HEC Paris Sept 2011 - Intake

I'll be applying in the coming weeks as well. Do you mind sharing information about your profile? I'm very curious as to how specific factors are weighed in admission decisions at HEC Paris. Oh, and best of luck in the interview tomorrow!

26/M/Indian citizen/GMAT:710/Bachelors in Computer Engineering/ MS in Computer Science (Georgia Tech USA)/5 years in the USA/ 2 yrs as a student/3 years as a professional.

Am done with the interviews. Should know in a couple of weeks.

Congrats!!
How was it?

The usual stuff. Why MBA/Why HEC/What do you want to do?
I met with a development manager from HEC who was in NY at the time.
The 2nd one was with an alumni (2007) who works in midtown. The alumni mentioned that there is a list of schools in Europe from which if you graduate, you could stick around for a year on a special visa.
Both seemed to go smoothly.

Great!!

This thread seems pretty dead. Anyone else volunteering to share their profiles ?

Sorry, I just realized I didn't share my profile earlier.

760 GMAT 49Q 47V 6.0 AWA
2.5 years work experience in Economic Development (small business lending/marketing)
Undergraduate GPA 3.33 BCOMM (3.5 final two years)
Average references, nothing exceptional in that regard

I haven't applied yet but have started my application process with an expected submission date of Dec 14th 2010 or around that area. I just need to decide if I want to jump into the middle of the 2011 Sept. intake or hit R1 of the January 2012 intake. Do you have any suggestions?

Send my application yesterday (sure, three hours before deadline )
Waiting now.

I was interviewed on 26th Nov by two alumni. I was caught unaware by 'Discounted Cash Flow'- I have absolutely no business background. But the interviewers seemed interested in helping me explore beyond the post MBA career written in my essays and stressed that I look 'Banking' as a suitable option post HEC as the school is strong in that area with good ties with financial institutions.
Keeping fingers crossed..
Also, since HEC follows a rolling admission process, it is always better to submit early as you get more time to prepare for presentation and interview. Hitting 'submit' button on deadline might possibly give a week or so to know your status and do your 2 interviews. I was stressed both before and after the interview invite.

My profile: 31/Indian/Male/680/12Y/Seafarer.

I was offered a place in Oct for the Jan intake but deferred to Sept. The interviews were fine - ran through the presentation slides informally - then really it was about letting me ask questions about the course. I actually ended up going to the pub with the first interviewer - not what I expected!

I have around 7 years work experience in FMCG & scored 690 GMAT

My concern is that I've heard one or 2 negative things about the course - the guy who showed me round said that some of the lecturers were not very good. The course is expensive - I'd be very interested to hear anyone who knows people who have had very positive experiences completing an MBA at HEC?

I met someone who was very positive about it.
It seems that HEC MBA is quite a good choice (probably the best one) if you want to work in France. It was confirmed by several alumnies that I talked to.
It is not so valued internationally (as Insead, for example) even if it has a very strong alumni network.

And what about your interviewers - weren't they positive (even if some of the lecturers were not very good)?

The interviewers said positive things and so did the people who showed me round to be honest. The alumni connections was a big one (leveraging the undergrad network) and also the international links (if you can get on to one of the placements). I think you certainly can learn a lot there - the guy showing me round apparently knew a lot of the content already due to his investment banking career so was maybe less valuable for him than some others.

The overall impression I got from the interviewers and the people who showed me round was that INSEAD is the better school. Whilst people were saying positive things about HEC, they weren't brimming with energy about it. I have also heard stories of 2 people (1 MBA and 1 on a Masters) not finishing their courses

I think it should have the potential to be one of Europe's best but I get the feeling that for whatever reason it's not at the level, and the people studying there don't feel that it's on a level, with LBS, INSEAD, IMD and even the Spanish ones

I've no doubt it's a good school, but it seems to be outside the top tier in Europe - £50k is a lot of money so I expect a lot for that and at the very least would expect the people who I'd met who'd been there to be talking enthusiastically about it. The jury is still out for me & I need would need re-assurance as to the quality if I were to go there

Was accepted to HEC to start in January 2010. After a LOT of research, self-reflection etc. decided to opt for American schools.

