mbaan wrote:
I would love to understand why so many people are applying to HEC Paris MBA? According to Businessweek, HEC Paris MBA has the lowest acceptance rate (17%) and one of the highest average GMAT (690) of all MBA programmes in Europe. Why are non-French speaking candidates so interested about France instead of the UK, US, Australia or Asia? The French economy is one of the weakest in Europe and a degree from a French school is not recognized in most regions of the world. The average salaries of MBA graduates in France are lower than in most countries. French is a MUST to find a suitable job in France and French is one of the most difficult languages to learn. Even native French speakers with a regional accent (instead of the Paris one) are having trouble getting any respect. Just imagine someone trying to learn French during the MBA...
I'm very curious to hear about your motivations. I have to admit that I was very puzzled when I saw the admission stats from the HEC Paris MBA compared to INSEAD, IMD or LBS.
I am afraid your information is not very accurate. 17% acceptance rate is by no means very low compared to say LBS and INSEAD. Even if it was, the lowest the acceptance rate the better for the quality of the program. 690 is not very high. Again LBS and INSEAD have higher GMAT averages. The higher the GMAT average the better. Regarding the non-French speakers question, it goes without saying that the HEC Paris MBA is in English and that you get to learn French as a foreign language whatever your level is. If you know nothing, you are taught some French, if you are good you become better. Generally, the more languages a person speaks, the more competitive that person is in the market place. One of INSEAD's strengths for example is that it requires 2 languages when you enter and 3 when you graduate. In essence, it is the same for non-English native speakers at HEC. If you are not a native English speaker you already speak 2 languages (your native + English) and then you need to also learn some French. French speakers are expected to pick up another language as well. The only case someone would only do two languages is the case where someone only knows English and he then needs to learn some French in addition. Although HEC Paris is extremely strong in France, the school has a great reputation throughout Europe and from what I hear in India as well. In any case, it does not make a difference as someone who is good enough, can leverage the 45000 strong alumni network around the globe to land an interview in virtually any firm. From there it is up to the individual to do great at the interviews and land a dream job. As such, what the French economy does is not relevant for most graduates who do not end up working in France. French is the second most learned foreign language after English so people around the world manage to learn French without problems. Finally, regarding your admission stats focus, I think it is misguided. INSEAD and LBS are very high up at the FT rankings which helps them attract a great number of strong applicants. HEC Paris MBA is working hard to become a top 10 program (and I think it will achieve this within a few years) but until then, I am quite sure that the applicant pool of HEC, on average, is weaker than that of LBS or INSEAD. The result is that since HEC Paris is firm in retaining high standards in its selection process, it ends up rejecting most of these unqualified applicants. Thus you see a lower acceptance rate than you would expect. What you are saying would be correct if LBS, INSEAD and HEC shared the exact same pool of applicants (if we also forget about the fact that HEC Paris has a lot smaller class size than LBS or INSEAD).
Regarding motivations, HEC Paris is a great school and offers great value for money. For top applicants it is easy to receive a good scholarship which means that your tuition might only be 24000 euros (with a 24000 scholarship) instead of having to pay 60000 euros to INSEAD. Also, the duration of the program is perfect. 2 years (LBS) is too expensive and too long while less than a year (INSEAD) is too short. Cost of living is amazing at HEC Paris since you get to live on campus and the rent is very reasonable. If you live in the middle of London you will be burning crazy amounts of money. INSEAD is in the middle of nowhere (HEC the same although closer to Paris than INSEAD) but at INSEAD you cannot live on campus as there are no residences so you need to live of campus, you need a car and you need to pay more rent. HEC Paris has great double degree options with NYU Stern and MIT Sloan and a wide range of exchanges. HEC Paris has an awesome new MBA building and the campus has everything you need, including a forest and a lake. Food is quite cheap if you eat at the campus restaurant and like any other awesome school you get to learn from great faculty.
10 Oct 2013, 07:05
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