Hi Mukul,

Would appreciate your prompt response on the following:-

A brief about me:-

1. GMAT - 640, 10+2 - 65.8%, grad - 66.8% ( Bachelors in fashion technology, NIFT). Work ex - 4.4 Yrs by sept 2012, breakup as follows -
1 year Raymond apparel Pvt ltd. as Mgmt Trainee in trouser production dept.followed by Adonis clothing as merchandiser and currently working in Blackberrys as Asst. Mgr. outsourcing handling formal suits category. Not very strong in extra curriculars....

2. I would be getting married by feb 2012 and my would be wife is working as reserch scientist in german hand of Dabur i.e. Fresenious Kabi oncology Ltd. She has done her Msc. in Pharmacology and is keen on doing her Phd.

Questions......

1. Should i apply for 2Yr Pg in management, basing on my profile.
2. Would my wife be eligible to work in Montreal if she accompanies me on dependent visa?
3. What are her prospects of doing her Phd from montreal?

Thanks for your help....

Rgd
AbhinavBehl

Hi Bajwa,

Sure you can choose electives from multiple tracks. You need to choose 14 electives in total (or 12) depending on how you structure your MBA. You wouldn't be able to choose all 12 from the same stream. Finance and Marketing have the most number of electives but some tracks do not even offer that many. Being a 1 year MBA, it is more of a general management program than a specialized MBA. You can very well take electives across streams.


If you have questions about a particular track, feel free to ask.

Hi Mukul,

First of all a big thanks for providing all the intel about HEC, indeed a big help for me in knowing much about HEC.

I am Sr. Financial Analyst with Oracle having more than 5 years experience in financial planning & analysis domain and have worked with Reuters and Infosys Technologies previously.

I am planning for a 2013 MBA from HEC and have started learning french and preparing for GMAT, I know it takes a lot to get in the final cut for HEC.
Can you please share with us more about the placements for non Canadians.

Thanks!
Aman

In case you are fascinated by rankings, check for 2011 Forbes Ranking of Non-U.S. One-Year MBA Programs:

1. IMD
2. INSEAD
3. IE Business School
4. SDA Bocconi
5. Cambridge (Judge)
6. Oxford (Said)
7. Lancaster
8. Warwick
9. City Unive
11. EM Lyon
12. HEC-Montreal

12) HEC-Montreal - Kurt Badenhausen - Forbes

ohhhh ok. I got your point.

And Mukul, can you shed some light on the electives and specialized tracks on offer?

I did go thru the list on the website, but do we have the option of selecting different courses from different tracks?

Thanks for all the info Mukul. I had a question regarding HEC Montreal MBA.

If I were to take up this MBA and after completion come back to India, will it be worth it?

I know this is more of general question rather than a question about the HEC Montreal MBA.

Good question...but before I answer I am assuming you want to do a 1 year mba only and planning to work in India post-mba. Beware in any other scenario my suggestions become invalid.

If u have admission from IIM-A,B,C for their 1 year mba then it is not worth it.

If you have admission from any other college it is worth it.

Let me know if I was clear...

Thanks for all the info Mukul. I had a question regarding HEC Montreal MBA.

If I were to take up this MBA and after completion come back to India, will it be worth it?

I know this is more of general question rather than a question about the HEC Montreal MBA.

Hello All,

Our program director Mr. Michael Wybo is willing to have a video conference (around 1 hour long) during which he can address your queries/issues related with MBA at HEC.

The technical details will be finalized later after I gauge you interest for this meeting. One of the Indians in current batch would also be present along with our director.

To start with, I would like to know how many of you will be willing to attend the same.

Please pm me whoever is 100% sure of attending (Tentative time would be your evening).

Thanks,
Mukul & Team

Hi Mukul,

I am planning to apply to the 1 year HEC Montreal program.

I secured 650 (Q 44, V35) in gmat.

A bit about my background, Chartered Accountant and FRM holder working for over 5 years in a Big 4 (10th-88%, 12th-88%, graduation-62%). I want to specialise in Finance.

Do you think given the above, I have a shot there?

Definitely yes....

Hi Mukul......................................
.......................

Hi Mukul,

I am planning to apply to the 1 year HEC Montreal program.

I secured 650 (Q 44, V35) in gmat.

A bit about my background, Chartered Accountant and FRM holder working for over 5 years in a Big 4 (10th-88%, 12th-88%, graduation-62%). I want to specialise in Finance.

Do you think given the above, I have a shot there?

B-Tech Computers, frm last 6 months working as a Business Analyst in an IT MNC in B'lore, in Banking and Finance domain, Total 3 yrs exp, by 2013 it will come around 4.4 yrs. I would lik to do MBA in Finance.

Thanks,
Jit

With PR and French knowledge, you should be ok. While your work-ex is below the average number for HEC Montreal, I don't see that as a threat to finding a job. Since you intend to specialize in Finance, grades would be of importance and you may have to watch out from the outset.

You mentioned about doing well in academics, with the team and all other activities !!! The program is quite intense and a lot of times, you will find yourself lagging behind unless you are super good with time management. Make sure you make the most of individual work components such as final exams, case studies and in-class participation. On top of that, if you happen to get a good team, good for you. Thank your stars!

