One of the things I have always loved about INSEAD is the warm, non-competitive environment. Students share study aids, work in groups, and, from my experience, take no actions to advance their own academic performance at the expense of their peers. It may happen, but I have yet to see it. Many times, after review sessions where I asked questions which revealed my painful ignorance of cash flow analysis or the CAPM, someone, be it from my group, section, or just a random person, would offer to stay after the class and explain the problem to me. At first, I would demure, saying I’m sure they wanted to go get lunch or something, but they would often insist, excusing their generosity on the grounds that by teaching it to me, they would better understand it themselves. And, of course, you’ve already heard about Mr. Melmed’s coming to my rescue, in a profoundly selfless way.

So, how far does this go? I ask because, quite innocently, I recently sent an email to a classmate asking about an interview he had with a company with which I will be interviewing. And then it hit me: it may have been extremely inappropriate for me to do that. I mean, if we’re both interviewing with the same company, then theoretically we could be competing for the same job. Now, in this case, I find that highly unlikely, as I think I have an idea of what this person’s geographic preferences are, and I think they are different than mine, but nonetheless the possibility exists.

This was not a close friend I emailed. While it is someone with whom I have had a lot of contact, particularly recently, I have never spoken to them on the phone, or even sent an SMS. For that matter, I do not even have a phone number with which to do so. So that leads me to further believe I had maybe overstepped my bounds. They were very polite and vague with his responses, and never said anything like “What the fuck is wrong with you? Why do you think I would ever help you get a job that I want?” In retrospect, that’s about the best I should have expected. But I wonder for all the people doing all the consulting and finance interviews, is there a point where the generosity stops and the competitiveness begin? Or do people help you right up until the end, even when you’re vying for the same position?