did. Applicants, current students, and alumni seemed to appreciate the writing. Applicants, most of all, because the MBA degree is a highly experienced-based product, but one about which there is curiously little information about what actually happens once you have entered a program. This is exacerbated by the fact that Insead is unique, both in the market position and geographical senses. Lucky acutely remembers this vast information asymmetry, and in some sense, this guide is written to answer many of the questions that he asked himself just a short year ago. Will school be interesting? Should I attend school in France? What should I expect? If these notes have helped you move closer to the answers, this guide has done some service.
Lucky's review of the experience is long enough that it warrants its own essay: Lucky's review of the Insead experience (forthcoming).
If you are thinking about coming to Insead, or are already attending, the following guides (in process) may be helpful. If you have additional questions, do not hesitate to contact Lucky (use the envelope on the right); he will be happy to assist you in any way he can.
If you are a student, Lucky strongly encourages you to blog your experience, whether it be at Insead or another institution. There is a great demand for real, unfiltered information about business schools - what their strengths and weaknesses are, what makes them different, and why they may or may not be a good fit for different applicants. Writing a student diary, in any form, is a great way to remember the vast number of events that occur, while contributing a valuable public good. Blogs are easy to set up and easy to maintain; if you have any questions about starting one of your own, again, please feel free to contact Lucky for advice and support.
This is a good time for Lucky to thank a few people who inspired him to create this blog. Dave Winer, founder of Userland and now at the Berkman Center, was the visionary developer who did much to bring blogging from its humble beginnings to its current near-mainstream status as a personal web publishing application. Martin Lloyd, whose blog "The MBA Experience" inspired Lucky to do at Insead what Martin admirably did at Saïd Business School at Oxford. There were many others who influenced this site, but these two were certainly the most significant.
Finally, I bid you a fond farewell. Writing this blog has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life, and I shall miss it dearly. I thank all readers, and I salute everyone who looks to higher education to learn, change, and grow. I especially thank the numerous people who have taken time to write letters of encouragement, and sparked many dialogues that developed into lasting friendships. Keep writing; I hope the conversations continue. Lastly, I thank everyone for putting up with the megalomaniacal tendencies which led to writing this blog in the third person. You have all made my experience special, and I thank you for it.
Undoubtedly I will continue writing, though in another venue; drop me a line if you are interested and I will let you know where I end up.
I wish everyone continued success in all of your endeavours. Please do keep in touch, as we still have much to discuss and explore together.
-Lucky Goldstar, 28 December 2003
9:58:59 PM 
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