Analysis-
Climbing to the top demands strength, whether it is to the top
of Mount Everest or to the top of your career.
- Abdul Kalam
Rightly quoted by our former president, APJ Abdul Kalam, to be the
best we need strength- unwavering determination and meticulous
planning.
Read the question carefully. Answer all the components of the
questions clearly. Show the strength and the determination in your
plans for your future and a sense of pride in your past which makes
you think the future is achievable.
For the first part of the question, show your eagerness for the
next big leap required in your career. Clearly elucidate how your
past has prepared you for this decision and how it has shaped you.
Then link your past with your future goals. Businesses, careers, and
the workplace are rapidly changing, and the skills that you have or
plan for today may not be in demand years from now. Long-range
career planning should be more about identifying and developing core
skills that your company will always value while developing your
personal and career goals in broad strokes. Core Skills to focus
here would be: communications (verbal and written), critical and
creative thinking, teamwork and team-building, listening, social,
problem-solving, decision-making, interpersonal, project management,
planning / organizing, computer / technology, and commitment to
continuous / lifelong learning. In the end, link the skills you have
identified for yourself with HEC. Picking up from the website
connect the learning at HEC with your requirement.
Essay 2: What do you consider your most significant life
achievement? (250 words)
Analysis - Leadership is the prime most traits which the
admissions committee looks in the HEC applicants. This essay gives
us the opportunity to showcase the significant incidence which
depicts leadership.
The most difficult part here is to think of a suitable situation.
The situation should clearly illustrate leadership role and should
also portray essence to make it a life achievement. The situation
could be taken from the professional side or personal or from other
activities. No matter what the background story is, the essay should
clearly show a turning point or the cause-and-effect of the
situation should clearly stand out.
Essay 3 : 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)
Analysis - There are no set rules or boundaries to what ethics
is to a leader. I would relate ethics as the intentions of a leader.
A leader gives vision to his team and his organization and then
defines the path on which the team follows to achieve the success.
While going through this journey of success, if the leader can take
care of being equal and just, give his share of success
proportionately to all associated, preach and follow dignity, show
honesty towards his people, protect the rights of his team and by
his actions contribute positively to not only the overall growth of
his organization but also to the community with which he is
associated, then he is ethical.
You need to thus pick a situation in which even if you were not at
the front, but were challenged with certain issues which disturbed
your value system and how you reacted to it. On the practical side,
we deviate from our values system based on the circumstances. As
rightly said, false statements to temporarily wade off a big problem
or to buy time to set things right is not wrong. But again, the
boundaries are not defined and how an individual uses or misuses
this is very debatable. So for this particular question, pick a
situation where you showcased leadership by remaining in limits and
hence not compromising with your band-width of value system.
Essay 4 : Imagine a life entirely different from the one you now
lead, what would it be? (250 words)
Analysis -
Imagination links with creativity. Good leaders are innovative and
thus bold. They have the courage to take risks and give shape to
their thoughts. This essay judges your skills in inventiveness.
While portraying your imagination, please link it with your
personal character. Your hobby or activities in which you excel or
some community initiative in which you are right now marginally
involved or some sport which you could take up as a career can be
some choices. But then whatever the choice is, illustrate the way
you would not only impact your well being but the community/nation
as a whole.
Essay 5 : Please choose from one of the following essays : (250 words)
A) What monument or site would you advise a first-time visitor
to your country or city to discover, and why?
B) Certain books, movies or plays have had an international
success that you believe to be undeserved. Choose an example and
analyse it.
C) What figure do you most admire and why? You may choose from
any field (arts, literature, politics, business, etc).
Analysis -
This question helps in knowing you better by knowing your preferences and the
reasoning behind the preference. You could pick any one of the options but please remember that the reason should link with the overall aim of pursuing a managerial career. A book or a movie or a play picked should be inspirational and you should be able to derive some lessons which relate to your career path. Similarly a person who inspires you should again link with your overall objectives. For the monument/site you can again cleverly pick a destination city and link it with the advantages in context with your profile.
Essay 6 : Is there any additional information you would like to
share with us? (900 words)
Analysis -
As the question suggests, it is not important to attempt this
essay. But we strongly encourage you to take a shot on this. If you
look at the overall information presented through the main essays,
you will definitely find many important facets of your profile left
out which could play an important role in the overall strength of
the application.
You can use this section to explain pitfalls in your application
which you feel can fell can affect the admission decision. The
concerned areas could be gaps in your resume, extremely low
performance in academics/GMAT or some other area of concern. Please
be vocal about your concerns only f you feel they are visibly
alarming.
You can constructively use this space to highlight your personality
through extra curricular activities done so far, involvement with
professional and non-professional bodies, hobbies and other interest
areas. These have not been covered in the essays. Do not make it
look like a resume, try writing about the learning involved due to
any involvement and its overall impact on your personality.
Writing essays and presenting a holistic application is not easy.
But, you don't know what you can get away with until you try. Try
your best by spending earnest time and portraying what your
strengths are in true colors. The frills in the language will not
help you, the content and the intent will take you through.
All the best!!!
Excerpts of Successful HEC Paris MBA Essays
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)
…. and was shocked to see the state of the account. There was
an incomplete ERP, improper accruals and a cash basis of accounting
in place!! In a nutshell, Corporate Governance was missing by all
means. When I escalated the issue to the management, I did not
receive any encouraging reply. …. my professional ethics did
not allow me to go ahead. My decision meant putting our contract
with the client at stake. I could have resigned but never
compromised professionally. Days passed and with deadline
approaching fast, the CEO probably realized the gravity of the
matter. … things did change. We concluded the assignment by all
ethical means and also further assisted the Company in maintaining a
strong Corporate Governance environment….
What do you consider your most significant life achievement?
(250 words)
I firmly believe that a sustainable achievement is only possible
through a healthy work-life balance, which, to me, is commitment to
both self and society….During my college days, I founded an NGO
involved in providing free education to the children of construction
workers. Initially, we conducted evening classes in our hostel but
soon initiated two more centers in the University campus….The
success inspired me to form a new organization based on a unique
self-sustainable model. The organization opened computer literacy
centers with the objective to impart free vocational training….The
viability of this new model encouraged 79 students to get admitted
into mainstream education in just a year’s time…..Fostering
both these institutions taught me team dynamics, motivation and
effective resource management…..
