HEC Paris (Sept Intake) Class of 2015: Calling all applicants!

Hi Guys

Submitted my application last week for Jan intake and got an interview invite the next day. I was asked if I would like to be considered for the April jury but I respectfully declined. I have opted for May jury.Luckily, both my interviewers are based out of Sydney.

@ Zat, thanks a lot for sharing your experiences in such detail. Its really helpful for applicants like me. Also, before I read your post, I was completely clueless about the presentation part. Now at least I have a basic idea.

Question for all the admitted folks... Is the interview a deal breaker in case you mess it up? I read that many have reported one good - one bad experience? Can anybody elaborate on the bad experience part?

Cheers

@ashkul123 yes the interviews can be a deal breaker. Case in point: myself. I asked adcom for feedback since I was not admitted and all reasons they gave have to do with interviews. It is good that u prepare for them early and dont rush into it;)
Good luck w. Yours.

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Hi Ashish,

At the outset, all the very best for your interview.

Interviews are very critical part of the admission process - Yes, if you mess it up then the chances of getting in will become difficult. I personally know couple of folks who got a reject after their interviews. Though they did not goof up the interview in particular, i guess they were not able to convince the interviewers of their short & long term goals.

Well I am not very sure about the good cop bad cop interview. In my case both the interviewers didnt even know each other. Each one was unique in his / her style. The interviews were more like a discussion on practical experience, perspectives, 3 strenghts, 3 weakness etc. For me both the interviews went for about an hour. One common attribute was both of the interviewers focused a lot on my practical experience in managing projects, people, handling difficult situations etc.

The presentation is also a bit tricky - make sure you choose a subject that you are passionate about and make it sound convincing that you are passionate.

Good luck, feel free to revert in case of any queries.

Cheers
Subbu

Hi ashkul123!
The main intention behind posting the interview debrief was to help future applicants. So I am glad that you found it helpful.
I completely agree with Subbu that the interview can definitely make or break the deal for you. Even in my case the interviewers were passouts from two different batches and did not know each other. Make sure you are crystal clear about your short term and long term goals. I was grilled a lot on this subject in both the interviews.
Bad experience will be a result of being under prepared. For instance if you are not clear about what you want to do or why you want to come to HEC.
You will find loads of interview questions on gmatclub. I would suggest that you just be thorough with the answers(especially the ones that were asked in HEC interviews) and you shall have a smooth interview.

All the best mate!

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Yeap - Like Zat said - Be prepared. Thats the key.

I was also grilled on why mba, why now, why HEC, Why not Insead or LBS - how you can relate your current experience with your short and long term goals.

One of the interviewers asked me about my Plan B ...

Be cool, be clear, be consistent & prepared. I am sure you can breeze through the interviews.

Cheers
Subbu

Hi everyone,

Thought I would chime in here with my interview experience as well, since the interviews are really key to acceptance at HEC. It's a bit late in the game, but hopefully this will still be useful to future applicants.

Process-wise, an admissions officer will notify you that you've been selected for an interview and do their best to get you an interview in your city of choice. Both interviews I had were with recent alum in two different cities abroad because I was traveling for business. Interviewers will be sent your entire application, so they should be familiar with your background and essays. An admissions team member explained to me that HEC asks you to meet with two interviewers because they had received feedback in the past that perhaps one interview doesn't go as planned because your personalities don't align (which happened to me for one school). They understand that this happens, so that's why you have to do two. At the time it seemed like a lot to arrange, but retrospectively, I think it works in your favor to have two chances to impress people.

My essays answered the "why HEC/short term goals/long term goals" very clearly, so I wasn't asked those questions. Both interviewers very quickly honed in on questions beyond my work experience and application such as how would I adjust to living in a foreign country by myself, what unique things could I contribute to the class, and what inspires me and drives me. They were very interested to get to know me as a person beyond the CV and for me to illustrate that I understood my weaknesses. They asked me what I found frustrating about my current organization and how I dealt with it, and to describe a personal failure, not a professional one.

As for competitor schools, I was very transparent with other schools that I had interviewed with, and they will ask you "what is your first choice?". Honesty is key. I pointed out the pros and cons of my top choices.

Most importantly, ASK QUESTIONS. This is your opportunity to "pick the brain" of someone who has attended the program and will also be honest with you of what they liked and didn't like. It's a great way for you to manage your expectations before going to the school, and will help you plan your experience once you get there. Know the program and ask detailed questions. Having interviewed people myself, nothing is worse than interviewing someone who doesn't ask any questions.

Presentation-wise, as others have said, pick a topic that you are passionate about and are able to fill in the blanks. It doesn't necessarily have to be work-related. I read that someone did a presentation about the local cuisine of their hometown. My first interview started with my presentation, and my second interview ended with my presentation. My first interviewer asked me related questions about recent developments in the field, so be aware of current events! And you won't always have ideal presentation situations (i.e. you may be meeting in a noisy cafe, or there are no screens so you must bring your own laptop or tablet, etc), so be creative and flexible with how you present. 10 minutes goes by quickly, so make it short and sweet with a clear narrative. One of my interviewers even gave me immediate feedback about how I could improve my presentation. Be open to suggestions.

