Calling all HEC Paris Applicants: (January 2017 Intake) Class of 2018!

FROM HEC Paris Admissions Blog1: Leadership in action: Saint Cyr 2016

Earlier this month, as part of HEC Paris MBA’s leadership in action and learning by doing focus, the entire MBA class (both full-time and part-time) took part in the annual 2-day off campus leadership seminar at the elite Saint-Cyr Military Academy in Brittany. Students were challenged both mentally and physically through a series of individual and team activities, under the supervision of French officers. Some of these officers were current MBA students like Christophe De Ligniville from our September ’15 intake. “My biggest objective was to help each of my peers identify key factors of efficient leadership and in the same time realizing how they could enjoy from leading a team,” said Christophe. For the various activities, which ranged from building rafts and bridges to scaling walls, solving crisis scenarios and getting an injured person to safety, students took turns being the team leader for the activities.  “Two exercises were undoubtedly my highlights of the seminar: the X-bridge and the zip line. With the X-bridge exercise, I realized how good ideas cannot succeed without good communication and with the zipline, I learned that sometimes reflection has to follow action,” reflected Teles N’Guessan, one of the MBA participants.   HEC Paris MBA Dean, Andrea Masini, got involved as well! The tasks were designed to  take students out of their comfort zones, allowing them to put their problem solving capabilities to the test, in a unique and different environment from the classroom. “Working as a team (#team8thebest) in a non-academic atmosphere was challenging and rewarding. We all worked at choosing a leader, coordinating efforts and following instructions. In an MBA classroom, we discuss a lot to find answers but in Saint-Cyr, it was more about learning to trust peers’ directives and to find adequate solutions,” said Teles N’Guessan. For more pictures from the seminar, visit the HEC Paris MBA Facebook page at www.facebook.com/hecparismba.     The post Leadership in action: Saint Cyr 2016 appeared first on HEC MBA Blog.

FROM HEC Paris Admissions Blog1: A Top 15 MBA: Go Part-Time

The HEC Paris MBA Part-Time option is unique in the way that it allows participants to earn their MBA, whilst still actively pursuing their professional careers. Here, we chat with Lauranne Bardin, one of the HEC Paris MBA Development Managers about aspects of the program. What are the advantages of the part-time MBA?  First of all, what’s important to know is that at the end of the part-time program, you end up having the exact same qualifications as the full-time MBA. The students who are doing a part-time MBA have the chance to keep their current jobs and they’re able to get financial security by continuing working. What’s also really important is that they can apply what they learn during the week to their current positions, and bring something new to the company at the same time. Compared with full-time MBA, I would say that the experience of doing a part-time MBA is different due to the part-time format of one week per month, where the students spend a full week on campus. It’s a very unique format because the students are still very integrated into the MBA community, and they can benefit from all the extra-curricular activities, such as those organised by the student clubs and the Career Management Centre (CMC). For the one week that they’re on campus each month, part-time students need to be completely free, which is why it is important that they negotiate with their employer, so that they’ll be able to focus completely on their courses during the week. Does HEC Paris MBA help potential candidates prepare for this negotiation process in any way?  Yes- as part of our recruitment strategy, we know that doing a part-time program needs even more preparation than a full-time one, especially with negotiation as it’s not that easy. We know that it can be tricky and we have a lot of candidates who have very big challenges with negotiation. So, what we’ve done over the past two years and what we’re going to keep on doing is that we’re working with one of our faculty members, Philippe Gaud. He was the HR Director at Apple Europe for over 10 years, and then he joined HEC Paris. He was the Executive Director of the MBA program, then he also took part in the creation of this part-time format and he’s currently teaching within the MBA program. Once a month, he teaches a 2-hour workshop in Paris, where a group of 6-8 potential candidates are given advice on how to start negotiating with their employers, and all of them are given the opportunity to present their main challenges. Another challenge that we’ve noticed amongst potential part-time applicants is the preparation for the GMAT. Due to this, we also work with preparation centres, who give presentations to the potential applicants about opportunities to take GMAT classes. Does the recruitment process for the part-time differ in any way from the process for the full-time? In terms of recruitment, the admissions process is completely the same and we have the same requirements and rolling process of admissions etc. We do a lot of specific events that are geared towards the part-time such as the negotiation sessions, campus visits when the current part-time candidates are there on campus, so that they can be put in touch with and pose questions to students who have gone through exactly what they’re going through. Our dedicated staff is constantly available to guide students through the application process. We usually have the academic calendar for the part-time program well in advance, so that students can show their employers the schedule and plan ahead, and this helps with negotiating and letting the students take the needed weeks off work. Visit the HEC Paris MBA website for more information on part-time focusedevents and interviews with students. The post A Top 15 MBA: Go Part-Time appeared first on HEC MBA Blog.

