HEC MBA Essays

Are you dreaming of pursuing an MBA from the prestigious HEC Paris? If so, crafting compelling essays is a crucial step in your application process. HEC Paris’s essays are designed to provide the admissions committee with a deeper understanding of your personality, goals, and fit with their program. In this blog post, we’ll delve into the key elements of HEC Paris MBA essays and offer valuable tips to help you stand out.

Understanding HEC Paris’s Unique Focus

HEC Paris is renowned for its emphasis on “Global Leadership.” This philosophy highlights their commitment to fostering leaders who can navigate the complexities of the global business landscape. When writing your essays, keep this in mind and showcase how your experiences and aspirations align with HEC Paris’s values.

Tips for Writing Effective Essays

• Be Authentic: Let your true personality shine through in your writing.
• Show, Don’t Tell: Use vivid examples and anecdotes to illustrate your points.
• Proofread Carefully: Ensure your essays are free of grammatical errors and typos.
• Seek Feedback: Ask friends, family, or mentors to review your essays and provide constructive criticism.

Example Essays

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 max)

Being instinctive and conscientiously diligent, throughout my life I have been entrusted with leadership roles, from holding the position of head boy of a school of 2,000+ pupils to leading the football team in college. After college, in September 20XX, I was selected from 500+ candidates who appeared for the selection process of the Indian Army for which a total of ~400K candidates appear each year. Post a grueling yearlong training at the ABC Training Academy, XYZ, following in the footsteps of my father, I joined the X Army.

In October 20XX, I was deployed in the conflict-ridden AB where I was responsible for provisioning of communication to troops in extremely hostile conditions and I was also involved in the establishment of a mobile network over the 3000+ sq km operational area. After four years, in October 20XX, I was sent to an elite strike formation of the X Army where I managed administrative and disciplinary aspects of 1,100+ personnel and during planned operational deployments, managed the Network Operations Centre ensuring information security of communication links. In 20XX, I was sent as a communication specialist to the first Mountain XXX of the X Army where I have been serving till date.

At this juncture, I am eager to transition into the business world. I am confident that my transferable military skills, such as leadership, teamwork, and problem-solving, will be valuable assets in the business world. However, I also recognize that I have some skill gaps in areas such as finance and economics. I believe that an MBA from HEC Paris would be the perfect way to fill these gaps and develop my business acumen.

The x-year military experience in the ABC domain has given me extensive exposure to the realms of telecommunication and cyber security and has made me appreciate their disruptive capabilities. Thus, post MBA, I want to transition into the information/ cyber security vertical of a leading consulting firm like T & Co. In the long term, I wish to address the cyberspace in my country and start an information security firm to assist enterprises and agencies in better protecting their IT assets.

At HEC Paris, not only am I excited to learn the business management fundamentals through Financial Accounting and Reporting, Managerial Economics, and Operations Management but also explore the electives of Leading in a Diverse World, Technology and Innovation Strategy and Data for Managers. The summer internship will further provide an excellent opportunity to ease my transition into the corporate sector. The specialization of ‘Strategy’ will help me in my future roles in the VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity) environment we are living in, which is bound to continue in the near future with the emergence of disruptive technical innovations. Lastly, having played various sports since childhood and having represented my school and college in state-level championships in football, I am looking forward to not only participating in the MBAT but also being part of the organizing committee as well.

What do you consider your most significant life achievement? (250 words max)

Although there are many significant events in my military service, the event closest to my heart happened in the X in 20XX, when I volunteered to lead the project of establishing a mobile tower at an altitude of 12,345 ft, where two prior attempts were unsuccessful.

The project was to be completed between November and December with temperatures hovering at -20°C. I formed a team of the toughest five men of my company, 10 porters from the local villages and five engineers of the firm establishing the mobile towers. Although I ensured basic physical conditioning and acclimatization for the engineers, it still took me 12 hours, instead of the usual nine hours, to get the whole team on the post. Initially, we built tunnels to excavate stores buried under 6-7 ft of snow while concurrently assembling the excavated equipment and erecting a 40-meter tower. The mobile transceiver station became operational after 30 days of back-breaking work in freezing temperatures providing seamless and uninterrupted mobile connectivity for two battalions (~1,500 personnel) coupled with enhancement in surveillance capabilities with 3G connectivity. On-site information security was further ensured with correct antenna alignment to prevent radio-wave spillover into enemy territory.

