HEC Paris MBA Essay 2024-2025: Analysis, Tips, Framework, Samples

The HEC Paris MBA program is renowned for its rigorous academic environment and its commitment to cultivating global business leaders. 

As part of the admissions process, applicants are required to complete a series of essays that provide the admissions committee with a deeper understanding of their professional goals, personal values, leadership experiences, and unique perspectives. 

The 2025 HEC Paris MBA admissions essays challenge candidates to reflect on their past achievements, ethical dilemmas, future aspirations, and even to imagine a completely different life. 

This article offers a detailed analysis of each HEC Paris MBA essay prompt, provides actionable tips for crafting compelling responses, and outlines a winning framework to help you stand out in the competitive applicant pool.

HEC Paris MBA Essay Prompts for 2025 Intake

Essay 1: 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 maximum)

Essay 2: What do you consider your most significant life achievement? (250 words)

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)

Essay 4: Imagine a life entirely different from the one you now lead, what would it be? (250 words)

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).

HEC Paris MBA Essay 1

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 maximum)

What the HEC Paris MBA Admissions Committee Seeks from This Essay

The HEC Paris MBA admissions committee uses this essay to assess your clarity of purpose, understanding of the HEC program, and how well you’ve considered your career path. 

They want to see that you have a clear professional objective guiding your career choices and that you understand how the HEC MBA program can specifically help you achieve these goals. This means they are looking for thoughtful and well-researched answers, showing both introspection and knowledge of what HEC Paris offers.

Your essay should demonstrate that you have a clear vision of your post-MBA career path, backed by realistic goals and an understanding of the industry you aim to enter. The committee seeks evidence of your motivation, ambition, and the strategic thinking that will help you leverage the HEC MBA to reach your professional objectives. Moreover, they are interested in how your past experiences have prepared you for this journey and how the HEC MBA will fill any gaps in your knowledge and skills.

Framework to Write a Winning HEC Paris MBA Essay

To craft a compelling HEC Paris MBA Essay, follow this structured framework:

• Introduction: Define Your Current Professional Status and Timing

Begin your essay by briefly introducing your current professional role and the experiences that have shaped your career thus far. Explain why this is the right time for you to pursue an MBA. Are you looking to pivot industries, advance in your current field, or start your own venture? Clearly articulate the reasons why now is the ideal moment for this transition.

• Outline Your Short-Term and Long-Term Goals

Next, specify your short-term and long-term career goals. Be explicit about the job title, industry, and companies you are targeting immediately post-MBA. Describe your long-term aspirations and how they connect to your short-term goals. This section should paint a clear picture of your career trajectory and the impact you hope to make.

• Connect Your Goals with the HEC MBA Program

Now, delve into how the HEC MBA program will help you achieve your career goals. Mention specific aspects of the HEC curriculum, such as courses, electives, and teaching methods, that are relevant to your professional objectives. Highlight any unique resources, like clubs, networks, and alumni connections, that will support your growth. Show that you have done your research by referencing conversations with HEC alumni or specific insights gained from those interactions.

• Demonstrate Your Fit and Contribution to HEC Paris

Illustrate why you are a good fit for HEC Paris and how you will contribute to the MBA community. Discuss the transferable skills you bring, your potential to enrich classroom discussions, and your enthusiasm for participating in extracurricular activities. Mention any challenges you have faced and how overcoming them has prepared you for the HEC MBA journey.

• Conclude with a Strong Closing Statement

Wrap up your essay with a powerful conclusion that reiterates your commitment to your career goals and the HEC MBA program. Summarize the key points you have made and leave the admissions committee with a strong impression of your dedication and potential.

Tips for Writing This HEC Paris MBA Essay

1. Use the CARL Framework for Professional Achievements

When discussing your professional achievements, structure your anecdotes around the CARL framework: Context, Action, Results, and Learnings. Describe the situation and challenges you faced, the actions you took, the impact of your actions (quantified if possible), and the lessons learned. This approach adds depth and clarity to your narrative.

2. Showcase Thoughtful Career Goals

Ensure that your career goals are well-thought-out and specific. Mention the sector, function, geography, and companies you are targeting. Highlight any transferable skills and identify gaps that the HEC MBA will help you fill. This demonstrates that you have a realistic and strategic plan for your post-MBA career.

3. Display Your Knowledge of HEC Paris

Showcase your understanding of the HEC Paris MBA program by referencing specific courses, clubs, and alumni who have transitioned to roles similar to your desired path. This helps the admissions committee relate your profile to that of a current or past student, strengthening your application.

