HEC Paris MBA News

Get the latest MBA news from HEC Paris.

Published: December 23, 2015

HEC Paris will have a new dean of its MBA program effective January 1, 2016, the school announced yesterday. HEC General Director Peter Todd has named Andrea Masini as the school’s next dean. Masini succeeds Bernard Garrette, whose five-year term concludes on December 31st. Andrea Masini, HEC Paris's new dean Masini joined HEC’s faculty in September 2010 from London Business School. Since then, he has taught in both the MBA and PhD programs and trained executives and managers as part of HEC’s Executive Education programs. He has also provided regular consulting to private and public organizations on projects related to the optimization of process, information systems and technological innovation. Read more

Published: November 15, 2015

HEC Paris MBA Student Among Those Killed in Paris Terrorist Attacks

A 29-year-old HEC Paris MBA student from Spain was among those killed in the terrorist attacks in Paris on Friday. Juan Alberto González Garrido died in the Bataclan concert venue, where he was attending a blues rock performance with his wife. His wife escaped, but 88 others also died in the Bataclan massacre, the deadliest of a series of coordinated attacks across Paris that killed 129 and wounded more than 400. “Our thoughts are with the friends and relatives of HEC Paris MBA student Juan Garrido in these dire circumstances,” former HEC Paris Dean Bernard Garrette tweeted on Saturday. Deputy Prime Minister of Spain Soraya Saénz de Santamaría confirmed Garrido’s death in an article in El Mundo on Saturday. Read more

Published: October 28, 2015

Understanding the MBA Admissions Interview, Part IV

We’ve tackled open versus invitation-only, blind versus non-blind and the newer team-based discussion interview. What’s left? In this, our final post in our MBA admissions interview series, we’re going to take a closer look at a few of the anomalies in the interview arena—special approaches thus far embraced by just one or two schools. Of course, the team-based discussion was itself an anomaly not so many years ago, so these could also be harbingers of the next big thing. Read more

Published: October 14, 2015

Chicago Booth Maintains No. 1 Spot in Economist’s Ranking of Full-Time MBA Programs

The University of Chicago Booth School of Business snagged the number one spot for the fourth year running in the Economist's ranking of full-time MBA programs, the Which MBA? 2015, released today. Using a methodology that gives great weight to student and alumni experiences, the Economist each year generates a list of the top 100 full-time international MBA programs. Booth’s strong performance in the overall rankings can be attributed chiefly to its ability to provide new career opportunities to its graduates. The school ranked tops out of all 100 schools both for the diversity of its recruiters and in terms of its students’ assessment of career services. Read more

Published: September 13, 2015

Business School Within Reach: Access MBA Tour In London, Moscow, Shanghai, Sao Paolo, Istanbul, And Dubai

The Access MBA Tour, the worldwide leader in One-to-One MBA events, invites you to join their one-of-a-kind international business education events. Taking place in 34 international destinations over the next four months, Access MBA brings some of the world’s best business schools within your reach. Meet and have your MBA questions answered by Admissions Directors of top international business schools, including London Business School, INSEAD, IESE Business School , University of Chicago-Booth, HEC Paris, IE Business School, Georgetown University, University of Hong Kong, Esade Business School, Kellogg – Read more

Published: September 4, 2015

HEC Paris Launches New “Leading with Sense” Online MOOC Specialization

Last year, HEC Paris became the first business school in France to launch a massive open online course (MOOC) on Coursera. This year, the school is taking things to a new level—offering its first online specialization, in inspirational leadership. The specialization features three MOOCs building up to a capstone project in which participants progressively improve their interpersonal skills by connecting more deeply with themselves and others, the basis of “le Savoir-Relier” or "Leading with Sense" methodology. Read more

Published: July 8, 2015

New HEC Paris Dean Appointed to Succeed Outgoing Bernard Ramanantsoa

Leading French business school HEC Paris yesterday announced a new dean to succeed Bernard Ramanantsoa, who steps down at the end of August after 20 years in the role. Respected researcher and professor Peter Todd will take Ramanantsoa’s place beginning September 1st, serving as the school’s first-ever non-French dean. The Canadian-born Todd, an expert in the fields of innovation management and information technologies, also brings significant experience managing MBA programs. Until 2014, he served as dean of the Desautels School at Canada’s McGill University, where he himself obtained his undergraduate degree. Read more

Published: June 18, 2015

A European MBA: Right for You?

