Calling all HHL Leipzig MBA Applicants: [2020 Intake] Class of 2022

Hey, I am an MBA applicant from India. I have been applying to MBA programs in Germany for the 2020 winter intake.
I applied to HHL, WHU, Munich, Frankfurt - got into the first 3.

Looking forward to helping anyone who has queries.

Hi Omar,

Congrats on your admission! So you picked HHL in the end?

I am going to have the interview next week. Would you mind sharing you interview experience? Thanks!

My interview was taken by the Director of the program, Prof Vivek Velamuri. It wasn't a very traditional interview so to say. He had a conversation over my work - I have a startup so I got into the depth of that - to really understand what I have done. He asked questions related to my industry but I don't think he was trying to gauge much from my answers. He was only having a conversation where I was put to ease right at the beginning and talk about you. Other applicants have had a similar experience with Prof Velamuri, however, if your interview is going to be taken by some other professor or adcom member you can expect a little different so you should prepare for situation-based questions on teamwork, conflict resolution, work ethics etc. In all cases, just focus on your motivation for an MBA, why HHL as a preference and try to understand yourself while preparing for the interview. There is no right or wrong answer.

Thank you so much for the sharing! Mine was with Prof. Tobias Dauth and similar to what you described. My goals, why Germany, why HHL, some industry-related questions and situational questions.
Hopefully I will hear from them this week.

I recently got admit from HHL Leipzig Full Time MBA along with scholarship (Women in Business).

I can take up queries regarding admissions.

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Hi Shrinkhla21,

Congrats to your admit:)
How's your interview experience and how long did you wait to get the result?

I applied on 31st March (the second early-bird deadline was the incentive)
I had already mailed Stefanie Stanches who is in the admissions team about my intentions of applying and also my mailed her my CV, my long-term goals etc. And she had replied back positively.

After submitting my application, I just mailed her thanking her support and told her I have submitted my application.

I guess that really helped because I got an interview invite on 3rd April. And my interview was scheduled for 7th April with Vivek Velamuri sir.

He was very friendly and asked basic questions- Whats your story, Why HHL, I want to start my enterprise so he asked if i had any idea in mind, Why Germany and that’s about it.
At the end, he told me that he really liked my profile so he will give me the admission and also told me the scholarship amount. And that I will get the official admission letter in a week.

So, on 15th April, I got my letter.

Wow, that's real quick. Mind if you share your experience about the scholarship e.g. how did you apply & how much have you got?
And are you going to accept the offer?

Yes, that was lightening fast and I loved that part.

Sure jmailreg!
There are multiple scholarships available like Middle East, Latin America, Women in Business ( which I applied for), Young Leader etc. You can find further details on their website.

While filling the application, you can choose the category of scholarship you want to apply for and they have set a particular question for each category that you need to answer. It can be an essay (max. 1000 words) or a presentation.

I chose women one because Stefanie (Manager Student Recruitment) recommended it fir me and also because of the higher chances of getting it (less women apply). The question was pretty tough and I wrote multiple drafts for the same. And because of the engineering training, got it fixed and finalised only on the last day of the deadline.

Vivek sir mentioned during the interview that he liked my essay but since my Gmat score was only 630, will give me 15% scholarship.
He mentioned if it had been more than 650 then it would be 20% scholarship. And above 700 would have meant 40-50%.

When i got my offer, the scholarship amount was 4k euros i e around 12%. So i was little upset. But i wrote a mail to Vivek sir regarding the same and he graciously agreed to increase my scholarship by 1k euros. Just today, i got my final fee structure with 5k euros scholarship.

I am still waiting to hear from other colleges and being interviewed still. But i am seriously considering HHL. My commitment fee deadline is 3 weeks from now so that is 7th May.

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Thank you so much for the detailed sharing. I'm sure this will help future candidates a lot, especially regarding the negotiation of scholarship
I'm still waiting for my result and was told that it would come through this week.

Anyway, I wish you all the best for other school applications

Jmailreg!