4. Mention Challenges and Growth

Briefly mention any challenges you have faced in your career and focus on how you overcame them and grew as a result. This demonstrates resilience and the ability to learn from experiences, which are valuable traits in an MBA candidate.

5. Reference Alumni Insights

Cite conversations with HEC alumni to provide specific insights that influenced your decision to apply. Rather than name-dropping, mention what you learned from these interactions and how it relates to your goals and the HEC MBA program.

By following these guidelines, you can create a compelling and well-rounded essay that effectively communicates your motivations, career aspirations, and fit for the HEC Paris MBA program. This essay is your opportunity to show the admissions committee that you have a clear plan for your future and that the HEC MBA is the right step to achieving your professional objectives.

HEC Paris MBA Essay 2

Essay 2: What do you consider your most significant life achievement? (250 words)

What the HEC Paris MBA Admissions Committee Seeks

HEC Paris is renowned for cultivating leaders who make meaningful impacts in their communities and industries. 

Through this essay, the admissions committee aims to uncover the essence of what you consider your most significant life achievement, reflecting your values, leadership qualities, and the impact you’ve had on others. 

They want to see not just what you accomplished, but how you accomplished it, the challenges you faced, and the thought process that guided you. This essay provides a glimpse into your character, resilience, and ability to drive positive change, all within a compact 250-word limit.

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Framework to Write a Winning HEC Paris MBA Essay

When crafting your essay, follow a structured approach to ensure your story is compelling and concise.

• Introduce yourself: Begin by briefly setting the stage for your achievement. Introduce the context and significance of the situation. Was it a professional project, a personal milestone, or a community initiative? Make sure to capture the reader’s attention from the outset.
• Provide Context of your achievement: Delve into the background of your achievement. What was the initial situation or problem you faced? Clearly outline the stakes involved and the challenges that needed to be overcome. This sets the stage for demonstrating the impact of your actions.
• Mention your Actions: Detail the steps you took to achieve your goal. Highlight your role, the strategies you employed, and the rationale behind your decisions. Be specific about the actions you undertook, emphasizing your leadership and problem-solving skills. This section should reflect your initiative, creativity, and determination.
• Share the Results of your efforts: Describe the outcome of your efforts. Quantify the results if possible, and explain the positive impact your achievement had on others, whether it was on a person, a group, or an organization. The results should illustrate the significance of your contribution and how you drove meaningful change.
• Show how this achievement impacted you: Reflect on how this achievement affected you personally. Did it ignite a passion, shift your perspective, or teach you valuable lessons? Explain why this particular achievement stands out among others in your life. This adds depth to your narrative, showcasing your introspective side and personal growth.
• Write your final thoughts: Conclude by tying your story back to your future aspirations. How do the skills and insights gained from this achievement align with your goals and the HEC Paris MBA? This creates a cohesive narrative, linking your past experiences with your future ambitions.

Tips for Writing This HEC Paris MBA Essay

1. Introspect and Brainstorm: Take time to reflect on your life and career. Identify 5-6 key achievements and select the one that resonates most with you. Choose an achievement that is impactful and recent, ideally within the last 2-3 years.
2. Narrative Style: Frame your essay as a compelling story. Describe the context, actions, results, and learnings in a way that engages the reader. Use vivid details, emotions, and experiences to bring your story to life. Including snippets of dialogue can add authenticity.
3. Honesty and Challenges: Be transparent about the challenges you faced and how you overcame them. Discuss the obstacles, your thought process, and the key lessons you learned. HEC values resilience and growth, so highlight these aspects in your essay.
4. Significance: Explain why you consider this your most significant achievement. What makes it stand out among other events in your life? Discuss the elements that make it more important and meaningful to you.
5. Link to MBA Goals: Connect the traits and lessons from your achievement to your transferable skills and future aspirations. Explain how the HEC Paris MBA will help you build on this foundation and further your journey.

By following these guidelines, you can craft a powerful and concise essay that showcases your most significant life achievement, providing the HEC Paris admissions committee with a clear understanding of your potential as a future leader.

HEC Paris MBA Essay 3

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)

Understanding What HEC Paris MBA Admissions Committee Seeks

When crafting your essay for the HEC Paris MBA application, especially Essay 3 which asks you to describe a situation where you dealt with leadership and ethics, it’s essential to understand the underlying expectations of the admissions committee. 

