i have no idea of the numbers, but i got through into both.. just got the admit couple of days back.. escp is offering 50% scholarship, but i guess i'll still go with HEC

for escp, in round 2 ( for which i applied) from among 132 called for interview, 66 got admits.. thats 50%

thanks a lot!!

to be frank, it was tough..
there were 3 interviewers, 2 alumni and 1 french lady. i shared a similar career path with one of the alumnus, so he could relate a lot to what i wanted to do and my future plans. but he could also go into depth in it, so there were some drawbacks also..
one of the most shocking questions i got was : Have you considered an professional masters degree in Wine Tasting in france..??

lol..

nah! not so much.. my gpa is ok, 8.2 on 10. but i guess that doesn't matter so much, they look at your entire profile before evaluating. i guess my many extra curricular activities and involvement with different projects outside of my college helped a lot.

your first point : a bird in hand is definitely worth two in the bush.. getting into HEC is quite difficult, and you wouldn't want to lose the opportunity you have now. Also, it will matter what you do in this year if you decide to wait, the adcom will be interested in that.

HEC scores over ESCP in many ways. the most obvious one is the recognition / reputation. if after graduation and 6-7 years in a job, you want to change jobs; when applying for the new job the fact that you are from HEC will matter, in your favor. Also, although both schools are a part of the CEMS group, HEC also offers many other exchange programmes like the one with MIT Sloan.
FT rankings for 2009 say that ESCP is ranked 2 in MiM programmes. This, while true, is only half the truth. It is difficult to gauge the difference between 1 and 2 based on rankings. The alumni network of HEC is better spread and more active.
These, and other factors led me to choose HEC over ESCP this year. However, if you already have an ESCP admit, and are wanting to wait for HEC next year, i would say consider your position on the basis that you would be taking a gamble by waiting..

Also, the costs of the programme at HEC and ESCP are €17,200 and €15300 respectively. Not much difference i would say. also, both schools have the option, if fact they recommend, that you take a year off to do internships between your two years of study. You can save some money during this gap year of internship.

feel free to contact me if you need more info / help.

hi Mihir008,

Some of your points in your arguments are not correct :

The difference of recognition between HEC and ESCP is not that great. ESCP is not part of CEMS Group. There is no real exchange program between HEC and MIT, just the opportunity for 2 or 3 students to pay thousands of euros to go to MIT for a specific program after graduation from HEC (anyone can apply with or without HEC). The alumni network of ESCP is worldwide spread and active, not less or more than HEC's.

+ ESCP is a wonderful school with campuses in Paris, London, Madrid, Torino and Berlin, and not "just" a business school. It's completely international : students go from a campus to another. ESCP has built a programme to provide a unique multicultural learning experience and as an alumni i can tell you that my years of study at ESCP were some of the best in my life.

Hi Guys,

I recently got selected in HEC Paris Grande Ecole program. I had a few queries regarding the program. It would be really helpful if you could answer them.

1. How are the job prospects after graduating from HEC?
2. Would it be a good decision to go to Paris, given the financial crisis in Europe?
3. Now that the Visa regulations have become more stringent, how difficult it has become to land up in a job (both in France and outside, say UK) ?
4. Is it easy to get internships in the gap year?

Kindly reply soon as I have only 3 days left for my confirmation deadline.