All the best to you too.

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Hi Shrinkhla ,

Congratulations on your admission
I have a couple of questions. How much focus was given to your work experience during your interview? What were the questions like (did they ask about the projects/clients/industry you have served or was it more general in approach)?

Hey npriya!

Thank you.

Vivek sir started the interview on a very casual note. So we sort of discussed where all he had lived in India etc.. after that he asked me about my story ie in other words tell me about yourself. (which we all prepare), he didn’t ask me why MBA because he could deduct the need for it from my past experience and my long-term goal.
Then he asked me why HHL Leipzig (again prepared answer) and then why Germany in particular ( so here i told him about Germany being in the driver seat of innovation propelled by academic powerhouses and so learning here will allow me to be more visionary and innovative- qualities essential in the future) and then mentioned my short-term goal of staying in Germany/ Europe for a couple of years.

He mentioned that he had already gone through my documents in detail. And he liked the work I had done with the NGOs and also, the fact that I had cleared the UPSC Civil services exam prelims twice while working in my father’s business.

Basically nothing specific was asked about work experience. Most of the focus was on the long-term and short-term goal and how HHL Leipzig and Germany fit in there.
So, if you knit your answers seamlessly connecting these dots, you will be good to go.

All the best!

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Hi,

Congrats for landing the admits!! What was your GMAT score?

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prakhar30088

660(Q44 V38) as listed on OmarZG profile.

Hello! I'm new to GMAT Club and I wish to seek admission in HHL next year My query is how much importance do they give to the undergraduate GPA? My grade so far isn't impressive at all (67% in my first and second year). The highest grade someone has secured in my batch is 88%, so it's sort of tough to score in my university. I still have time to build my profile through internships (I've already done one for 2 months) and improve my grades. My question is:

1) What is the minimum possible preferred grade to secure an admission in HHL (or any good German B-school)

2) What kind of projects should I take up so as to improve my profile? I have a few extra-curricular certificates, one internship in Social Media Marketing and one internship upcoming in winter.

3) Should I get some work experience after college to compensate for the low grades? Is it going to increase my chance of securing admission in any way?

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Zahraamotiwala, Glad you reached out!
Hope you are doing well.

Let's answer all your queries -

1) What is the minimum possible preferred grade to secure an admission in HHL (or any good German B-school)

There is no minimum grade, but a decent relative score helps in improving your selection chances.
These elite universities understand the concept of relative grading - Thus, it would be MUCH better if one can achieve a grade reflecting top 20% of the batch.

2) What kind of projects should I take up so as to improve my profile? I have a few extra-curricular certificates, one internship in Social Media Marketing and one internship upcoming in winter.
A masters degree be either MBA or MiM needs to highlight not only the academics but also the non-academic sections such as work experience, social work, volunteering exp, seminars, workshops - interests and hobbies ( Read - actual ones, not the mere certificate-garnered ones )
Thus, the Admission Committee prefers a student with a holistic profile who can add VALUE to the cohort.

3) Should I get some work experience after college to compensate for the low grades? Is it going to increase my chance of securing admission in any way?

Focus on the GMAT - A high score can favour your selection chances despite having a low grade, showcasing that you can adapt and ace the curriculum.
Target +20 points higher than the average GMAT score of the university.

The answer to this can move in either direction since every profile is unique in its own different way because of factors such as ethnicity, background, over-representativeness, uniqueness etc.

Furthermore, Work on your ENTIRE profile - GMAT, Work Exp, GPA, Application Essays, Statement of Purpose, Extra-curricular, Social impact, interests etc.


Do a diligent study about the class profile - HHL MBA Program
Evaluate the vital metrics such as average GMAT score, work experience, background etc.

Since the cohort is small, HHL is notoriously selective about prospective students. Thus, showcase your strength NOT ONLY in terms of what you have done BUT ALSO in terms of what impact you have created.
It's all about "WHY YOU?"

Drop me a line if you need further info.

All the best!