With this prompt, HEC Paris is not only gauging your leadership capabilities but also your ethical judgment and moral compass. Given recent high-profile ethical lapses in the business world, business schools, including HEC Paris, place a significant emphasis on ethics in their curriculum and admissions process.

HEC Paris wants to see that you can recognize ethical dilemmas, articulate your options, and demonstrate how you handled the situation. This essay serves as a window into your decision-making process, showing how you balance ethical considerations with leadership responsibilities. Importantly, it’s not necessary for you to have made the final decision; what matters is your ability to analyze the situation, weigh the pros and cons, and contribute meaningfully to the discussion.

Framework to Write a Winning HEC Paris MBA Essay

To write a compelling essay, follow a structured approach that clearly outlines the situation, your actions, and the impact. Here’s a step-by-step framework:

• Start by setting the scene with context. Describe the situation that posed an ethical dilemma. Ensure that the dilemma is clear, with compelling reasons to consider both paths. Detail the stakes involved, providing enough background to help the reader understand the gravity of the situation.
• Next, delve into the actions you took. Articulate your thought process, explaining the options you considered and the rationale behind your decisions. It’s crucial to show that you didn’t shy away from the issue but faced it head-on. Describe any consultations or discussions you had with colleagues or mentors and how these influenced your approach.
• Then, discuss the results of your actions. Highlight the outcomes of your decision, ideally with quantifiable results. Explain how your leadership contributed to resolving the dilemma and what the final impact was on your team, organization, or stakeholders.
• Finally, reflect on the learnings. Explain how this experience has influenced your personal and professional growth. Discuss any new processes you introduced to prevent similar dilemmas in the future or how this experience shaped your worldview. Mention the values and ethics that guided you through the process and how they were reinforced or evolved as a result.

Tips for Writing This HEC Paris MBA Essay

Writing about ethics and leadership can be tricky, but these tips will help you craft a strong essay:

1. Introspect and Brainstorm: Reflect on your professional experiences and identify 2-3 situations where you faced a moral or ethical dilemma. Choose a situation with high impact and recency (within the last 2-3 years) to ensure relevance and authenticity.
2. Frame Your Essay as a Story: Use the CARL (Context, Action, Results, Learnings) framework to narrate your experience. This storytelling approach will make your essay engaging and coherent.
3. Clarify the Dilemma: Clearly articulate the ethical dilemma, outlining the contrasting outcomes of each possible decision. Explain why you chose the path you did and what the impact could have been if you had taken the other route.
4. Highlight Your Values: Discuss the values and ethics relevant to the situation. Show how these guided your decision-making process and how the experience reinforced or evolved your beliefs.
5. Link to HEC Paris: Demonstrate your knowledge of HEC Paris’s focus on ethics. Mention their elective on ethics, taught by a renowned professor, and how this aligns with your aspirations. Doing your research and linking your essay to what you would learn in that elective can set you apart from other applicants.

In writing this essay, be sure to choose a story where you were actively involved in addressing the ethical challenge. Avoid examples that might inadvertently portray you in a negative light. By following these guidelines and deeply reflecting on your experiences, you’ll be able to present a compelling narrative that showcases your ethical judgment and leadership qualities.

HEC Paris MBA Essay 4

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

HEC Paris MBA’s Essay 4 is a unique opportunity to reveal a different facet of your personality and aspirations. It asks you to “Imagine a life entirely different from the one you now lead, what would it be?” This prompt provides a platform to showcase your creativity, self-awareness, and multifaceted nature. The admissions committee is looking to understand your passions, interests, and potential beyond your current professional trajectory.

What the HEC Paris MBA Admissions Committee Seeks

The admissions committee at HEC Paris is interested in your holistic self. This essay allows them to see you as more than just a resume. They want to delve into your personal interests, values, and dreams. This insight helps them gauge your depth, flexibility, and potential impact in varied scenarios. By presenting an alternative life, you demonstrate your ability to envision possibilities, which is a crucial trait in the dynamic business world.

The prompt is not confined to career-related alternatives. It can encompass personal interests, community impact, or a path you might have taken at a different crossroads in your life. The key is to present a plausible, well-thought-out alternative that aligns with your overall personal brand. This exercise in imagination should reflect your understanding of yourself, your values, and your potential contributions to various aspects of life.