The Career Services team in HEC Montreal is very helpful. They conduct workshops from time and time and also have one-on-one counseling for career development and resume building. They help you develop your profile based on your interests and skill sets and assist with your job search. If your conversational skills in French are good (hope they are with level A2), you will find it relatively easier.

Regards,
Suresh

B-Tech Computers, frm last 6 months working as a Business Analyst in an IT MNC in B'lore, in Banking and Finance domain, Total 3 yrs exp, by 2013 it will come around 4.4 yrs. I would lik to do MBA in Finance.

Thanks,
Jit

Hi Mukul / Team,

Gud work, gone through all the post. I would lik to know if I hav a PR of Quebec by 2012 Aug (I applied and got the interview call on Feb 2012) and I applied for 2013 MBA prog for HEC Montreal.

a) Should I need to pay the fees of International student or should I pay the fees of a Quebec resident as I have a PR ??

b) If I have a PR, and I am studying french. Alrdy completed A1 level and attending A2 by Aug I'll tak the certification of A2 level also. In dis case aftr my MBA will der be a vry gud chance of getting a job der through campus placement. (If I do well in academis , an wit de team n all othr activities)

Thanks,
Jit

a) Yes, you would pay local quebec fees.
b) No clue about you undergrad and previous work-ex, hence would refrain from answering this question.

ping me a pm with missing information and I would be able to give you my views.

Cheers,
Mukul

Hi Mukul / Team,

Gud work, gone through all the post. I would lik to know if I hav a PR of Quebec by 2012 Aug (I applied and got the interview call on Feb 2012) and I applied for 2013 MBA prog for HEC Montreal.

a) Should I need to pay the fees of International student or should I pay the fees of a Quebec resident as I have a PR ??

b) If I have a PR, and I am studying french. Alrdy completed A1 level and attending A2 by Aug I'll tak the certification of A2 level also. In dis case aftr my MBA will der be a vry gud chance of getting a job der through campus placement. (If I do well in academis , an wit de team n all othr activities)

Thanks,
Jit

Hi Mukul,

I am having 3 years of work experience in IT firm and gave GMAT. GMAT
score is 640 and AWA is 5.0 and having good academics(3.2 GPA). My IELTS score
is 7.5.

Is this score good for HEC Montreal? I am thinking of applying for fall 2012 session.

Thanks,
Inder

My personal suggestion if you want to maximize your learning; do a 2 year mba. Just to give you a snapshot of class profile at HEC this year...average age 31 and average work-ex 7 years. That does not mean people with lesser exp and age are not there in the program..they are but they have something exceptional that made them get selected for the program. i.e. one girl has gmat 740 etc.

So it is really difficult to answer your question. What bschools look for is what value add will you bring to your peers if they take you. You are the one who can answer that question best...not me :)

I hope you getting my point.

Hi Mukul,

I am having 3 years of work experience in IT firm and gave GMAT. GMAT
score is 640 and AWA is 5.0 and having good academics(3.2 GPA). My IELTS score
is 7.5.

Is this score good for HEC Montreal? I am thinking of applying for fall 2012 session.

Thanks,
Inder

Hi Mukul,

I really appreciate what you are doing! :cheers:

I have been going through a few business school profiles and what scares me the most is the cost!! After much research i have narrowed it down to HEC Montreal (another reason being that we as a family have applied for Canadian Immigration (PR)). I am a Chartered Accountant and have about 6 years of work experience in the banking domain (financial analyst). I am hoping to take the GMAT in Jan.
It would be very helpful if you could give me an idea of the placements and are Indian students at a disadvantage as companies prefer to hire local talent (especially considering that HEC is in the french speaking part of Canada). Apologies if you have already answered this question and i have missed it out!

Regards

Alex

Frankly from my experience so far and from how the hiring has been in last 2.5 months...you should have 'little/moderate' difficulty in finding a job(keeping in mind you have applied for a PR)

not knowing french would be a disadvantage which you will balance a little bit with your PR but still you are(and I am too) at a disadvantage by not knowing french.

You need to understand the mentality of the companies; they do not prefer to get into visa issues(LMO etc) and bilingual is always an advantage.

We miss on both the above points...but PR can be taken care of and if one is motivated enough then french can be taken care of too(you will never become expert in it in 1 year but your +ve approach in learning the language will be highly appreciated)

I hope I was able to make my point clear enough...

Hello Mukul,

Thank you for insight into HEC Montreal. I am looking forward to applying to this school for the fall session. I wanted to know a few things:

1. How is the job scene for people with limited french skills; especially if they choose a stream which is more people interactive like Business Development, consulting or strategy? And how is networking out-side of the campus for a non-french speaker?

2. How much time do you really have to develop language skills? I mean, being a 1 year MBA, it must be running on a tight schedule (I saw one of your earlier posts too :)).

I am really impressed by the study part at HEC, also as much as I have heard about Montreal, I really like the city. I did get some info from a colleague who is an alum but he is a native french speaker, so I'm not sure if he would be able to objectively respond to these questions. (I'm assuming that you were not conversant in french before u got there or I'm making an ass of myself here. )

1. In Montreal difficult; outside montreal not so difficult. (again its a very subjective indicator and depends a lot on your personality as well ! )

2. Frankly, you wont get any time !

Yes Montreal is lovely, no doubt about it....and i was almost 0 in french before I came here...and it is still status quo..

