Europe's HBS, HEC Paris, just gets better and better

Experience during the program

Fantastic ROI, got a great job after interviewing with several top companies in different industries and locations (McKinsey, BCG, Credit Suisse, Google and more). Created an international network of contacts and most importantly I went from knowing very basic things about business to gaining a strong understanding of all the fundamentals and beyond. The campus is fantastic and located 30' from Paris and a Eurostar ride from London. The student body culture is very friendly and cooperative rather than cutthroat and the level rises with each intake as the program climbs up the rankings. Finally, the duration of the program is ideal. I learned the most interesting things after the first two core periods during try electives and specialization phases (last six months of a 16 month program so I can't really see how a shorter program would give me enough).

I would suggest candidates to visit the schools they are considering and make sure they fit well in the environment and the student culture while also considering the costs. While any top MBA can help you land a top job, it doesn't matter too much after you get that great job. Nonetheless, your loan will be there to be repaid and while salaries of the same positions differ very little to not at all depending from which school you come the total MBA investment you have to make varies considerably between schools. HEC Paris offers a top notch experience and credentials and at the same time it offers great scholarships making its ROI unbeatable.

About professors, classes and curriculum

The HEC Paris MBA curriculum is very up to date and the school uses a lot of data and is proactive in continuously fine tuning it and improving it to meet student and employer needs. On the negative side, there are some old school French professors that do not offer the international MBA experience you would expect but these become frewer and fewer and at the same time the school has some amazing professors (both international and French) who make the class experience unforgettable (check out Ioanid Rosu and Pascal Quiry).

About job placement process

Don't be fooled by any school's marketing. Your chances to land a great job are mostly predetermined before even you start your MBA. Any top MBA and I mean ANY, is, recruitment wise, a tick on the "top MBA [v]" box. If you don't have the past experience and credentials there is not too much the school can do for you. Of course there are always exceptions but your background clounts for more than 60-70%. An MBA can change your career completely like a friend of mine that just landed an Associate position with McKinsey before graduating from the program. He was a professional piano soloist BUT he had amazing academics and had displayed excellence throughout his professional career. HEC Paris runs a lot of bootcamps to help you prepare for many jobs and the schedule can even be too much but as I said in the end it is mostly up to you.

Overall BSchool experience (5.0)
Schools contribution (5.0)
Classmates rating (5.0)

Strengths of the program:

Curriculum, Classes, Professors
Student body, diversity
Facilities

Best fit at this program:

Consulting
Finance
Marketing
Tech
Entrepreneurship
Management

Can be improved:

Culture & Student Support