Framework for Writing a Winning HEC Paris MBA Essay

• Self-Reflection and Exploration: Begin with a deep self-reflection. Think about your passions, interests, and dreams that you haven’t pursued yet. Consider moments in your life when you faced significant choices and what might have happened if you had taken a different path. This exercise will help you identify a compelling alternative life scenario.
• Connecting the Dots: Once you have an idea, start connecting it with your current skills, interests, and values. Make sure that the alternative life you propose is credible and feasible. This doesn’t mean it has to be realistic in every detail, but it should make sense for someone with your background and abilities.
• Crafting the Narrative: Structure your essay to tell a story. Begin with a brief introduction that captures the essence of your current life and what prompted you to imagine a different one. Then, transition into a vivid description of your alternative life. Use descriptive language to paint a clear picture and engage the reader.
• Highlighting Impact and Values: Throughout your narrative, emphasize how this alternative life aligns with your core values and desired impact. Whether you’re exploring a different career, a personal passion, or a community role, make sure to highlight the positive contributions and fulfillment you would derive from this path.
• Tying It Back to the Present: Conclude by reflecting on how this alternative life enriches your understanding of yourself and your current ambitions. Explain how this exercise in imagination reinforces your flexibility, creativity, and multifaceted nature, making you a strong candidate for the HEC Paris MBA program.

Tips for Writing This HEC Paris MBA Essay

1. Be Authentic: Your alternative life should resonate with your true passions and interests. Authenticity will make your essay more compelling and relatable. Avoid fabricating scenarios just to impress the admissions committee.
2. Balance Imagination with Credibility: While the prompt encourages imagination, ensure that your alternative life is believable. It should be a path that someone with your skills and background could reasonably pursue.
3. Showcase Your Personality: Use this essay to highlight aspects of your personality that may not be evident in other parts of your application. Whether it’s your creativity, compassion, or adventurous spirit, let your unique traits shine through.
4. Maintain Consistency: Ensure that your alternative life scenario does not conflict with the personal brand you’ve established in other parts of your application. It should complement and enhance the overall picture of who you are.
5. Be Concise and Focused: With a 250-word limit, every word counts. Be concise and avoid unnecessary details. Focus on painting a vivid picture and conveying the essence of your alternative life.
6. Revise and Refine: After drafting your essay, take the time to revise and refine it. Seek feedback from trusted peers or mentors to ensure clarity, coherence, and impact.

The HEC Paris MBA Essay 4 is a unique opportunity to showcase your creativity, self-awareness, and flexibility. By thoughtfully imagining an alternative life, you demonstrate your ability to envision possibilities and adapt to different scenarios. Use this essay to reveal new facets of your personality and aspirations, reinforcing your candidacy as a multifaceted and dynamic future leader.

HEC Paris MBA 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).

What the HEC Paris MBA Admissions Committee Seeks

The HEC Paris MBA program prides itself on its diverse and dynamic student body. With 92% of the Class of 2024 being international, the admissions committee is keen on understanding who you are, beyond your professional achievements. Essay 5 offers three distinct prompts that each aim to uncover different facets of your personality, values, and perspectives.

No matter which option you choose, the committee wants to see a glimpse of your individuality, critical thinking, and how you stand out in a crowd. Your response should reveal something significant about you, whether it’s your cultural pride, analytical abilities, or personal inspirations. Your essay should start by directly addressing the chosen prompt and then follow with a logical argument and personal reflections that offer new insights into who you are.

Framework to Write a Winning HEC Paris MBA Essay

To craft a compelling essay, follow these structured steps:

• Identify Your Choice and Begin with a Strong Opening

Start by clearly stating your choice—be it a monument, a book, or a person. Your opening should be engaging and set the tone for your essay. For instance, if you’re discussing a monument, paint a vivid picture of it. If you’re critiquing a popular book, briefly summarize its premise and your contention. If you’re admiring a person, introduce them succinctly and highlight their significance.

• Provide Context and Background

Offer some background information to ground your choice. For a monument, delve into its historical and cultural significance. For a book or movie, explain its global reception and why it’s widely acclaimed. For a person, outline their key achievements and contributions. This context helps the reader understand the broader significance of your choice.

• Connect to Personal Insights and Values

This is where you bring in your personal connection. Explain why this monument, book, or person resonates with you. Share anecdotes or experiences that highlight your connection and how it has shaped your values or perspectives. This personal touch is crucial as it helps the committee see the person behind the application.

• Analyze and Reflect

Analyze the broader implications of your choice. For a monument, discuss what it symbolizes about your country or city. For a book or movie, delve into why you believe its success is undeserved and what this says about cultural trends or societal values. For a person, reflect on the qualities you admire and how they influence your aspirations and actions.