At the end of the day, if you've been selected for an interview, that means you fit the school on paper, and the school wants to make sure that your personality is a match and that they are also what YOU are looking for.

Smile, be confident, and be yourself!

Good luck to everyone!

Hi Desley1, Satish, Zat and Grumpycat (nice name )

Thanks a lot guys for your tips and advice. You have given a lot of pointers and I am really grateful for the same.

Once I am done with my interviews , will share my experiences in detail as well.

Cheers
Ashish

We're always there to help. Feel free to post in case you have any other queries.
Also, it would be wonderful to hear about your interview experience.


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Hello GMATCLUB Members,

GMATClub and Admissionado Consulting are conducting a webinar for the applicants got dinged this year. This is your opportunity to get expert guidance and build a smart strategy for the next application round/season. Webinar will be conducted by Admissionado's Founder and HBS Alum Jon Frank. Jon will share his suggestions followed by a Q&A session - this is your opportunity to ask your specific questions.

One lucky attendee will get the opportunity to have his/her (dinged) profile evaluated by Jon Frank during the session. If you'd like to be chosen for this opportunity, please email info@admissionado.com with the subject line "GMAT Club Webinar - Choose me!". Please include your name, nationality, age, GMAT score and a list of schools where you were dinged. And please also attach your essays + resume + LORs from one of your applications. Winner will be notified via email on April 16th!

Had my interviews this week so for the benefit of the future applicants, here goes my debrief

1st Interview --

The alum was from 2008 batch and was a very thorough interviewer. It was one of the most intensely personal interviews that you could hope for. The idea was to know me as a person. But he did try his best to make me feel comfortable. We met at coffee shop and the interview lasted for an hour or so.
He asked questions related to every phase of my life, going as far back as school days and questioned everything that I mentioned. Just an example when I said, I used to represent my school in quizzes; he immediately asked if I remember any question after which I felt real proud. He even dived into how I will be financing my mba , my interests , situations at work place, follow up questions from my essays etc.

I presented on Mumbai Dabbawalas and he did ask me if I thought it would interest someone who was not aware of them and I said, if they were good enough for a HBS case study, they should be good enough for this exercise as well.

Other questions were related to my GMAT score, how many times I took the test, whether planning for a retake etc. Marks in school and other activities.
Some more questions on choice of schools, why not INSEAD etc. He also gave me a run down on a profile of a super star candidate at HEC and asked how I will cope up while competing against such stars. He also asked, given my extensive experience, how will I compete against guys who are hungrier and faster (read 25 year olds). Why MBA, why HEC etc also came up. My backup plan, if I weren’t selected and what if I don’t get desired job etc. and offcourse strength and weakness. Also why they should select me and not someone else.

To summarize, i don’t think you can prepare for such an interview. All you can do is be yourself and try to maintain a consistent story. If you are meant to be selected (read if you are fit for school) then you will be.

There is so much more but basically, all he tried to do was know me as a person. After interview, he gave me few tips regarding the presentation for the next interview and we chatted for half an hour. Then while leaving, we again started another discussion and ended up chatting for another couple of hours and that’s when we really connected.

Overall, I have no clue how I did

2nd Interview --

This was with a 2002 grad and I met her in her office. Very sweet lady and this was a very formal interview. basic questions like why mba, why HEC etc. she asked a lot of questions regarding my idea of leadership, how will I handle tough situations at work, tough projects, failures , strengths, weakness , why they should select me. My main motivation for choosing HEC was it ranking or faculty etc. I did threw in names of students that I had spoken with and prof Kapferer and she seemed impressed but said I would be lucky to get him to teach.

Then we chatted for some time regarding her experiences and she advised me that I should start on French if I get selected.
Summary
Through both interviews, I think college was trying to cross check everything that you have written and to know you as a person. Don’t think I could have done anything more or differently although my presentation went a lot better during 2nd interview. Now the waiting game begins

All the best to the future applicants. Feel free to ask questions.

Cheers

Nice! The presentation topic sounds quite interesting. Overall both your interviews also seem to have gone well enough.
Thanks for sharing the experience.
All the best for the decision mate! Keep us posted.

Thank you, Ash, for sharing your interview experience with us.

Can someone tell me what is the average GPA they are looking for ?
And what should be the minimum Work Experience.
I am having work experience of 28 months till date and i will apply for Sept 2015

Shantanu

Your experience should be fine by the time you apply for the program.

Thanks zat. Will update once I know anything. I opted for the may jury so gotta wait for 1 month.

Thank You Ashkul

Hi Shantanu!
A minimum work experience of 3 years is required. For further details you can refer to this page:
https://www.mba.hec.edu/Admissions/Requirements
If you fulfill these criteria you will be fine. There is no mention of a minimum GPA though.