As people discussed above, when we inspect the pros and cons of the program, HEC Paris MBA tends to inflict conflicting opinions - on one hand, people (usually French) speak with instantly brightened eyes, say that it is the best school in France etc. On the other hand, others (usually non-French) say in a moderate excitement that the HEC MBA is a solid program, but if you want a top job in, say, consulting, INSEAD or LBS are better options.

The French sentiment with the "oh-so-mighty HEC" comes from the reputation HEC as 'grand ecole' carries around. The grand ecole is the mother school of HEC MBA, however, the HEC MBA is to be distinguished from the former, because the recruiters and companies will likely prefer the graduates from the grand ecole to ones from MBA. Of course, this will depend on many other factors such as the level of the job, but if we are talking about reputation alone, what the French want is the HEC graduates from the grand ecole - and/or HEC MBA done in French.

Overall, I decided to drop HEC from my list, because I am non-French, and I felt that HEC MBA is probably the best choice, if you are French. If you are native French, I do think that the association with HEC will work a lot favorably for your purpose.

Just my two pennies.

In any case, if you feel the school is the best choice for you, follow your hunch.

Good luck to everyone!

As a current HEC Paris MBA student, I feel like I should respond. :D

First, HEC is not just for french speakers wanting to work in France. True, the HEC name, especially for the grande ecole does carry a lot of weight here. When I told my neighbors that I go to HEC, they were all like, wow! O_O But most of the graduates do not end up working in France. Many of my fellow classmates, who are interviewing for internships now (at Booz, Goldman Sachs, etc), are interviewing for spots in Singapore or UK. Many are also looking towards Hong Kong for future opportunities. In my opinion, HEC is good choice if you want to work in Asia, and especially if you want to work in Europe (just about any part).

Second, I did business for undergrad as well, in a fairly well known American school, and I have to say there is a marked difference in the quality of teaching. I have been so impressed with the professors here at HEC, and there are many concepts that I had learned before that I feel that I finally fully understand (arbitrage and futures options). True, once in a while, you will get a professor that you feel is completely inadequate, but doesn't that happen at every school? I know my friends in American schools complain about this too. And this is outweighed by the "star professors" that we have here. One is Kapferer, who is very well known in the Marketing field. I'm pursuing Marketing, but I've heard there are many very top quality professors in Finance and Strategy as well. Also, for our intake, some students had complaints about 2 professors in particular, and not even halfway through the term, the professors had taken the comments to heart and improved their teaching style. So, as far as the teaching goes, the professors are usually very responsive.

Third, many of my fellow classmates and I feel that we are having the time of our lives. I know that many other schools emphasize a collaborative environment, but I feel that this is really true at HEC. Yes, of course there is competition, but in general, most of us are helping and learning from our new friends. I have received many many insights into the job market in China, as well as in different industries. In return, I'm using my previous work experiences and skills to help my classmates with grasping realistic expectations of the Marketing field, and helping non-native English speakers with their CVs. We've also conducted informal tutoring sessions for each other in different classes. I feel that here, we want everybody to succeed because we know that in the long run, this will benefit our school and all of us.

So, enough gushing about my school. Yes, we have problems. Many of us Americans in particular are having a hard time coming to terms with this slow, relaxed French way of doing things, and there are many administrative problems, but in general, I can really see why HEC is ranked as a top school.

pemberly,

Great to hear that you have found a school that you find a great fit.

I was merely pointing out the obvious that the reputation of HEC - or any school for that matter - experiences a wave effect, and is the strongest in the country where it exists. This is true for almost any school in the U.S. as well (possibly, the only exception is the HBS). Since I was not sure about my stay in France after MBA, I decided to opt for a school in the States.

I chipped in to clarify about the confusion between HEC MBA vs. HEC mother school, as the separation of the two was not immediately obvious to me. It took me a while to figure out the subtle but important differences between the two.

As said, HEC is a great school for the right people. I'm glad to hear that you feel happy about your choice. Please keep up updated, as your study year progresses.

Received an email a few days after submitting for Nov deadline that they would contact me regarding interviews in a few days, yet to hear though