CA: What is your advice for performing well on the standardized test?
SV: It’s very important for candidates to take the time to research, prepare and study for standardized tests. Doing well on the GRE or GMAT shows us that a candidate has already invested time in their wish to do an MBA and is a great indicator for how well a student will do within the program and how they will perform during their MBA.
CA: What is your advice for writing a winning essay?
SV: Candidates should review the essay questions carefully before responding to ensure they have the best response. When planning your essay responses, you should also look at each question and make sure your responses complement each other in order to avoid too much repetition.
Most importantly candidates should write from the heart and present their true selves. And finally, they should remember to spell check and carefully proofread!
CA: How do you distinguish between ‘eligible’ and ‘fit’ for your MBA programs?
SV: We look for overall excellence in our candidates – well-rounded, high-achieving candidates, who have at least two years of professional experience and have shown career progression. In addition, we take into consideration their international exposure, academic background, goals and what they do outside of work.
We want to know why the candidate wants to do an MBA and why now. And we want to hear about how the HEC Paris MBA in particular will help them achieve their goals.
As the HEC Paris MBA is one of the most diverse programs in the world, we also look for demonstration of open mindedness, such as having lived, worked or studied abroad, or having worked with different cultures. We want our students to learn from their peers, both on a professional level and on a personal level.
When assessing professional experience, we look for candidates with strong leadership potential end experiences that can add value to their classmates. Our candidates must have a minimum of two years of professional experience and on average our students have six years of professional work experience. We assess the quality of their work experience – what exceptional projects have they worked on and what have they achieved so far in their career. CVs should include details on these projects, including the tasks and results.
CA: What advice do you have for candidates to perform well in the admissions interview?
SV: At HEC Paris, top candidates are given the opportunity to interview with two alumni. We choose alumni because no one knows the HEC Paris MBA program better than they do! We call it “the cultural fit.” Candidates, who make it to our interview round, present on a topic that they have chosen. They should also take advantage of this time to ask the interviewer about the program and its culture, to ensure it’s the right fit for them. Just like with essays, candidates should be true to themselves and speak from the heart.
CA: Why do you have to do two interviews and why with HEC Paris alumni?
SV: No one knows the HEC Paris MBA program better than our alumni. Top candidates will move on to the interview round of the application process. We receive over 2,500 applications per year and around 20 percent are advanced into the final round of interviews. The interviews are conducted by two MBA alumni. Each interview is about one hour. During this time candidates meet with an alum from the city of their choice. They will share a presentation on a topic they have chosen and have time to ask the interviewer about the program and its culture. Interviews take place online or in-person. Our interviewers assess if the program is right for the candidate and, if both interviewers feel it is not, then a candidate is not admitted to the program. We believe that our alumni know best who will succeed and fit at the HEC Paris MBA and we put our ultimate trust in our past students.