Hello everyone,

I have been a passive user in this forum for quiet some time. The forum has been immensely helpful to me in my times of despair as I have pursued my MBA applications. I have always read, with a lot envy if I may add, the success stories in GMAT and in admissions at various top universities. I always wondered when I would get that coveted admit. When I would be giving back to the community through my success.

Well today is the day.
I am happy to let you guys know that I have been admitted to the January intake of HEC Paris full time program. Very few people know how much effort I have put into securing this admit. The countless hours I put into score well in GMAT, the midnight oil burnt editing my imperfect essays and the many messages (or spams) that I have sent to alumni's in various schools seeking advise about admission. I want to thank each and everyone who have helped me. Be it by encouraging me, or by critiquing me when required.

A brief overview of my background:
Indian, Male 28 years old.
15 months in IT, 4 years in Analytics
5 year dual degree from BITS Pilani
GMAT: 720 (Q51,V36,IR 8, AWA 5)
Biggest weakness: Low GPA
Biggest strength: Extracurriculars (Involved in 2 non profits during my professional tenure, captain of college sports team, active in Toastmasters and a few more)

A little more about my HEC application:

I can honestly say that my essays were as honest as it could be. Every essay was written straight from the heart. Having applied to around 10 schools earlier, my goals essay was in good shape. What I really liked about the application was that HEC gives a lot of opportunity to show your personality via your essays. For instance, one of the essays was to state your biggest accomplishment. Instead of writing about my work experience or my non-profit experience, I wrote about how I fixed my health. It was something that had me worried a few years back. I took a lot of effort to get active and get back in shape via sports. The passion I held for my health shone through the essays. I have had more positive responses from schools that ask creative essays than schools that give the traditional 'Why MBA' question.

The interviews were absolutely great. 2 alumni via skype. Both interviews started off with the presentation (which I was well prepared with) and proceeded with the standard MBA interview questions. The second interviewer was really interested in my extracurriculars and genuinely seemed to enjoy my experiences. Overall, I was very happy with both interviews.

The surreal feeling of my first admit is yet to sink in. In case anyone would like any advise or further clarification on anything, please do reach out. I shall be happy to help you to the best of my ability.

Congratulations on getting accepted - I'm hoping to join you for January 2017!

Can you give more details on your interviews please? Was your presentation related to work? How did the interviewers differ?

Thanks,
Magsy

My presentation was not directly work related. But it was related to my profession.

I work in the analytics industry and Big Data is a jargon you hear a lot. My goals lie in the realm of Internet of Things. Big Data is a huge part of Internet of Things. Hence I picked IOT as the topic of my presentation as I felt it was very relevant to me. But more importantly, I had read a lot on IOT in general, so I felt I would be in a position to handle the interview question.

Below is a debrief of the two interviews:
Interview 1:
Skype with alum based in India running his own company. (He was a BITS Alum as well)

1. Why did you choose this topic (presentation)? - this was the only question on the presentation, which surprised me.
2. Tell me about yourself.
3. Tell me about the career path you have chosen
4. Why MBA?
5. What is your goal after MBA?
6. Tell me something that is not in your resume.
7. What will you bring to the class at HEC?
8. Tell me about your best project at work.

No real bouncers. Overall he was very pleasant. There was some chat about my college life, about his experience in HEC and about working in Europe.