Hi Mukul

One more doubt :

Suppose I secure admission in HEC Montreal. Will it be a problem to bring my wife on dependant visa? If yes, Can she try for any job though she comes on dependant visa?

Missed your this doubt; well your wife is eligible for an open work permit on your student visa and then she is also eligible for an open work permit on your pg work permit....but things are getting little strict so I will tell you in detail how to go about it....but yes this is the law for spouse of students and pg work permit holders...

secondly I need to know her current job so that I can guide you better....

Hi Mukul

how are you mate. great job on this thread BTW, the province of Qubec itself is given a special treatement in Canada I guess. Is it possible to move from Qubec to other canadian provinces or is there any limit on the same? Secondly, what is a very unique point of the program that you cant find in anywhere else ( like team based MBA of Queens )?

One more doubt :

Suppose I secure admission in HEC Montreal. Will it be a problem to bring my wife on dependant visa? If yes, Can she try for any job though she comes on dependant visa?

Let me answer you one by one :
1. yes quebec is special and has it's own laws...and its own pros and cons, but once you get a PR, you are free to move anywhere. But the process of applying for PR is different in quebec and outside quebec.


2. Most unique point of the program is not one but more than one;
a) lowest fees,
b) very intense(I have already spoken about this in earlier threads but just to reiterate, 6th class of a period is held on tue,wed and thu and exams are held on fri, sat and sun and from monday new period starts),
c) Team based approach: My team currently has one guy from lebonan, one guy from calgary, one girl from china, one girl from peru and myself from india. It takes one period to adjust and work efficiently in the team(50% marks are team based assignments and 50% final exams on individual). So in period two you are in your comfort zone with the team, start performing well and Period 3 boom ! the team is changed again. Now you have one guy from saudi, one from columbia etc etc. You take one period(P3) to adjust, 2nd one(P4) you do well and team is changed again !!!
d) Diversity: I have already spoken about it, around 75 students from over 20 birth countries.
e) Amazing Macro and Finance Faculty: Just to give you a hint look at our Macro prof's profile: http://neumann.hec.ca/pages/nicolas.vincent/cv.pdf
(He is Ph.D., Economics from Kellogg and has also worked as Economist, U.S. Division, Department of Finance, Government of Canada)

well I had enough personal reasons to join HEC, but you should carefully weigh your options.

Let me know in case of any query....I am all ears to clear your doubts....

Hi Mukul,

I really appreciate what you are doing! :cheers:

I have been going through a few business school profiles and what scares me the most is the cost!! After much research i have narrowed it down to HEC Montreal (another reason being that we as a family have applied for Canadian Immigration (PR)). I am a Chartered Accountant and have about 6 years of work experience in the banking domain (financial analyst). I am hoping to take the GMAT in Jan.
It would be very helpful if you could give me an idea of the placements and are Indian students at a disadvantage as companies prefer to hire local talent (especially considering that HEC is in the french speaking part of Canada). Apologies if you have already answered this question and i have missed it out!

Regards

Alex

Good to see such an active HEC montreal 2012 thread. Good job Mukul and team.

Hello Mukul,

Thank you for insight into HEC Montreal. I am looking forward to applying to this school for the fall session. I wanted to know a few things:

1. How is the job scene for people with limited french skills; especially if they choose a stream which is more people interactive like Business Development, consulting or strategy? And how is networking out-side of the campus for a non-french speaker?

2. How much time do you really have to develop language skills? I mean, being a 1 year MBA, it must be running on a tight schedule (I saw one of your earlier posts too :)).

I am really impressed by the study part at HEC, also as much as I have heard about Montreal, I really like the city. I did get some info from a colleague who is an alum but he is a native french speaker, so I'm not sure if he would be able to objectively respond to these questions. (I'm assuming that you were not conversant in french before u got there or I'm making an ass of myself here. )

Hi Guys,
How is it going?

Just to inform you; 2 of the students in the present batch are coming to India for 2 weeks winter break and would cover hyderabad, mumbai, pune, chennai. (will confirm the exact date and city later).

They are coming for personal trip but would be more than willing to meet you guys. Let me know your interest level.

Thanks,
Mukul

Hi Mukul

how are you mate. great job on this thread BTW, the province of Qubec itself is given a special treatement in Canada I guess. Is it possible to move from Qubec to other canadian provinces or is there any limit on the same? Secondly, what is a very unique point of the program that you cant find in anywhere else ( like team based MBA of Queens )?

One more doubt :

Suppose I secure admission in HEC Montreal. Will it be a problem to bring my wife on dependant visa? If yes, Can she try for any job though she comes on dependant visa?

Hi Guys,
How is it going?

Just to inform you; 2 of the students in the present batch are coming to India for 2 weeks winter break and would cover hyderabad, mumbai, pune, chennai. (will confirm the exact date and city later).

They are coming for personal trip but would be more than willing to meet you guys. Let me know your interest level.

Thanks,
Mukul

Hi Mukul and other HEC -Mont. MBAs

Pls let me know how is the qulaity of education in HEC-M and the job prospects after graduating in this times of crisis.