• Conclude with a Strong Closing

Wrap up your essay by reiterating the key points and leaving a lasting impression. Your conclusion should tie back to the opening and highlight the overall significance of your choice. Emphasize how this reflection is relevant to your future aspirations and how it aligns with the values of HEC Paris.

Tips for Writing This HEC Paris MBA Essay

1. Be Authentic and Genuine: Authenticity is key. Choose a topic that genuinely resonates with you, rather than what you think the admissions committee wants to hear. Your passion and sincerity will shine through when you write about something you truly care about.
2. Stay Concise and Focused: With a 250-word limit, every word counts. Be concise and avoid unnecessary details. Focus on delivering a clear and compelling narrative that addresses the prompt directly and effectively.
3. Showcase Your Unique Perspective: Use this essay to highlight what makes you unique. Whether it’s your cultural heritage, your critical thinking skills, or your personal inspirations, ensure your essay reflects your individuality and what you bring to the HEC Paris community.
4. Edit and Refine: First drafts are rarely perfect. Write multiple drafts, and seek feedback from trusted friends or mentors. Edit for clarity, coherence, and conciseness. Ensure your essay is free of grammatical errors and flows smoothly.
5. Connect to HEC Paris Values: Finally, tie your reflections back to the values and ethos of HEC Paris. Demonstrating how your experiences and insights align with the school’s mission and values can strengthen your application.

Examples of Approach

Option A: Monument or Site

Suppose you choose to write about a monument in your city. Start with a vivid description of the site, followed by its historical significance. Share a personal anecdote about your visits there and how it has influenced your understanding of your cultural heritage. Conclude by linking this heritage to your global perspective, which you will bring to HEC Paris.

Option B: Undeservedly Successful Book/Movie/Play

If you opt for this prompt, briefly summarize the chosen work and its global reception. Provide a critical analysis of why you believe it’s overrated, supported by clear arguments. Share how your perspective on this reflects your broader views on cultural trends and intellectual honesty.

Option C: Admirable Figure

For this option, introduce the person you admire and their achievements. Highlight the specific qualities you find inspiring and provide examples of how these qualities have impacted your life and aspirations. Conclude by reflecting on how these values will shape your future contributions at HEC Paris and beyond.

Choosing the right approach and following these guidelines can help you craft a standout essay that not only addresses the prompt effectively but also showcases the unique individual you are.

HEC Paris MBA Successful Sample Essays

Essay 1: 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 maximum)

Having gained substantial professional experience at one of the world’s leading consulting firms – EY, I have developed a knack for resolving client issues. Indeed, my experience and predilection to solve problems through analytical and methodical approaches has helped ascertain that my skills would be most effectively utilized in the field of management consulting.

As a student, I enjoyed solving problems, and embraced challenging situations as opportunities to apply and enhance my skills. Moreover, during our college’s annual tech-fest, I managed the popular Droido (Android-programming) event. I handled multiple responsibilities, including ideating the event to marketing it, getting sponsors and conducting the event on campus with about 40 participating teams. Subsequently, soon after joining Goldman Sachs, I traveled to New York for a two month project to build a stock trading application. I was among the 400 invitees selected from across the globe, and was placed in a team comprising another Indian analyst and team members from the Americas, London, Korea and Africa. On many levels, this experience set the stage for the next two years of my career at Goldman Sachs. By amalgamating my acquired analytical skills with my technical knowledge, I built cutting-edge tools and automated business tasks for global teams. 

At EY, I’ve not only demonstrated exemplary client-centric methodologies to establish myself as the ‘go-to’ person for a newly formed and startup-like team, but also leveraged my programming skills to address a variety of issues ranging from information security to efficiency of development cycles. I played an instrumental role in building/ developing the team’s services, marketing them and subsequently in several client engagements. In short, at this stage, with a fair amount of experiential knowledge of working on client issues, I wish to bolster my knowhow with the latest management concepts before I start my new professional journey. Hence, I’ve made the choice to pursue an MBA at HEC. 

Post the HEC MBA, I wish to work as a management consultant for a reputed consulting firm such as Deloitte or BCG in Europe or the Middle East. In this position, I will not only be involved in cultivating methodological solutions for business problems, but will also learn strategic management from leading experts in the industry. Having worked in the consulting arena for about 5-6 years, I hope to eventually start my own venture, preferably in the area of education or film-making. 

