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Tuesday Tips: HEC Paris Essays and Tips for 2019-2020

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HEC Paris essays

This year’s HEC Paris essays focus on your ethics and values. An amazing location in Paris and a strong leadership education distinguish the HEC MBA. HEC Paris boasts a high number of CEOs in its alumni community. Another distinction is an entrepreneurial spirit. HEC Paris is consistently ranked as one of the top MBA programs in the world.

If your life and career are focused in Europe, HEC is worth a strong look. And, even if you are primarily United States-based, think about adding a European MBA program to your list.

To learn more about how Stacy Blackman Consulting can help with your HEC Paris essays, don’t hesitate to contact us. For more details on the HEC Paris essays and application requirements, visit the HEC Paris website.

HEC Paris Essays for 2019-2020

Essay 1: Why are you applying to the HEC MBA Program now? What is the professional objective that will guide your career choice after your MBA, and how will the HEC MBA contribute to the achievement of this objective? (500 words max.)

Describing your career goals is the first task in this HEC Paris essay. Also, why now is the right time for an MBA and why HEC Paris is your choice. Also, you will want to explain past experiences, but avoid reciting your resume. In addition, think about the key moments in your career that can highlight your skills.

Focus on some mini-stories to tell. Then, you can explain your career choice with specifics. What industry do you want to work within? What will be your function (marketing or finance, for example)? Do you have any desires for location and aspirations to impact the global economy?

Also, note that HEC Paris has successfully assisted students with career changes and entrepreneurial dreams. If you are looking for a new career after your MBA, HEC may be the perfect place. Thorough school research will help you make the case to the admissions committee. In addition you should explain the classes, professors, and student activities that will help you achieve your goals.

HEC Paris essaysEssay 2: What do you consider your most significant life achievement? (250 words max.)

HEC Paris is looking for leaders. In the second of the HEC Paris essays, describe an experience that demonstrates leadership. Consider that there is no time limit to this essay. For instance, you could explore something formative that happened to you as a teenager, or an achievement from last week. Also, when selecting an example, think about an achievement that demonstrates who you are. And, also shows a moment that changed the course of your life.

For example, perhaps you were given an assignment at work that was beyond your capabilities. That experience may have taught you how to leverage the experience of a team. Or, taught you how to research and learn on your own. Think about the achievements that stretched your abilities and taught you the most. A leadership example can also show how you helped a team achieve its best work.

Essay 3: Leadership and ethics are inevitably intertwined in the business world. Describe a situation in which you have dealt with these issues and how they have influenced you. (250 words max.)

Because ethics are so important, the third in this set of HEC Paris essays is focused on this issue. As a future leader, ethics can determine how well your company performs. When you look at the devastating results of the 2008 financial crisis, or recent security breaches at major tech companies, it is clear that business can be influenced by ethics.

In your own career you have likely encountered colleagues or leaders that were not guided by ethical behavior. When you have come across an ethical dilemma, how did you handle it? Explain the situation and how you felt, what you did, and the outcome. Ideally, you have learned a lesson as a result of the experience. Finally, consider your overall approach to leadership and ethics.

Essay 4: Imagine a life entirely different from the one you now lead, what would it be? (250 words max.)

This HEC Paris essay is a creative way to explore your character and core personality. When you think about the opposite of who you are today, it shows how you view yourself. Where would a person leading an entirely different life live? What career would they pursue? What would be their family responsibilities? Think about asking your friends and family what they think as a thought starter.

Describe this alternative life as specifically as possible and use the exercise to clarify your own core values.

HEC Paris essaysChris Karidis

Essay 5: Please choose from one of the following essays, 250 words max.:

a) What monument or site would you advise a first-time visitor to your country or city to discover, and why?

b) Certain books, movies or plays have had an international success that you believe to be undeserved. Choose an example and analyse it.

c) What figure do you most admire and why? You may choose from any field (arts, literature, politics, business, etc)

Of all of the HEC Paris essays, this one provides options to share your strong opinions and personality with the admissions committee. For instance, you can choose to describe your country or city, discuss an art piece, or a leader you admire. Honestly, any one of the choices can showcase an aspect of your personality. Overall, the goal is to differentiate yourself.

Consider the best option for your unique background. For example, if you live in a small country or city that is rarely visited by tourists, describe a monument or site. In this way, using the essay to describe your city or country can further explain your background.

On the other hand, if you choose a public figure you admire, you could explore your ideas of leadership. Or, perhaps you admire persistence, or overcoming obstacles, or helping others. Use those ideas to explore your core values. Finally, whichever option you choose, get personal!

Essay 6 (Optional): Is there any additional information you would like to share with us? (900 words max.)

This HEC Paris essay gives you space to describe any additional information you would like to provide to the admissions committee. Generally, optional essays are used for any confusing or concerning information in your application. In this case, you may use this essay to provide positive information as well.

You may have a story about leadership or another achievement you would like to highlight. If so, this is a place to tell that story. If you have described your core values in any of the above, you may be able to reinforce that story with this essay.

Obviously, this is the essay to use if you need to explain an academic issue, low GMAT, recommender issue, or gap in work experience. It is far better to fully explain any issues in your application than to leave the admissions committee to guess what happened. Explain your issue clearly and focus most of the essay on the correction for the issue.

For example, if you had a low grade in a quantitative course in college, spend most of the essay describing how you have shown academic promise since then, rather than focusing on the negative. Avoid blaming anyone else for your issue. Instead, describe why this one incident is in your past and will stay there.

You may also choose to skip this essay if you do not have another story to tell or an incident in the past to explain. Remember that it is optional.

The post Tuesday Tips: HEC Paris Essays and Tips for 2019-2020 appeared first on Stacy Blackman Consulting - MBA Admissions Consulting.