My Gmat is 650.
Around 4-5 Work ex as technology and Banking Analyst
Have international exp.
Very good acads
Additional Post Graduation Degree in Finance (1 year Diploma from IMT-Ghaziabd)


Pls know if my profile is good enough for admissions

Hi gourav,
I have already given list of profs teaching us in P1, will update the list with profs for P2. That will answer your quality of education part.
Job prospects-I have spoken a lot about it....it is more like:

you getting a job post mba= f(learning in mba,past experience,international exp, quality of bachelors, quality of past work-ex, your self-selling ability, another variable, another variable...and 10 more variables)

How do you want me to solve this above equation for you ?? I hope you get my point...

About profile it is kind of similar function as above....write good essays and give a nice interview and you should do pretty well !!!!

Regards,
Mukul

Hi,

I have applied to Montreal MBA. COuld someone please guide me for the Referral submission procedure.

I have mailed the Referral PDF to my refrees but while submitting , outlook needs to be configured on the system , which they don't have. Is there any other way the referrals can be submitted. I have also mailed to the Admission group mail id , but hasn't got any response yet.

Thanks
Mayank

Hi Mayank...
is your problem resolved?

-Mukul

Hi Mukaul,

I am 28 yr old Chartered Accountant from Mumbai (Also CFA L-1 cleared), having total 9 years of experience (5 years post my CA).

I have good workex in hardcore Corporate Finance & it has been considered good by many people from MBA point of view.

But flip part is my GMAT score of 570. I have no time to reapper due to workload and approacing deadlines................

Do u think my profile fits into College requirements......also post MBA what are placement & PR oppertunities.


Regds-

Hi,
Yes your profile very well fits into the school's profile....placements should be very good since you are already have finance background + HEC is very famous for finance !!
About PR, there are many options-it is easy and difficult as well...we can discuss more over phone if you like...it is difficult to type everything..

Cheers,
Mukul

Hey Guys..sorry for not being regular....exams just got over..and just to tell you why is the program called 1 year intensive...then check this schedule:
we had our last classes on tue,wed,thursday.....exams on fri, sat and sunday...and regular classes for period 2 from tuesday(were supposed to be from monday but it was thanks giving).....

let me answer your queries one by one..
sorry for late reply again....I apologize...

Hi Mukul and other HEC -Mont. MBAs

Pls let me know how is the qulaity of education in HEC-M and the job prospects after graduating in this times of crisis.

My Gmat is 650.
Around 4-5 Work ex as technology and Banking Analyst
Have international exp.
Very good acads
Additional Post Graduation Degree in Finance (1 year Diploma from IMT-Ghaziabd)


Pls know if my profile is good enough for admissions

Hi,

I have 4 years experince in IT . Currently working in J Morgan Chase India. MY GMAT is 610.
Grad - 78%
12 - 77%
Extra curricular - good

Hi,

I have applied to Montreal MBA. COuld someone please guide me for the Referral submission procedure.

I have mailed the Referral PDF to my refrees but while submitting , outlook needs to be configured on the system , which they don't have. Is there any other way the referrals can be submitted. I have also mailed to the Admission group mail id , but hasn't got any response yet.

Thanks
Mayank

Hello Mayank,

My suggestion to you would be to go for the 'paper version' which can be downloaded here HEC Montral |

get the details filled by the referees and mail it to the school. ATB

and yeah could you please share your profile , GMAT scores etc .

Regards,

Hi,

I have applied to Montreal MBA. COuld someone please guide me for the Referral submission procedure.

I have mailed the Referral PDF to my refrees but while submitting , outlook needs to be configured on the system , which they don't have. Is there any other way the referrals can be submitted. I have also mailed to the Admission group mail id , but hasn't got any response yet.

Thanks
Mayank

Hi Mukaul,

I am 28 yr old Chartered Accountant from Mumbai (Also CFA L-1 cleared), having total 9 years of experience (5 years post my CA).

I have good workex in hardcore Corporate Finance & it has been considered good by many people from MBA point of view.

But flip part is my GMAT score of 570. I have no time to reapper due to workload and approacing deadlines................

Do u think my profile fits into College requirements......also post MBA what are placement & PR oppertunities.


Regds-

Onky,

Here is my 2 cents worth of understanding,

Well if you have a Excellent GPA(or Percentage ) in your post-secondary education and if you are confident of generating some really good references by the dint of your quality work ex .Here i am assuming, that you've worked in some very reputed MNCs for a good number of years
Then you can try with the current GMAT score .

ATB,

Hi Mukaul,

I am 28 yr old Chartered Accountant from Mumbai (Also CFA L-1 cleared), having total 9 years of experience (5 years post my CA).

I have good workex in hardcore Corporate Finance & it has been considered good by many people from MBA point of view.

But flip part is my GMAT score of 570. I have no time to reapper due to workload and approacing deadlines................

Do u think my profile fits into College requirements......also post MBA what are placement & PR oppertunities.


Regds-

Hello Mukul,

----
Budget 22 lacs (maximum)

---

Can you please provide me the list of appropriate Universities suiting my profile and Budget (of course). I have done research on the following B-schools.

Sauder/Schulich/ Rotman/ Desautels/Queens/ Ivey/ Mc Gill. (but they seem to be out of my budget)

Also what is the probability of my getting admitted and receiving some amount of Scholarships from HEC Montreal.
Is it possible to get 2 years post study work permit after graduation from HEC Montreal.

Thanks in advance for your help and time.
Sourav

Hi Sourav,
If your budget(22 lacs) includes living expenses then you are correct; most of the bschools abroad are out of your purview(keeping in mind your 660 gmat).
At 660, it is very difficult to say the 'amount' of scholarship you will get. But considering the worst case scenario( 0 scholarship), tuition fees+living expenses will be under 20 lacs inr...