HEC’s combination of core and elective courses including marketing and strategic management, and vibrant career clubs make it an ideal institution to pursue my learning goals. The institution’s approach of building a strong theoretical foundation embellished with key leadership skills, and providing avenues for hands-on learning such as “The Executive Committee” and “Annual MBA Tournament” will ensure that I’m able to hone my management and soft skills to my fullest potential. Beyond academics, I look forward to being an active participant of HEC’s student clubs and pursuing my interests in film-making/ travel in the midst of a diverse yet cohesive cohort at HEC.

Essay 2: What do you consider your most significant life achievement? (250 words)

The decision to quit Goldman Sachs in order to move to my hometown Chennai to pursue my passions of consulting and film-making proved to be a pivotal turning point in my life and career. Having worked in a purely technical role as a software developer, my new role in EY was fraught with challenges- I had to interact with clients and market the team’s services, and learn about information security concepts to work on client engagements that involved preventing cyber attacks. Through my sustained efforts, I was instrumental in helping E&Y to convert two clients from the Proof-of-Concept stage to full-time engagements, and was promoted to Consultant.

After the hectic weekdays, I devoted my weekends to practicing the various aspects of film-making: script-writing, story-boarding and other pre-production work. I leveraged social media to find like-minded crew members. We then met regularly to brainstorm creative ideas and audition actors for short films that I funded. Although we faced last-minute mishaps such as actors not showing up and unfavorable weather conditions, I eventually succeeded in releasing my first short film, ‘What’s Her Number?’. Today, the film garnered more than 90,000 YouTube views and was selected for distribution by the prestigious online platform – Benchflix.

I consider this experience my most significant life achievement as it pushed me beyond my comfort zone and made me tackle challenging problems by adopting a diligent, methodical approach. It also enhanced my ability to manage time/finance, and taught me to devise implementable management strategies.

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)

In early-2016, I took up the responsibility of leading a critical engagement for E&Y in lieu of a senior colleague, who was caught up with another engagement. Although I was still relatively new at E&Y, the management gave me this task in sight of my experience in working with Linux and my strong client-demo marketing skills.

After my initial meetings with the client’s team in Delhi, I worked with our analysts and interns to on-board the client’s software infrastructure onto our facility in Chennai. Due to some technical glitches and a lack of technical personnel, we were delayed in reporting the results to our client by three weeks. Our senior team members prepared a report which suggested that the client’s team was to blame for the delay, owing to their lack of technical expertise and slow responses.

Although blaming the client’s team was the easier way out, I was uncomfortable about doing so since I knew this would only further escalate the scenario. I prepared a new report that detailed our shortcomings as well as those of the client’s team, and listed things we could have done to address these. This initiated dialogue and the ensuing discussion was productive, focusing more on solutions than faults. The client appreciated my approach and agreed to extend our deadlines. The engagement is still on-going and is our team’s biggest contract to-date. This experience reinforced my belief in seeking solutions instead of blaming others, and choosing dialogue over accusations. 

Essay 4: Imagine a life entirely different from the one you now lead, what would it be? (250 words)

I strongly believe that people connect with movies more intimately than with any other art forms or even other people. In another life, I would be making a living out of making movies. 

I’d read a lot of books and travel to various places to widen my worldview, and interact with people from different walks of life to understand their culture and traditions. I’d also take acting classes to understand the finer nuances of emotion and expression. I would then attend film school to get a formal education in the technical aspects of film-making and to learn how to effectively translate concepts for the screen. Developing the right crew is essential for a film-maker, and to achieve this, I would interact and associate with budding cinematographers, editors and sound-designers. 

By making short films and music videos, I would learn to coordinate the various departments involved in production- camera, music and editing crew. This would give me the necessary experience to develop my own feature films that have a strong emotional message and top-notch technical execution. I would try to emulate the precedent set by movies such as The Dark Knight, The Shawshank Redemption and Rush.

I would also be involved in developing solutions to curb piracy, which is the biggest threat faced by the film industry today. I’d also explore multiple platforms such as DTH promotions and participate in festival screenings to develop a wider audience for my films as well as for the Indian film industry.

Final Thoughts

Crafting standout essays for the HEC Paris MBA program is a critical step in your application journey. Each essay is an opportunity to showcase different facets of your personality, experiences, and aspirations, providing the admissions committee with a holistic view of who you are. By following the tips and framework outlined in this article, you can create essays that are not only well-structured and reflective but also uniquely tailored to your profile. Remember, authenticity and clarity are key—let your true self shine through as you articulate your vision for the future and your fit with the HEC Paris community.