Total time : 60 mins

P.S: Although this was a Skype interview, the interviewer had disabled the video feed (which was disappointing). It felt more like a phone call.

Interview 2:
Skype with Russian alum based in Switzerland.

This was probably my best B-School interview. The interviewer was very well prepared and knew exactly what he wanted to ask me and had a very specific agenda. The interview started with the presentation. He had asked me to send over the PPT beforehand. He had taken a printout of the whole deck.

I had researched his background beforehand. He had no background in Tech/analytics what so ever. So, I was surprised when, at the end of the presentation, he gave me his thoughts on a few applications of Internet of Things. And these applications were really insightful and I was amazed at how much he knew. I followed it up with my own thoughts. He was happy with my opinion.

Following the presentation, we got on with the interview.

1. Tell me about yourself.

While I was answering, he had a lot of small questions on each and every aspect of my background such as how I picked my majors, the internships I did in college etc.

2.What is your goal?
3. Why MBA?
4. How will you contribute to HEC?
5.Why Big Data Strategy?
6. Tell me about your non profit experience?
7. How did you contribute?
8.Tell me about StartingBloc Fellowship (As I had mentioned it as my international experience)
9. What did you learn?
10. How did you apply?
11. What was the most challenging aspect of working in a multicultural environment? How did you overcome it?
12. What is your biggest accomplishment? (he wanted me to elaborate what I had written in the essay)
13. Why January intake?
14. Why dual degree? (as i had mentioned in application)

Total time: 85 mins

Overall it was great. He had complete access to my application and verified every information he wanted to. He gave me some advice on what to expect at HEC and wished me luck.

Just got my admission letter for the Jan intake. Is there any group where we can connect with our future classmates?

Thanks for the additional feedback nksbits! Hopefully see you in the Piano Bar in January!

All the best!

Magsy

Is there a FB Group for Jan admits?

FROM HEC Paris Admissions Blog1: MBAT 2016: “Voluntears”

Stephen Prsa, from the HEC Paris MBA Class of 2017, discusses the lessons that he learned in this year’s MBA Tournament. Victory always boils down to the same ingredients: endurance, strength, aptitude, strategy and dedication. This year’s MBA Tournament was the perfect showcase for such ingredients, as over 1500 participants from 17 of the top business schools across Europe gathered at HEC Paris for the largest 3-day sports competition of its kind. From the high-top sneakers on the basketball court to the high-heels on the salsa floor, the competitors certainly earned their blisters. But from my eyes, this year’s winner was a different type of victor; A victor who nevertheless collected the same blisters on their feet as the competitors. While the athletes of one school were guaranteed to walk away with the trophy at the end of the tournament, it was the volunteers who demonstrated the ingredients of victory more than any sports team. Many had tasks that required a lot of endurance. Perhaps no one endured more over the tournament than the man behind the zebra – a 10-kilogram fleece zebra with absolutely no ventilation. Now imagine you’ve been wearing that zebra costume for 8 straight hours, it’s 27 degrees Celsius outside, you’ve walked a 300-meter vertical climb 4 times already and now you’re running back and forth trying to fire up the crowd at a football match. God bless the zebra (and every other school mascot that showed up for the event to cheer on their squads). And then there was strength. The strength required of the saints who volunteered to lug the kegs of beer around from tent-to-tent to ensure our guests stayed cool throughout the weekend. Let me put that into perspective for you. A full keg of beer is 73 kilograms. We consumed 141 of them. That means our volunteers muscled the strength to move and pour over 10.2 metric tons of beer in 3 days. I’m sure it was appreciated. Of course, coordinating an event like MBAT wouldn’t be possible without a keen level of mental aptitude. As I was leaving campus shortly after 1 in the morning on the second night, there was one sight in particular that caught my eye. It was the lights in window of a meeting room on the second floor of the MBA Building – the MBAT meeting room. While there were 1500 participants enjoying their evening a few hundred metres away, a few bright minds were sitting around the table with their own lights on, enhancing and improvising the logistics for the following days. While a few minor glitches are to be expected, those bright minds ensured an incredible weekend for everyone in attendance. But mental acuity can only get you so far if it’s applied with the right strategy. For the MBAT organizing committee, that strategy started almost 8 months ago. That was before we had sponsors, participating schools, a selection of sports and even volunteers. This team developed a roll out strategy to serve all 1500 participants from 17 schools. That includes 350 different sports teams, over 13,000 meals served, 10 hotels, and jumping through a countless number of unexpected hoops and roadblocks. Finally, there’s dedication; It came from the head of the MBAT planning committee, to the students who spent their weekend sitting by themselves in the sun, helping the odd student find the right bus to get back to their hotel. And this goes beyond HEC Paris. The captains across all 17 volunteer schools collaborated endlessly to the last minute to ensure a seamless integration, and even new friends stepped up when they could to help a rival athlete with injury, or even just point them to the tennis courts. And sure, the HEC Paris students might get a credit or two for volunteering their time, but the credits don’t matter. I realized it on the second night while I found myself crowdsurfing on top of 1500 screaming fans watching battle of the bands when my friend yelled to me “Can you believe we’re getting credits for this?!” The MBA Tournament isn’t about victory, but when you’re surrounded by 1500 MBA students you know that competition is at the core of the experience. HEC Paris was proud to take the trophy this year – We certainly worked hard for it. But when I compare the roar from the crowd at the announcement of “And the winner is: HEC Paris!” to the smiles on the faces of the volunteers who made this year’s MBAT a roaring success, I know where the true victory lies. You could see it in the hidden smile behind the zebra mask, the stressed muscles of the girl carrying that keg of beer, the bags under the eyes of the planning committee, the handshake of every new encounter, and in the blisters on the feet of every single volunteer. For more photos from this year’s MBA Tournament, visit the Facebook page. The post MBAT 2016: “Voluntears” appeared first on HEC MBA Blog.