Since its been an year since I researched; I am trying to find out the excel I created last year having 25 lacs as my budget that I would share with you. But you need to give me couple of days for it. In case i forget do remind me..thanks...

-Mukul

Dear Mukul,

-----
Work ex - 4 yrs by Oct 11. Combination of IT + analytics.. i made the domain switch after couple of yrs in IT.

Post MBA goal: Management consulting

Can you tell me what is the least years of work ex in your batch and does my profile suit HEC?

Thanks,
Eminem

Hi,
I believe min work-ex in current batch is 4 years, and yes the profile definitely suits HEC. Good job with gmat, you 'should' get a generous scholarship if your essays and interview go very well !

Regards,
Mukul
PS: Infact since your work-ex is mostly in analytics, I will update you later with other interesting stuff on analytics going on in HEC. Kind of very busy right now so remind me later to tell you more about it.

Hello Mukul,

First of all "A Big thank you for your Informative/ well Researched post".

Please find my profile below. From your earlier posts it seems that you have done a lot of investigation about MBA in Canada. I hope you can help me with my queries.

My profile is as follows:
GMAT - 660 / 5 (AWA) -- taken august, 11.
TOEFL IBT-- 103 --oct, 2010
B.Tech - 79.5 % from a private college in India
(10+2)--- 65.2%
10 th ----- 89.2%
Extra Currics - Voluntary Social Service.
Work experience - 6 yrs 4 months yrs by Oct, 11. (Telecom engineer and Domain Consultant).
Break up--- 2 yrs 5 months ( Telecom engineer-- Reliance Communications)
1 year 8 months (Telecom engineer-- Vodafone Essar )
2 years 3 months (Capgemini Consulting-- Telecom technical consultant)
MBA (1 Year or 1.5 years)-- Specialization in Telecom/ International Business/ Marketing.

Budget --- 22 lacs (maximum)

Post MBA Goal ( any suitable profile out of this list ) --
Telecom Business Analyst/ Consultant/ Architect.
Business Development Manager in Telecom/ Media /Entertainment domain.
Management Consultant in TME industry.
Marketing Manager/Analyst in Telecom/Media/Entertainment domain.

Target Companies-- Bell, Rogers Telecom, Deloitte,KPMG, Nokia Siemens, RIM, Alcatel Lucent

Can you please provide me the list of appropriate Universities suiting my profile and Budget (of course). I have done research on the following B-schools.

Sauder/Schulich/ Rotman/ Desautels/Queens/ Ivey/ Mc Gill. (but they seem to be out of my budget)

Also what is the probability of my getting admitted and receiving some amount of Scholarships from HEC Montreal.
Is it possible to get 2 years post study work permit after graduation from HEC Montreal.

Thanks in advance for your help and time.
Sourav

Hi Ayon,

Please find your answers below:

1. In my opinion, HEC-M is not in that race, considering average gmat is still 620-630. You can be assured of an interview call at 630 if your essays are well written coz your experience falls in the 'desirable' range.

2. To some extent true. To give you an example suppose batch size for 2012-13 is 80; HEC would 'generally'(looking at historical data) not take more than 8 indians in the batch. Suppose it so happens that many indians with similar profile as yours(in terms of exp, quality of essays, interview etc) apply then you may lose to them if they have much higher gmat than yours. But trust me, there are so many 'other' factors that probability of you losing to some Indian applicant solely on the basis of gmat is less than 5%.

3. Your research is well justified, but you will have few competing students in the batch in terms of your dream companies and in terms of your past exprience considering people want to shift to consulting and finance roles. Have belief in yourself; if you are best at what you do, you will be the first one to find a job.

4. Yes 'Schulich, Ivey, Rotman, Queens' are most popular. Where they score above HEC is on location. McGill despite being in Montreal is very famous as it is an 'english' university. HEC though oldest among all(1907), is a french school with only 1 program i.e. 1 year MBA running in english. Same 1 year course is offered in French too but the stregth is 1/3rd of the English section.
Let me compare HEC with other 4 schools mentioned above in different parameters:

a) Faculty: Equal(I gave you the link of the profs teaching us in first sem). You can compare the same with other schools in canada. Every school has list of faculty. Make sure you only look at permanent faculty and not the visiting ones.

b) Class size: Different students have different views on same. Huge batch size is a plus coz of alumni factor but small batch size is a plus in terms of learning and individual attention in the class. I wanted to go for small Batch size, but there is no right or wrong 'view point' on this. Be clear with your priority i.e. big batch or small batch.
c) Fees: One of the most important factors for me at least. May not be applicable to you. HEC's fees is 30k and rest all 4 are in league of 100k. Apart from tuition fees living expenses in Montreal are much less than Toronto.

d) Duration: Some people prefer 1 year course, some 1.5 or 2 year course. With your post-mba goals and previous experience I would suggest a 1 year MBA for you. Please take your time to think on this, as I believe this is one of the most important factors.

e) Total Expenses: Duration also adds to your expenses. Oppurtunity cost for out of job for 2 years+staying in toronto+paying huge tuition fees was just too much for me. Do find out 'total' expenses from passed out students in above 4 colleges and then you can derive some conclusions. Living expenses are a significant factor when you are staying abroad. I did these calculations for every bschool I applied to in Canada, would suggest you to do the same. If you do not get hold of any ex-student then every college's website has yearly living expenses mentioned.

let me know in case you have further queries....Best of luck !