The project is important to me as I led a diverse team in a resource-constrained environment demonstrating leadership ability and interpersonal skills. With these and many such other experiences, I am looking forward to the ‘Technology Club’ and its treks as an ideal avenue to augment my existing technical repertoire.

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 max)

In order to maintain a robust cyber posture, yearly pan-army exercises are conducted to check the capability of networks to withstand cyber-attacks. The reports of the exercise showcase the capability of the network to withstand external attacks and existing vulnerabilities. A perfect report is an unspoken requirement for any establishment, and the military is no different. Our military base was established quite recently and in 20xx, during one of the initial exercises, the network was proposed to be kept partially visible to the scanning software to minimize instances of errors and ensure a near-flawless feedback.

As the network administrator responsible for the data network, the orders for the partial visibility of the network went against my principles. Sticking to my ethics, I made spreadsheets with details of the network and presented it to my immediate superior, the X Officer. With him on board, we briefed the staff at headquarters and after two days of extensive discussions, the proposal to open the entire network was approved as per my proposal. This was to provide us with a comprehensive report of the network and aid us in establishing better safeguards. With the exercise 45 days away, my team cleared the network of all shortcomings over the course of a month. The final report showed less than ten vulnerabilities across 500+ computers and 100+ network devices.

I was highly appreciated by the hierarchy for taking a tough decision and raising the concern to the Commanding Officer amidst a time crunch and trying moral circumstances.

Imagine a life entirely different from the one you now lead, what would it be? (250 words max)

I consider myself rather lucky having achieved what I aimed for, from donning the stars of an X Army officer to marrying the woman of my dreams. If I were to imagine a different life, it would still be aligned with the core purpose that drives me even today, which is to give back to my nation. The same passion made me join the largest volunteer army in the world.

As my family has a deep connection with the telecommunication sector, with my father having provisioned communication in XY with the UN peacekeeping forces and my brother having worked in K in establishing 3G connectivity, I would have joined the same industry in Z. Working for extending mobile connectivity to the far-flung and neglected regions of my nation with the national telecommunication provider, I would have addressed the internet shutdowns implemented in the country owing to situations of political unrest at times, which leads to extensive rumour mongering. My solution would have been to ensure the extension of the internet only to verify connections in the disturbed area and to coordinate with the local authorities to ensure alternate means of news dissemination like radio or vehicle-mounted speaker systems, to prevent the spread of rumors.

However different my other life might be, one thing I would never change is my partner because she is the only one who puts up with me and there is no one else who can bring out the best in me the way she does.

Please choose from one of the following essays (250 words max):

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).

People draw inspiration from statesmen, change-makers or even athletes and although I admire the great leaders of my nation like X, Y and Z, I have learnt the most from my father.

As a child I would often lament at the lack of amenities in my life, from living in a tiny apartment, to being handed down clothes of my elder brother. Back then, the sheer hard work with which my father had uplifted our lives was not evident to me. As he couldn’t afford to study beyond high school, he joined the Army at the age of 17 and never let insufficient education or financial impediments deter him. He took care of his parents, got his five siblings married off, put a roof over our head and gave us both the best education possible. He mastered four languages at his workplace, which rubbed off on me as I too speak four languages fluently. These achievements might seem trivial, but it has inspired me to carve my way through uncharted territories and to challenge myself at every juncture, much like venturing into a full time MBA at the age of 33. His struggles further taught me how sustained hard work makes a difference in the long run.

My father is an active member of our parish and instrumental in organising outreach programs for the less privileged and learning from him, I too have contributed in my own little way at each military base where I was deployed.

