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2008-2009 HEC Paris Essay Questions and Analysis
2009-2010 HEC Paris Essay Questions and Analysis
2011-2012 HEC Paris Essay Questions and Analysis
| Q1. | Goals (500 words) |
| 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? | |
| R) | What are the skills/knowledge that you have picked up through your professional experience so far? And what are your career goals? Based on these two answers, how will pursuing an MBA help you i.e. what skills can you add which will take you to your career goals? Why is your career choice significant to you? What is the role of the HEC MBA in taking you to your goals ? especially its notable features such as its highly international character, the placements in Europe, specific courses/electives offered etc |
| Q2. | Achievement (250 words) |
| What do you consider your most significant life achievement? | |
| R) | You could go down the usual route and write about a major professional accomplishment or you can describe how you achieved something substantial outside the work sphere e.g at a community service organization or even with respect to doing something for somebody. Whatever achievement you choose, it should bring out your strengths and show how the results you achieved, were significant- in terms of how it made a difference to a single individual or to an organization/larger group. Describe your role in making this happen and also add why you hold this achievement close to your heart. |
| Q3. | Leadership (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. | |
| R) | Today business schools emphasize teaching of ethics and often rely on discussions by class students regarding situations that involved practice of certain ethics, to discuss and debate these issues. Therefore, take a situation (you could either be the leader or the team member interacting with the leader) where some principle or ethical issue was at stake. If you were the leader, how did you ensure following the ethics, while also dealing with sensitive people management related issues. Conversely, how were you affected by the way your leader handled these? In addition, what was your take away from the whole situation? |
| Q4. | Different life (250 words) |
| Imagine a life entirely different from the one you now lead, what would it be? | |
| R) | Do you have vision/ can you dream of something unique/bold? these are qualities of a leader. So how can you demonstrate these qualities through your choice ? maybe you are a great people person and have a passion for sports?instead of your regular IT job, you see yourself as a cricket/tennis coach. Your choice should be consistent with more or less the kind of person you are and you need to explain why your choice is meaningful to you. |
| Q5. | Monument (250 words) |
| Option1: What monument or site would you advise a first-time visitor to your country or city to discover, and why? | |
| R) | What according to you is a good example to showcase your country?s culture or values ? pick such a monument/city etc and explain what facets make it a fitting example. Also write why these aspects of the country?s culture are personally important to you, making that site/city meaningful to visit. For e.g. as an Indian, you could write about Bangalore being the IT hub of India and therefore reflecting the face of new India. |
| Q6. | Books/Movies (250 words) |
| Option2: Certain books, movies or plays have had an international success that you believe to be undeserved. Choose an example and analyse it. | |
| R) | Business leaders need to be able to find inspiration from all around them and that includes literature and cinema. Therefore, you must be able to analyze these and present your opinion on what you feel deserves success and what does not. This question tries to uncover what are some of your personal likes/dislikes. Explain what elements of the option you choose, did not live up to their promise, despite the commercial success e.g. you felt that the treatment of a social issue in a particular book, was biased/superficial etc |
| Q7. | Figure you admire (250 words) |
| Option2: What figure do you most admire and why? You may choose from any field (arts, literature, politics, business, etc). | |
| R) | Another question about your preferences ?in an attempt to understand you better. You could pick a political/business figure/sportsperson/someone from the arts field ? although the choice is up to you, you might be better off, choosing someone who has an international appeal/is known internationally. What qualities do you most admire in that person e.g. resilience in the face of repeated failures/ humility despite major success etc ? you can write about 2-3 such qualities. |
Please Note: We try to ensure that the essay questions are updated, however, we strongly suggest that you check school's website for the most authentic information.