IESE in Barcelona, Spain With the dollar reaching a 12-year high against the euro earlier this spring, much ink has been spilled about how the time is right to head to Europe for an MBA. Indeed, pursuing a graduate management education abroad can present a range of advantages for American students—with cost savings chief among them, especially given the recent relative strength of the dollar. That said, the decision of whether or not to head to one of Europe’s top business schools is a highly personal one best made after careful consideration of many factors that extend well beyond any savings tied to currency rates. “Oh yes, I definitely did benefit from the exchange rate,” says Alexander Eldred, a Washington, DC native currently completing his MBA at France’s HEC Paris. As luck would have it, Eldred paid the bulk of HEC’s 52,000 euro tuition in March, right as the euro dipped to 1.05 to the dollar. Had he paid the entire tuition then, it would have amounted to $54,600 for a degree that just a year earlier would have run him $72,280. Add to that living expenses, which are similarly lower than they have been historically thanks to the exchange rate, and the savings stack up. Read more

Published: May 10, 2015

HEC Paris Hosts 25th Annual MBA Tournament

Teams from 16 of the leading business schools in Europe convened last week to compete in 25 different sports as part of the 25th annual MBA Tournament (MBAT), hosted by HEC Paris. More than 1,500 MBA student athletes battled each other in everything from badminton and basketball to petanque and salsa dancing while also creating valuable new friendships and networking opportunities. “MBAT is the meeting ground for MBA students across Europe, and new friendships and networking opportunities are at the heart of the tournament,” Bernard Garrette, HEC Paris MBA associate dean, said in a statement. “The MBAT provides the chance for students to put what they have learned in the classroom to the test on the field, creating and leading strong teams.” Read more

Published: April 7, 2015

Choosing an MBA Program Based on Where You Want to Work

With some lucky applicants now having been accepted to multiple top-tier business schools, a new challenge faces them: choosing where to go. A New York Times article decided to look at that question in an interesting way, offering suggestions for what school to attend based on the specific company you hope to work for upon graduation. According to the Times analysis, the best school to choose if you want to land at Amazon is the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. Amazon last year hired 27 Ross MBAs, displacing the school’s historical No. 1 recruiter, Deloitte, according to the Times. Another 37 Ross grads headed to the e-commerce giant in the two years before that. Read more

Published: March 30, 2015

One in Four HEC Paris Graduates Sets Out to Launch a Startup

Entrepreneurship is big and growing at HEC Paris, according to a recent survey of more than 8,500 graduates. The inaugural HEC Entrepreneurship Barometer, published last week, reveals that almost 25 percent of HEC graduates today are entrepreneurs, up from just 10 percent a decade ago. HEC Paris has been increasingly promoting entrepreneurship over the past 30 years, through teaching, research, mentoring and resources like the HEC Incubator. To measure the impact of these initiatives, HEC Paris devised its new Entrepreneurship Barometer, which surveyed a representative panel of 8,500 alumni from the past decade from across HEC’s various programs. Read more

Published: March 26, 2015

Leading Admissions Consultants Converge in France, England for AIGAC Annual Conference

Leading graduate management admissions consultants are gathering this week in Europe for the eighth annual Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants (AIGAC) members’ conference, where they will share best practices and speak directly with admissions officers from many of the world’s top business school. Almost 30 attendees representing admissions consultancies from 12 different countries are scheduled to attend the seven-day conference, which takes places at London Business School (LBS) and includes visits to INSEAD, HEC Paris and Cambridge Judge Business School. Read more

Published: March 25, 2015

Economist, GMAT Tutor Launch $25,000 Scholarship Competition for MBA, EMBA Applicants

The Economist and test prep firm GMAT Tutor have once again partnered to offer a $25,000 scholarship to the prospective MBA or EMBA student who scores highest on a simulated GMAT exam. Called the Brightest Minds MBA Scholarship Contest, the competition is open to prospective MBA or EMBA students anywhere in the world. The first competition ran in 2014, drawing more than 4,500 entrants, The Economist reported. To take part in the contest, applicants simply complete The Economist GMAT Tutor simulation test, which uses adaptive technology similar to the real GMAT so that the difficulty level adjusts according to the test-taker’s ability. The simulation test requires the completion of a 75-minute Verbal section and a 75-minute Quant section. Participants should have the available time to complete the test in a single sitting and will not be able to pause once they begin. Read more

Published: January 11, 2015

HEC Paris MBA Admissions Interview Questions: November Round / Alumnus / Off-campus / Admit

