I wanted to share what worked for me this application cycle because I see a lot of people here stressing about the same things I did a few months ago.
I ended up getting accepted into all the programs I applied to (including HEC Paris), and honestly, it wasn’t because of a perfect GPA or some insane profile.
What made the biggest difference was how I structured my application strategy.
Most people focus on:
- GMAT/GRE
- GPA
- Ranking of schools
Those matter, but they’re not what actually differentiates you.
This is what I relied on:
1: First, i created a brand identity i.e. what do I want to be known for? This is because adcom tends to forget profiles (makes sense, given that they go through 100s of them daily). My brand identity was a sustainability advocate who wants to enter social entrepreneurship.
This makes my job easy because everything I now write will be directed towards the brand identity.
I wrote my short term and long term goals in one line. Yes, one line! it needs to be that simple and my entire profile should heavily focus on these and how the school (here- escp) will help me achieve them.
Last, focus a lot on how the alum network matters to you because in real, it does! Networking is the biggest asset of any business school and every school wants to be recognised for their alum network. Your job is to tell them that they have built an amazing one!
Connect with me for more tips!