Mukul ,

Good stuff .

Kudos,

Hi Ayon,


c) Fees: One of the most important factors for me at least. May not be applicable to you. HEC's fees is 30k and rest all 4 are in league of 100k. Apart from tuition fees living expenses in Montreal are much less than Toronto.

d) Duration: Some people prefer 1 year course, some 1.5 or 2 year course. With your post-mba goals and previous experience I would suggest a 1 year MBA for you. Please take your time to think on this, as I believe this is one of the most important factors.

e) Total Expenses: Duration also adds to your expenses. Oppurtunity cost for out of job for 2 years+staying in toronto+paying huge tuition fees was just too much for me. Do find out 'total' expenses from passed out students in above 4 colleges and then you can derive some conclusions. Living expenses are a significant factor when you are staying abroad. I did these calculations for every bschool I applied to in Canada, would suggest you to do the same. If you do not get hold of any ex-student then every college's website has yearly living expenses mentioned.

let me know in case you have further queries....Best of luck !

Dear Mukul,

Your detailed inputs are very helpful and indeed very frank, honest !! Thanks.

I have been looking at business schools across the world (US, Europe, Canada, Asia) for past month or so.

Finances/funds are a huge concern for me too and that's the reason I have been doing a lot of research - to find a 'fit' as they say. Few factors that matter to me are: Brand name, my post Mba goals alignment with that of school strengths, location (in short post mba opps in my desired field), expenses, duration of the course

Here is a snapshot of my profile:

Working as a Senior Analyst in Marketing Analytics.

GMAT - 720 / 5.5
B.E - 70% from a private college in India
Extra Currics - Strong
Comm - not much
Work ex - 4 yrs by Oct 11. Combination of IT + analytics.. i made the domain switch after couple of yrs in IT.

Post MBA goal: Management consulting

Can you tell me what is the least years of work ex in your batch and does my profile suit HEC?

Thanks,
Eminem

Hello Mukul,

Thanks for starting the thread.

my snap shot:
I am a telecommunications engineer in my present role as technical consultant in Nokia Siemens Networks.

.......
.......

BR
Ayon

Hi Ayon,

Please find your answers below:

1. In my opinion, HEC-M is not in that race, considering average gmat is still 620-630. You can be assured of an interview call at 630 if your essays are well written coz your experience falls in the 'desirable' range.

2. To some extent true. To give you an example suppose batch size for 2012-13 is 80; HEC would 'generally'(looking at historical data) not take more than 8 indians in the batch. Suppose it so happens that many indians with similar profile as yours(in terms of exp, quality of essays, interview etc) apply then you may lose to them if they have much higher gmat than yours. But trust me, there are so many 'other' factors that probability of you losing to some Indian applicant solely on the basis of gmat is less than 5%.

3. Your research is well justified, but you will have few competing students in the batch in terms of your dream companies and in terms of your past exprience considering people want to shift to consulting and finance roles. Have belief in yourself; if you are best at what you do, you will be the first one to find a job.

4. Yes 'Schulich, Ivey, Rotman, Queens' are most popular. Where they score above HEC is on location. McGill despite being in Montreal is very famous as it is an 'english' university. HEC though oldest among all(1907), is a french school with only 1 program i.e. 1 year MBA running in english. Same 1 year course is offered in French too but the stregth is 1/3rd of the English section.
Let me compare HEC with other 4 schools mentioned above in different parameters:

a) Faculty: Equal(I gave you the link of the profs teaching us in first sem). You can compare the same with other schools in canada. Every school has list of faculty. Make sure you only look at permanent faculty and not the visiting ones.

b) Class size: Different students have different views on same. Huge batch size is a plus coz of alumni factor but small batch size is a plus in terms of learning and individual attention in the class. I wanted to go for small Batch size, but there is no right or wrong 'view point' on this. Be clear with your priority i.e. big batch or small batch.
c) Fees: One of the most important factors for me at least. May not be applicable to you. HEC's fees is 30k and rest all 4 are in league of 100k. Apart from tuition fees living expenses in Montreal are much less than Toronto.

d) Duration: Some people prefer 1 year course, some 1.5 or 2 year course. With your post-mba goals and previous experience I would suggest a 1 year MBA for you. Please take your time to think on this, as I believe this is one of the most important factors.

e) Total Expenses: Duration also adds to your expenses. Oppurtunity cost for out of job for 2 years+staying in toronto+paying huge tuition fees was just too much for me. Do find out 'total' expenses from passed out students in above 4 colleges and then you can derive some conclusions. Living expenses are a significant factor when you are staying abroad. I did these calculations for every bschool I applied to in Canada, would suggest you to do the same. If you do not get hold of any ex-student then every college's website has yearly living expenses mentioned.

let me know in case you have further queries....Best of luck !