The following HEC Paris MBA admissions interview report was provided to us by an applicant who was recently admitted to HEC Paris! Just got accepted to HEC Paris Sep15 intake and couldn't be happier. I would like to share my experience in a way to thank those who have previously writed for this blog and helped me. Read more

Published: December 16, 2014

HEC Paris to Launch Second MOOC Series in 2015

Pleased with the success of its first Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), which debuted on Coursera in January 2014, HEC Paris plans to release a second series of online courses in 2015, the school announced yesterday. These new MOOCs will address topics related to organizations, social entrepreneurship an technology-based startups. HEC Paris Dean Bernard Ramanantsoa views the school’s partnership with Coursera as an opportunity to open its courses to students who might not otherwise have access to higher education due to practical or economic constraints. “Sharing our faculty’s expertise with the general public at no cost is a truly exciting and meaningful challenge," he said in a statement. Read more

Published: November 19, 2014

HEC Paris Offers Global Open Enrollment Accelerator for Senior Business Execs

HEC Paris now offers a special global enrollment program designed to serve as an accelerator for business executives looking to spearhead socially responsible or sustainably focused projects or new business lines, the school announced earlier this month. Called ‘Inclusive Business and Value Creation,’ the program is taught by faculty of the HEC Paris Social Business Chair together with representatives from Ashoka, a global network of leading social entrepreneurs, and Hystra, a consultancy specialized in inclusive businesses. It is intended for senior management with at least 10 years’ experience who play a role in determining the strategic direction of their companies. Read more

Published: November 5, 2014

Increased Demand for Internal Consultants Drives Growth in Largest MBA Career Function

More MBAs than ever are heading into consulting roles upon graduation, thanks in part to increasing demand for internal strategy consultants among corporations, Business Because reports. Management consulting firms have long drawn large percentages of MBA grads, and now, as banks, healthcare companies, retailers and others shift toward hiring internal consultants, consulting as a function is more popular than ever, according to an article this week in Business Because. Citing employment statistics from Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business, Spain’s ESADE Business School and France’s HEC Paris, among others, the recent article suggested that the trend is a global one. At Tuck, 40 percent of the MBA Class of 2014 went into consulting and strategy functions, higher than any other. At ESADE, consulting drew 26 percent of the class, the highest, and at HEC Paris, consulting and finance functions tied for first, each drawing 21 percent. Read more

Published: October 5, 2014

New Loan Program Launches for International MBA Students at U.S. Schools

A new pilot loan program will provide expanded options for international MBA students at a number of top programs in the United States, according to a recent report in Poestandquants. The program, offered by Prodigy Finance, will extend to international students and U.S. residents with non-permanent status who are studying at 16 top schools, including Harvard Business School, the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and MIT Sloan School of Management. Especially in recent years, banks have been reluctant to lend to students who are studying internationally. Prodigy Finance seeks to fill this need using a “community finance” model. Basically, alumni from participating schools fund loans for current students, banking on the value of a degree from their alma mater and the likelihood that future alums will repay. Interest rates on the loans vary between 6 and 12 percent, depending on the school, the individual borrower’s profile and current rates. Read more

Published: August 4, 2014

The Economist Group Launches $25,000 MBA Scholarship Contest

The Economist Group’s business education division, Which MBA?, yesterday launched its second Brightest Minds MBA Scholarship Contest, which will award a $25,000 scholarship to the prospective MBA or EMBA student who scores highest on a simulated GMAT exam. The first Brightest Minds MBA scholarship ran earlier this year, drawing more than 4,500 entrants, The Economist Group reports. The winner, Rishabh P. from India, is currently applying to several business schools, with plans to begin an MBA program in fall 2015. Read more

Published: June 17, 2014

HEC Paris Launches New Leadership Certificate with Pernod Ricard

HEC Paris earlier this month launched a new “Leadership” Certificate as part of its partnership with wine and spirits producer Pernod Ricard. The certificate program, offered to all HEC Paris students, will include approximately 100 hours of lessons and conferences between April and June. The content of the new certificate program is designed to help students examine the relationship between human capital and business performance and to support a vision of leadership that dovetails with Pernod Ricard’s culture and values. Read more

Published: May 27, 2014

HEC Paris Inaugurates New e-Lab

Earlier this month, leading European business school HEC Paris launched its new e-Lab, a unique space designed to support entrepreneurship, creativity, teamwork and communication through by making high-tech technology available to its students. “The ‘e’ in e-Lab signifies both ‘entrepreneurship’ and ‘electronic,’ emphasizing the close link between the two,” read a release on the HEC Paris website announcing the May 20th inauguration of the new space. Designed for use by HEC Paris students interested in entrepreneurship, the e-Lab features video-conferencing capabilities, walls completely covered in "white board" paint, and portable equipment that can be moved easily to facilitate collaboration. Read more

