Meet The HEC Paris MBA Class of 2017

Henry Nosegbe 

HEC Paris

Hometown: Lagos, Nigeria

Undergraduate School and Major: Redeemer’s University, Accounting (2005 – 2009)

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation:

KPMG (Senior Associate, Internal Audit/Risk Consulting Services) Feb 2011 – Aug 2015

Akaeze Community Secondary School (Economics and Business Studies Tutor) Nov 2009 – Oct 2010

Recalling your own experience, what advice do you have for applicants who are preparing for either the GMAT or the GRE? 

• Preparation is everything – and preparation, in my opinion, should commence at least 6-8 months before the intended date of the test and well in advance of the actual application to business school. In my case, I had scheduled my GMAT for October 2014 from the month of May, having planned applications for September 2015 intake beforehand.

• Also, study from multiple sources. It’s highly unlikely that one single GMAT textbook would provide the comprehensive and detailed information and insight to aid deep understanding of all the subject areas. I recall committing a grave error by basing my entire study of Integrated Reasoning on a particular book, which provided highly simplified examples and test questions (needless to say, the actual test questions proved much tougher).

Based on your own selection process, what advice do you have for applicants who are trying to draw up a list of target schools to which to apply? There are a number of factors that every potential MBA student would consider when deciding on which school(s) to apply to. Such factors typically include relative costs (both direct costs and opportunity costs in terms of forgone salaries); strength or reputation of the school(s) in the applicant’s chosen field; employment prospects after graduation; and strength of career services support.

As an applicant, therefore, it is up to you to, first-and-foremost, have a clear understanding of your career aspirations, know which of the highlighted factors bear the most weight in relation to your career objectives, conduct intense research on the schools, and choose the school(s) that offer what you desire. The diversity of HEC Paris and the opportunity to learn and speak a new language are just two of the factors that attracted me to the institution.

What advice do you have for applicants in actually applying to a school, writing essays, doing admission interviews, and getting recommenders to write letters on your behalf? 

• First, applicants need to provide sufficient time to prepare for the GMAT. A good GMAT score remains an indispensable part of the application process and will at least get you a foot in the door before other important aspects of your application are reviewed.

• Essay writing needs to be stretched out across an extended period – so I would advise applicants not to be hasty in submitting their applications. I would recommend providing a month or two to reflect deeply on the essay questions.

• Interviews are intended to provide the interviewer with a means to assess the suitability of the applicant. Therefore, it is important for applicants to ensure that they’re able to communicate with the interviewer and clearly explain who they are and what makes them unique.

• Business schools typically require two recommendations: One each from academic and professional sources. Applicants should ensure that they get people who know enough about them to provide detailed feedback to the school. I believe that business schools value detailed feedback from recommenders – especially the kind that contains specific examples to back up the point being made.

What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA? I was attracted to HEC Paris for several reasons: A top-20 ranking among global business schools; Paris’ strategic location in Europe as well as its status as a global cultural and financial centre; the diversity of the HEC student body (just about 15% or so of the students are from France); and the opportunity to learn and speak the French language.

What would you ultimately like to achieve before you graduate? The primary motivation for an MBA was exposure – to global markets, world-class faculty and student body, and global best practices in the world of business. I expect to gain this exposure over the course of my MBA and get equipped with the skills and capabilities needed to compete in the global market place. I also expect to make life-long friendships and expand my networks.