Hello Mukul,

Thanks for starting the thread.

my snap shot:
I am a telecommunications engineer in my present role as technical consultant in Nokia Siemens Networks. (Gather inputs from customer and design the mobile network with possible pitfalls & bottleneck in mind)
2 months international workex in Eastern Europe.
GMAt 630 (3rd attempt & highest marks)
TOEFL 105
TOEIC 955
Work ex 5.3 years by Fall 2012 while age will be 27 [PS i noticed that avg work ex is 7 and age 32... I will have 7 year WE when I'll be 29!, will it be in my favour?]
BTech in ECE from an avg pvt college with 70% marks.

my query
1) Majority of B schools in North America (NAMe) region give GMAT too much weightage vis a vis their counterparts in Europe, where work experience (quality and not only quantity) is give precedence over GMAT.

I understand that many B schools try to engineer incomming class so as to increase their average GMAT as it is in direct correlation with various ranking and marketing schemes in longer run.

In your opinion and by your experience, is HEC Montreal also in that rat race?

2) Desis are used by several schools to improve their class profile statistics, so with Indian passport and 630 GMAT i maybe shunned out of admission race, but I may be in with the same score and Estonian passport (just speculation). Do you believe that desi's with 630 & 5+ year WE will be looked upon seriously by the HEC admissions team?

3) Canada's economy is majorily Banking / finance & Consulting oriented (I am not mentioned Oil, gas & forestery). While I have no direct interest in Banking & I understand that for consulting GMAT too plays a big part. Does other areas notably Operations (not SCM!) given attention in Canada?
[ I want to do MBA in Operations & Finance (risk), later rejoin Telecommunications industry in Canada, in added capacity as Business Solution Manager in NSN, Ericsson, Alcatel Lucent, Bell, Rogers etc.]


4) of all the Canadian's I have meet, they say that Schulich, Ivey, Rotmann are best known. While I am more interested towards Montreal based schools John Molsen, Mcgill, and HEC. these institutions are also well known but for their undergrad, law, medicine, PhD , executive MBA etc. How strong do you feel is their Full Time MBA course when compared to other Canadian MBA course (Ivey, rotman, Sauder, Schulich, queens)?

BR
Ayon

sir can you tell me a few renowned colleges whose finance courses rather corporate finance courses are renowned..my budget is very less (max-21 lakhs in present day scenario)..i cannot afford more than that..although i've still time on my hands before going for an mba considering that i dont have the requisite number of w.ex year under my belt but still if i get to know the name of the colleges i can do a bit more research on them...also i'm saying 21 lakh course fee in the current scenario ,when i'll go for my mba i'm sure the course fee wont be 21 lakh but it will increase a bit more..but still if the course fee now is 20-21 lakh i dont think after a few years it would be 40-50 lakh...it'll for sure increase but the rise in fees would still be within my budget then...i hope i can make you understand what i'm trying to say..
TIA....

Sorry, wrong thread to post your query and wrong question to ask too; do your own research, come back to me(personal message and not on common forum) with your findings and then I may be able to help you.
I hope you get my point.
Thanks.

mukul911 Says

I would suggest you to go for a 2 year mba and not 1 year considering you have no prior degree and experience in finance.

sir can you tell me a few renowned colleges whose finance courses rather corporate finance courses are renowned..my budget is very less (max-21 lakhs in present day scenario)..i cannot afford more than that..although i've still time on my hands before going for an mba considering that i dont have the requisite number of w.ex year under my belt but still if i get to know the name of the colleges i can do a bit more research on them...also i'm saying 21 lakh course fee in the current scenario ,when i'll go for my mba i'm sure the course fee wont be 21 lakh but it will increase a bit more..but still if the course fee now is 20-21 lakh i dont think after a few years it would be 40-50 lakh...it'll for sure increase but the rise in fees would still be within my budget then...i hope i can make you understand what i'm trying to say..
TIA....

skctee Says

sir i'm b.tech (bio medical engg)..but i have no interest in it and want to shift to finance ..i plan to apply with good amt .of w.ex like 5-6 years and my w.ex would be in PSU Banking (commercial banking)..but i would like to shift to the corporate finance domain post mba..

I would suggest you to go for a 2 year mba and not 1 year considering you have no prior degree and experience in finance.

It is mixture of both...right now companies are coming to campus...today is deloitte, and in next 10 days BMO, RBC, CIBC, Casgrain, Banque Nationale etc are coming.

I have no clue about your background..plz tell what you have done(degree and experience) so that I can give my suggestions...

Excerpt from wiki page of HEC: 'HEC Montral is also well known for being a centre of financial expertise.On june 22 2009, the Financial Times listed HEC Montral's Msc programmes in finance (MSc in Finance, MSc in Financial Engineering and MSc in Financial Economics) among the best MSc in Finance programmes in the world.'

I gave wiki link in my 2nd post, you 'should' have read it along with other links I gave. If you have not done so, please do it.

And do let me know your background so that I can advice you better.

Thanks.

sir i'm b.tech (bio medical engg)..but i have no interest in it and want to shift to finance ..i plan to apply with good amt .of w.ex like 5-6 years and my w.ex would be in PSU Banking (commercial banking)..but i would like to shift to the corporate finance domain post mba..

1.how's the placement there i mean is it the conventional Indian way or does a student need to reach out to the companies...

2.secondly i want to do mba in finance and my inclination is towards corporate finance.... so should i consider HEC Montreal ..i mean how's it for finance..

TIA..

It is mixture of both...right now companies are coming to campus...today is deloitte, and in next 10 days BMO, RBC, CIBC, Casgrain, Banque Nationale etc are coming.