Hi all

Congratulations to all those who got admits from Jan-2017 intake in the last round (01/04 deadline).

Just wanted to know if any of you have received any results from the jury concerning scholarships?

Anyone who applied for this cycle?

hi every one,

its nice to read all your views
can you help me in knowing whether it is beneficial to apply in R9 /R10/R11 or waait for few more time and apply for r1 , r2 , r3

I applied for 1June Deadline. Waiting for a positive reply. Anyone else waiting for Preselection?
Are the Preselection declared within 2weeks after deadline or may take longer?

Posted from my mobile device

prabhatpustake,

I applied as well for the June 2016 deadline, I believe it might take an additional week before we hear anything back from the adcom.

Keep in mind that the UEFA Euro 2016 is held in France, probably those guys are busy following the matches which might add some delay to the process

It states in the website that the decision date will be on the 8th July 2016, It would be safe to assume that we will receive a response not later than week 25

In the due time, chill out and relax and probably think about quitting your job.. a good idea is to take a break of few months to do something different before starting an MBA, an MBA is not only an education but also it is the space that someone needs to lay the path for their future careers

Good luck for all applicants

Cordially,

My application is pre-selected
I look forward for the next phase of the process
Good luck everyone!

FROM HEC Paris Admissions Blog1: Celebrating the Class of 2016

So proud of the accomplishments of the Class of 2016!   Despite hosting a commencement celebration that included champagne and cocktails, an elegant garden party, and speeches by several of France’s top CEOs, those of us at the HEC Paris MBA program wanted yet another way to honor this year’s graduates. The Class of 2016 was that impressive. Take, for example, Cécile Villette. The entrepreneurial track student decided to forego significant job offers in order to follow her dream and launch her own business (stay tuned to www.mba.hec.edu for more details). There’s also Ryan Howard, who transformed his internship with Amazon Prime into a prestigious managerial position. Those are just two of countless ways our graduating class are benefiting from their studies. We’re certain to hear more of the accomplishments of the Class of 2016 in the months and years to come. In the meantime, we’d like to share a few memories from graduation day, held on June 10, 2016 at the HEC Paris campus. Highlights of the day’s events: a new scholarship created in memory of student Juan Gonzalez Garrido; Chris McEvoy’s widely quoted commencement speech; and the words of wisdom shared by Bruno Moineville, MBA ’88, and Emmanuel Faber, CEOs of Altice and Danone, respectively. It was also the first Commencement Ceremony for Andrea Masini as Associate Dean of the business school. The images in the linked video were taken by Marcella Barbieri and by HEC Paris MBA staff.   We hope you enjoy them as we bid farewell to the Class of 2016.   Commencement Ceremony MBA 2016   The post Celebrating the Class of 2016 appeared first on HEC MBA Blog.

