HEC Paris

Barbara has worked in admissions at business schools across the US and UK

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What’s The Best Age To Do An MBA? 6 Questions To Ask Yourself Before You Apply

Is there an ideal age to enrol in an MBA? We find out from admissions staff at top business schools like Berkeley Haas and HEC Paris

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HEC has 92% international students from more than 50 different nationalities

Students can exchange with many top b-schools including LSE, Wharton, and NUS

HEC Paris is located on a 300-acre wooded campus, 20km South West of Paris

The Economist Which? MBA: #1 in Europe (2017), #15 Worldwide (2017)

HEC Paris has a global alumni network of over 57,000 individuals

Times Higher Education 2017 Alma Mater Index (CEOs): #3 Worldwide

América Economía: #5 Worldwide (2016)

The Financial Times: #21 Worldwide (2018)

The HEC Paris MBA Full-time option has two intakes: September and January. The curriculum incorporates a built-in career development program with our Career Management Center as well as leadership development activities.

It is divided into two phases: Fundamental and Customized. In the 8-month Fundamental Phase, you will acquire the core business skills that are crucial in carving out a successful business career. During the 8-month Customized Phase, you will tailor the MBA program to your personal aspirations and professional objectives by selecting from a wide range of options including elective courses, specializations, international exchanges or fieldwork projects.

HEC Paris MBA, one of the top ranking MBA programs in the world, provides the ideal environment for students to realize their full potential and become business leaders for the 21 st century.

Located only 17 kilometers from the center of Paris, a major economic epicenter in Europe, HEC Paris MBA is situated in the Paris-Saclay Innovation Cluster. Designed to unite France’s best research institutions, hi-tech businesses, startups and universities, the cluster enables our students to draw upon the expertise of other participants and team up with scientists to bring their technological inventions to market.

Our 16-month program gives students the ideal amount of time to digest new information and build their CV through internships and specialized courses without keeping them out of the workforce for too long. The size of our cohort – limited to 250 students – guarantees a personalized learning experience that prioritizes our students and their goals.

The HEC Paris MBA is divided into two complementary counterparts: the Fundamental Phase and the Customized Phase. The Fundamental Phase uses a rigorous combination of academic training and hands-on learning to teach core management skills. After eight months, students have developed the exact skills needed to transform business performance.

With the Customized Phase, students hone their abilities in a specific sector and gain the experience that makes their CV stand out. Students choose a specialization, and spend eight months developing their expertise through a range of electives, double-degree options, international-exchange programs and real-world work experiences.

At HEC Paris MBA, participants are immersed in a hands-on, learning-by- doing, entrepreneurial environment. Our on-campus eLab, an exclusive laboratory equipped with state-of- the-art interactive technologies, is designed to stimulate creativity and communication. In addition, we have joined Station F, the world’s largest startup campus, giving our students unprecedented access to top international players in the entrepreneurship ecosystem.

Our Career Center ensures that our students’ career goals align with the needs of the global job market. We encourage students to explore a variety of industries and functions, fueling career transformation. The majority of our students succeed in changing their career paths, whether it is a sector, function or geography change. Almost 65 percent of our 2017 graduates changed at least two of these three elements, while 34 percent changed all three aspects of their career.

HEC Paris MBA students graduate armed with a global mindset, the latest knowledge of today and access to a network of over 57,000 alumni in 135 countries. Within three months of graduation, 92 percent of graduates accept job offers and nearly 50 percent secure employment outside of their home countries.

Why are you applying to the HEC MBA Program now? What is the professional objective that will guide your career choice after your MBA, and how will the HEC MBA contribute to the achievement of this objective? (500 words)
What do you consider your most significant life achievement? (250 words)
Leadership and ethics are inevitably intertwined in the business world. Describe a situation in which you have dealt with these issues and how they have influenced you. (250 words)
Imagine a life entirely different from the one you now lead, what would it be? (250 words)
Please choose from one of the following essays: (250 words)

What monument or site would you advise a first-time visitor to your country or city to discover, and why?
Certain books, movies or plays have had an international success that you believe to be undeserved. Choose an example and analyse it.
What figure do you most admire and why? You may choose from any field (arts, literature, politics, business, etc).