Noémie Escaith, HEC MBA Class of 2020
Age: 31
Hometown: Paris, France.
Undergraduate Institution and Major: I majored in Industrial Engineering at Grenoble-INP
Pre-MBA Work Experience (years, industry): I worked for five years in purchasing with Renault, an automobile manufacturer. I then changed positions and have been working as a consultant in operational performance with Ayming for the previous two years.
Why business school? Why now?
In my previous roles, I worked mainly on the effective deployment of previously established strategies. When doing so, you get to meet and discuss with those responsible for determining these strategies. These exchanges inspired me to leave the operational world and pursue a role in which I would be the one imagining future strategies and defining execution plans.
To do so, I felt I was missing some key knowledge as an engineer and was convinced that a business school would help fill this gap. As for why now, I felt I had accrued sufficient industry experience to have a solid background upon which I could rely to take full advantage of what an MBA could bring me, but also to be a valuable contribution to my class.
Why HEC Paris? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend?
I originally wanted to do my MBA abroad to get more international experience. However, I know a couple of alumni and follow on LinkedIn both influential graduates that studied there and current professors. Their achievements are so impressive that I couldn’t leave HEC Paris aside. Plus, you have so many foreigners in the class that you get the international experience anyway!
That said, in the end, the most prominent factors were the alumni I met during the presentation events and the atypical essay questions to candidate. It made me realize HEC Paris has a unique mindset that I couldn’t find in the other schools I was considering. This mindset matched with my values.
What do you think is your most valuable or differentiating contribution to the Class of 2020?
When you look into the backgrounds of the other participants, you’re just speechless. They all have great experiences, and from so many different fields and countries! It makes you wonder how you got selected. Still, I would say that my differentiating contribution is my experience as a woman in a male-dominated industry. That, and perhaps more importantly, all my tips regarding restaurants, bars, and activities for them to live the Parisian life!
Fun fact that didn’t get included on your application?
I knit when I need to relax. Although it has become quite fashionable these last few years, it still makes me feel like an old lady. Putting that in my application would just have ruined the adventurous/fearless/modern image that my other hobbies gave me!
Post-MBA career interests?
I intend to stay in heavy industry once I finish the MBA. I’m mainly interested in its development and I am considering two main paths for reinsertion: either working on industrial strategy by providing counsel on the use of new investments or investigating and accompanying evolutionary industrial innovations. Still, one of the big assets of the HEC Paris MBA is the exposure to people with different experiences, so I’m keeping my ears and professional perspectives wide open.
Advice to current prospective applicants:
–One thing you would absolutely do again as part of your application process?
Preparing the presentation for the interviews! I had no project that I really wanted to present so I decided to bet on an original form of presentation. I read some articles about innovative presentation and how to work my storytelling. I ended up telling myself once the presentation was ready that even if I didn’t get the spot, I had learned cool stuff in the process.
–One thing you would change or do differently?
As I got selected, I would say “nothing”! Probably being less stressed, especially for the interviews. You read a lot of comments in blogs advising you to behave like a hunter even if you’re an explorer, or the other way around. Once you finish the process you realize people are very benevolent. Of course they want to know if you will fit, but most of all they want to make sure you’ll get what you are expecting with the MBA experience. Bottom line: being yourself is enough and probably the best thing to do.
–Part you would have skipped if you could—and what helped you get through it?
Preparing the GMAT was probably the hardest thing as you need to be constant in your training. I had a huge workload at that time and had to sacrifice most of my lunch breaks to find enough time to practice! At the end what helped the most was staying in touch with some of the candidates that I had met during the program information presentations. You realize it is hard for everyone to cope with everything which gives you some perspective and helps you not to give up. And of course, the ultimate help was the app on my phone with GMAT questions to take advantage of the long hours spent on public transportation!
What is your initial impression of the HEC Paris culture/community?
In addition to the alumni I got to meet during the process, I am already in touch with the people from the class of 2020 and would say I already have a neat initial impression. The first thing that strikes me is their friendliness. You expect to have a bunch of very ambitious persons, willing to trip up their “competition”, but you end up with people that are ready to help you at the drop of a hat, genuinely interested by what you can share and of course always in the mood to party or at least grab a beer.
Also, what strikes me the most is the diversity of profiles you can find. HEC manages to really pick different profiles (no wonder their essay questions are atypical, that’s the minimum you need to find all these personalities)! Of course, you have many “typical” profiles but most of them with post-MBA plans are targeting a 180-degree change. Nevertheless, you can also find artists, social entrepreneurs and even an anarchist, to mention a few examples. Interesting conversations in sight!
One thing you have learned about HEC Paris that has surprised you?
They have a seminar at Saint Cyr with the military! I knew about the great campus, the variety of classes that allows you to tailor your MBA experience, the great teachers, the diversity of profiles in the cohort and the rich associative life, but this seminar felt like a schoolboy prank. Once you get to talk with HEC’s marketing team and alumni (although they don’t give away a lot of details to maintain the surprise) you realize it all makes sense considering their unique approach.
Thing you are most anxious about in your first year?
Remembering all the names of my cohort! I’m really bad with names and it will not get easier with all the different countries represented. I will definitively be mispronouncing them in the beginning… My biggest goal for this year (yes! Even bigger than getting a good GPA) is to get them right before January 2020!
Thing you are most excited about in your first year?
Hard to tell, everything sounds so exciting from classes to associative activities such as the MBA Tournament! But if I must choose one, I’ll go for the seminar at Saint Cyr. Most of alumni mentioned it as one of the strongest memories they have from HEC Paris and I’m curious to discover what it is all about.
Clear Admit Resources
As you work on your HEC Paris MBA essays and application, we encourage you to consider all of Clear Admit’s HEC offerings:
- HEC Paris Profile on the Clear Admit website: up-to-date advice and admissions information
- Clear Admit LiveWire: admissions updates submitted in real time by applicants to HEC Paris
- Clear Admit DecisionWire: school selections in real-time by admits to HEC Paris