FROM HEC Paris Admissions Blog1: Living like Royalty

Sharon Chan at the castle’s doorway When Sharon Chan first applied to the HEC Paris MBA, she didn’t know the experience would include living in a stylish castle in the French countryside. The “Château of Montebello” as it’s known today, once belonged to the Countess of Vassart. The property was later purchased by Maurice Delaire, who gave it to his daughter as a wedding gift when she married the Count of Montebello. The Montebello family owned the castle until the 1940s, when the building and much of the surrounding forest in Jouy-en-Josas was converted into private homes and apartments. Sharon shares a few insights into castle life: How to Rent a Castle “Back in October, when I knew that I wouldn’t be living on campus, I started looking for a place. The apartment was listed on www.PAP.fr. The MBA program has Facebook group for admitted students (www.facebook.com/groups/expansiel/) and I asked if anyone would like to share a duplex in a castle. I found another girl, and she found our two other housemates. There’s seven units in the château. The four of us occupy the top floor. It’s very different than what we expected; it’s actually very modern. We have a superintendent who takes care of the building and the landscaping. My bedroom looks out on the swimming pool.” Meet the Neighbors “I moved in the afternoon of December 27. The next day I went downstairs to get some groceries and check out the neighborhood. I remember that I was almost through the gate when a man passed by on a horse. He was dressed in a traditional French gentleman’s riding outfit, and he said ‘Bonjour’ with the most perfect accent. That felt like my first real day in France.” Life with Housemates The living room “I have three housemates who are Americans: Jess, Alison and Heather. We’re all extroverts. Heather cooks a lot and Jess bakes a lot so we always have tacos, quesadillas, cupcakes and cookies lying around. My housemates are all in the same program, so we do our homework together. We’re always talking together. Last night I had decided to use the pool, then I ended up staying inside to talk with the girls. Because we don’t live on campus, we count on each other for support. We’re really a close-knit family. There’s also a group called the ’Burbs (short for suburbs). It used to be us and about six other people who lived near the château. There were two girls and one guy who lived about three minutes down the street from us. They used to host barbecues. Some members have moved away, but there’s still a few of us around. Aaron rented out space in one of those big houses near the swimming pool. Gabor lives below us; he sublets a room from our neighbor. We always say that we’ll get together to do homework, but I don’t think that’s ever actually happened. We usually get together either in the château or in someone’s apartment just to talk and share a bottle of wine.” Telling People Where She Lives “Everyone in the MBA program has to study a language. I’m learning French, and one of the first exercises in class is to say our name, where we’re from, and where we live. I felt silly saying, ‘Je m’appelle Sharon. J’habite dans un château à Jouy-en-Josas.’ One time we had to explain what we did the night before. My response, ‘J’ai nagé dans la piscine du château de Montebello’. I’m sure that 10 years from now, I’ll look back and say, ‘I can’t believe that I lived in a castle in France.’ But for the moment, I’m trying to sublet my room. Before I leave France, I also want to have the Parisian experience as well.” Sharon’s Housing Advice The Château of Montebello • Consider a shorter-term lease. “After the Core 2 classes, you might want to try living closer to campus or in Paris to get a Parisian experience,” she explains. • Look for a furnished apartment, especially if you don’t drive. “It took us four or five IKEA trips to furnish our apartment. All of our furniture, we bought and assembled ourselves.” • Bring your favorite foods. “I can’t live without ginger ale. But really, you can get everything here in France. It just might take you a while to find it.” The post Living like Royalty appeared first on HEC MBA Blog.