HEC Paris

CLASS SIZE: 243

FEMALE: 38%

MEAN GMAT: 690

INTERNATIONAL: 95%

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MBA Applywire

December 21, 2024 12:13pm ET

Applying: Dartmouth / Tuck, Northwestern / Kellogg, UPenn / Wharton, UT Austin / McCombs, UVA / Darden

Intake Year: 2025

Pre-MBA Career: Military/Corporate Logistics

Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting Companies: Bain , BCG , McKinsey

GRE: 302

GPA: 3.63

Years of Work Experience: 9

Notes:

Submitting for R2, but retaking GRE after application deadline. Military Vet with Corporate experience.

December 20, 2024 5:17pm ET

Applying: Columbia, Duke / Fuqua, Harvard Business School, MIT Sloan, Northwestern / Kellogg, Stanford GSB, U. Chicago Booth, UPenn / Wharton

Intake Year: 2025

Pre-MBA Career: Healthcare

Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting Companies: Bain , BCG

GRE: 332

GPA: 3.5

Years of Work Experience: 3

Location: Florida

Post MBA Location: Consulting

Notes:

25F, lgbtq, 3 years as a registered nurse. also have started working for an early stage VC in the past several months.

December 19, 2024 4:44pm ET

Applying: Berkeley / Haas, Stanford GSB

Intake Year: 2025

Pre-MBA Career: Insurance

Post-MBA Target Industry: Entrepreneurship

GRE: 318

GPA: 3.59

Years of Work Experience: 3.5

Location: Georgia

Post MBA Location: Southeast

Notes:

Looking to launch a tech startup post MBA, without any background in tech. Come from a quant heavy background and undergraduate coursework. I regularly attended admissions events, in person and online at my schools. I hope that focusing energy on my few top schools and spending a lot of time on essays will help me overcome the less than average test score (164 quant 154 verbal) and GPA.

Serial entrepreneur with a history of profitable small businesses. Was promoted twice in 3.5 years. Involved in many extracurricular activities in and outside of work. My background is very centered around financial services/insurance, is this a red flag for a pivot to Tech Entrepreneurship?

Transferred between two state schools in the southeast. School I graduated from is a top 25 undergrad business program. Obtained a few professionals designations post grad.

December 18, 2024 11:38am ET

Applying: Michigan / Ross, UNC Kenan-Flagler, Vanderbilt / Owen

Intake Year: 2025

Pre-MBA Career: Held various positions in Finance and Accounting in a healthcare institution

Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting, Other Companies: BCG , Deloitte , Other

GPA: 3.0

Years of Work Experience: 11

Location: International

Notes:

I am passionate about healthcare enhancing patient quality care. So exploring in that field is what I would love. Got a 72k scholarship from Vandy and named Forte Fellow. UNC 50k. I'm having a hard time deciding though my heart is leaning towards Owen

December 18, 2024 10:23am ET

Applying: Arizona State / W.P. Carey, Indiana / Kelley, Ohio State / Fisher

Intake Year: 2025

Pre-MBA Career: Facility management

Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting

GRE: 309

GPA: 2.8

Years of Work Experience: 3

Notes:

Graduate GPA -3.869

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MBA LiveWire

December 22, 2024 4:59am ET

Accepted to UPenn / Wharton

Round: Round 1

Received via portal

GMAT: 730

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Finance

Application Location: Southeast Asia

Note:

Elated and did not expect it!

December 21, 2024 8:37am ET

Accepted to Duke / Fuqua

Round: Round 1

Received via phone on December 11, 2024

GMAT: 675

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Consulting

December 21, 2024 2:38am ET

Waitlisted at Duke / Fuqua

Round: Round 1

Received via phone on December 10, 2024

GPA: 3.27

GMAT: 760

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Finance

Application Location: CA

December 20, 2024 11:16pm ET

Accepted to Babson / Olin

Round: Round 1

Received via email on December 17, 2024

GPA: 3.9

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Consulting

Application Location: South Asia

December 20, 2024 7:50pm ET

Accepted to Columbia

Round: Round 1

Received via portal on December 10, 2024

GMAT: 750

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Application Location: India

Note:

$100k scholarship

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