Optional Essay : Is there any additional information you would like to share with us? (900 words)

I am not new to unforeseen situations. After coming to my senses inside a totaled car with the windshield missing and crushed from the top because it had turned turtle thrice before landing inside a canal in the conflict zone of Y, the first thing I did was to jump out of the car and ensure that all occupants were fine. Our convoy was enroute for an operational communication duty in a disturbed zone and the presence of militants in the vicinity couldn’t be ruled out. I immediately deployed the entire team on the nearby heights and created a Traffic Checkpoint till the recovery effort reached us two hours later and I was able to evacuate the entire party back to safety. Another instance was when an employee in my company broke his arm at three places in the dead of the night while returning from his guard post and we had to drive through the night for 10 hours to get him to the military hospital as aerial casualty evacuation was not possible due to the inclement weather. On the way we averted the incident of a vehicle toppling into the at a turn where the stream trickling down had frozen due to the -10°C temperature. We dug up the ice and used stones and mud to retrieve the vehicle before getting the individual to the hospital before daybreak. These experiences taught me that although planning is essential, one has to be prepared for the worst. I also learnt the importance of communicating with my team, flexibility in the face of adversity and mutual trust. Care and concern for one’s fellow brothers and sisters in arms is something that becomes naturally ingrained into the leadership style of a military officer.

The Hindi word, ‘Jugaad’, which roughly translates to a ‘hack’, is simply an unconventional and frugal innovation. X are known for their resourcefulness and are hence deeply associated with this term. In the army, resources are hard to come by in remote and isolated deployments. In one such instance, during the surgical strikes of 20xx, we had the requirement to integrate the communication of the existing command posts of the long-range weapons deployed in the operational area spread over 3000+ sq km. Creating new infrastructure within the timelines given was not feasible, so using the existing telephone exchange available to us and a subtle change in one of features, I was able to bring all five command posts on a single network within three seconds. This proved pivotal in providing seamless and effective fire support to the ground forces. In the second instance, during communication outages from two diverse incidents, the first being one of the biggest floods the X had ever seen and the second being the strategic communication outage post elimination of a local insurgent leader, I along with a team 10 maintained the army lines of communication. The lines which were severed by inclement weather or inimical agents were repaired using bare hands and kept safe from the vagaries of weather using polythene bags. These improvisations were necessitated due to the disrupted logistical channels which prevented a steady supply of technical stores. Instances like the ones mentioned above are just a few out of the many that soldiers undergo on a daily basis, and I am thankful for these experiences as I have learnt to be frugal, flexible and resourceful.

The X Army has the proud distinction of never starting a conflict, having always defended the nation’s borders and has never sought to expand its territory. All the five wars that the X Army has fought were in response to aggression from its neighbours. The officers and men of the X Army are naturally groomed with the same ethos, to uphold righteousness and to defend one’s territory at all costs. I have the proud privilege of serving in two deployments in the border states of Y, a four-year tenure in the Z and multiple deployments over the course of the last three years in the North Eastern States of X. In the first tenure on the north-western border of X, the varied instances of heightened tensions in 20xx and 20xx, made me realise how important de-escalation is in intense and flared-up circumstances. In my present tenure, while operating in the eastern borders of X, where the situation is on tenterhooks due to the precarious border posture, I was able to gain expertise in handling sensitive issues. These two tenures in the border states of India have given me a unique perspective on diplomacy, conflict resolution, and behavioural adaptation.

Lastly, regarding my application, under the ‘Professional Experience’ section of my application, I have left ‘Corporate Website’ blank. Our corporate website is available on our local intranet, the website available on the internet is more of an information-based portal for individuals aspiring to join the X Army. Furthermore, ‘Annual Revenue’ is blank as the Armed Forces are not money-making organisations.

Conclusion

Crafting compelling HEC Paris MBA essays requires careful thought, planning, and self-reflection. By understanding HEC Paris’s focus, addressing the key essay components, and following the tips provided, you can increase your chances of gaining admission to this prestigious program. Remember, the goal is to present a well-rounded picture of yourself that showcases your potential as a future global leader.