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 max.)

This essay question is very straight forward indirect but the applicant must be very careful with it. You must address why HEC MBA is the right program for you and why now. This is very important because it addresses your goals and your previous career and experiences and how they relate to the program at HEC. 

The applicant must also talk about his or her short and long term goal and how the MBA program offered at HEC will help achieve them! 

The applicant must be very specific when answering the questions! You need to mention the courses you want to study at HEC Paris, the treks and majors you want to follow, the student clubs you want to join and of course the things you want to learn while studying at the HEC Paris. 

When it comes to the reason why you are asking to join the MBA Program, you must convince the admissions committee that the program will help you career which is currently either stalling or you want to change for whatever reason which you should also mention. You must talk about how the degree could open the doors for you to work at a certain industry and how it helps you with your quest at fulfilling your long term goals! 

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

This question takes the applicants back to the basics of how to write a nice essay. You must list down all you achievements. Create a timeline, then connect the dots! You must mention both your great achievements and your failures as both can tell the story better! 

This question is very important as it really tells a lot bout your professional life but also give them a glimpse at how your personal life affected your career! You must list your top achievements and explain why do they rank at the top of your list of achievements. When it comes to your failures, you must remember that we are all humans and that it is better to look vulnerable and authentic, than fake and meaningless! 

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 max.)

This question is both interesting and very intimidating at the same time! It is very philosophical in nature and thus you must think a little more before answering it. The first part of the question mentions universal truth about leadership and ethics. This is where the admissions committee wants to know more about your position on leadership and truth in general! They want to know how you think and more about your character! You must think of a moment in your life when you had to face a very ethical dilemma where you had to make a decision! Talk about a situation in your life which affected you a lot and impacted your way of thinking, as well as the lesson you have learned since then. 

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

Be creative with this one! Choose some very famous person either currently living and impacting the world we live in or someone from the past! The point here is creativity and imagination! 

Essay 5: 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 analyze it.

c) What figure do you most admire and why? You may choose from any field (arts, literature, politics, business, etc)

Again, these questions are very private and the reason behind them is to get to know the real person you are! Only you can know what your favorite monument in Washington DC or Paris is. What books you think have had an international success and impact and the figure you most admire and the reasons behind why you made that choice. Just be smart about it and authentic!