I have no clue about your background..plz tell what you have done(degree and experience) so that I can give my suggestions...

Excerpt from wiki page of HEC: 'HEC Montral is also well known for being a centre of financial expertise.On june 22 2009, the Financial Times listed HEC Montral's Msc programmes in finance (MSc in Finance, MSc in Financial Engineering and MSc in Financial Economics) among the best MSc in Finance programmes in the world.'

I gave wiki link in my 2nd post, you 'should' have read it along with other links I gave. If you have not done so, please do it.

And do let me know your background so that I can advice you better.

Thanks.

1.how's the placement there i mean is it the conventional Indian way or does a student need to reach out to the companies...

2.secondly i want to do mba in finance and my inclination is towards corporate finance.... so should i consider HEC Montreal ..i mean how's it for finance..

TIA..

And an advise to all prospective students; please do some research before posting your queries. For questions such as average age/exp/batch size/course fees/living expenses etc...you can find details on the school's website.

Try to ask questions where you could not find answer on the internet and on school's website. This will save your and my time as well. I am here to solve your personal and important queries and not 'general' queries to which you can find answer almost everywhere !

I hope you all will appreciate the effort my team is putting to help you know the school better.

Thanks for the understanding.

Continue asking your doubts; hope we can see you all in Montreal next summer

1. whats the avg w.ex of the class
2.how much does school grades matter or only college grades matter or if both.
3.does a good GMAT score help.
4.is scholarship available before admission or after admission (sorry for sounding a bit ignorant..i'm new to this mba school admissions under GMAT)
5.minimum how much scholarship is available.
6.what's the total cost including course fee ,living expenses..etc etc...

TIA

1. Average workex of the present batch is 7 years and average age is 32 years.
2. Undergrad grades matter much more than your 10th and 12th.
3. a big YES
4. First step is to secure admission. School can not offer scholarship unless they give you admission !
5. Minimum 0 to maximum 80%.
6. Course fees this year was 30k CAD for international students. Living expenses can be roughly between 8k-10k CAD for full year.

1. whats the avg w.ex of the class
2.how much does school grades matter or only college grades matter or if both.
3.does a good GMAT score help.
4.is scholarship available before admission or after admission (sorry for sounding a bit ignorant..i'm new to this mba school admissions under GMAT)
5.minimum how much scholarship is available.
6.what's the total cost including course fee ,living expenses..etc etc...

TIA

Mukul ,

Appreciate the prompt reply and the inputs . I'd like to add that i've done some good work in the organisation i've worked in and should be able to generate some good references by my supervisors . I also have some community service, extra curricular activities to talk about in my application . Been a jack of all trades . Keeping my fingers crossed .

Kind Regards,

Good..very good...best of luck !
keep me updated and ping me in case of any issues...

Mukul ,

Appreciate the prompt reply and the inputs . I'd like to add that i've done some good work in the organisation i've worked in and should be able to generate some good references by my supervisors . I also have some community service, extra curricular activities to talk about in my application . Been a jack of all trades . Keeping my fingers crossed .

Kind Regards,

Hello Mukul ,

I have Close to 5 years of Work Ex in IT Industry here in India . I am holding a Bachelor's of Engineering Degree from Mumbai University . Recently i Gave the GMAT and scored a 610 . My Graduation percentage is 57.84 % . Is this good Enough for the MBA program at HEC Montreal ? I will not require a scholarship . I wish to start my MBA in 2012 at HEC .

Well considering GMAT and graduation % is on a lower side(4 indians in current batch have average gmat of 700), make sure you do very well in your essays and interview to compensate for your low gmat.
Its the 'overall' profile that matters and not just the gmat and undergrad score. But make sure you do excellent in the things that are in your hand now i.e. essays and interview.

Thanks Mukul for the prompt reply.
I have applied for the admission by sending the scanned copies of the transcripts and other documents.

What is the placement scenario there? are the placements local and how important is the knowledge of french language. I have started taking classes in french though.

Thanks again

For placements - non French people generally move to Toronto and other places to pursue job oppurtunities as companies in Montreal 'generally' prefer people who are bilingual.

But having said that it is a great opportunity to learn french and you shouldnt miss it. Try to learn it as much as possible before coming here.

HEC Montral was founded in 1907 by the Chambre de commerce de Montral, and celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2007. HEC Montral currently has fifty research centres, including 22 research chairs. The student body is made up of approximately 12,000 students and the faculty consists of 250 professors.

HEC Montral's 12-month Intensive MBA program, offered in French and in English, brings together over 100 students from 20 different countries. The School holds the three most prestigious international accreditations, from AACSB International (United States), AMBA (United Kingdom) and EQUIS (Europe).

Official website : HEC Montral Business School | Montral, Qubec, Canada

More about the School and Rankings : HEC Montral - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Latest Rankings(August 2011) : http://blogs-images.forbes.com/kurtbadenhausen/files/2011/08/Best-1-year-non-US-bschools1.png

Important links:

Economist : Which MBA? HEC Montral
Business Week : Hec Montreal: Full-Time MBA Profile - BusinessWeek
MBA Tour : The MBA Tour: HEC Montral

Take your time to go through the above links and learn more about HEC Montral and feel free to post any query which comes to your mind.

Best of luck for your admissions.

Hello Mukul ,

I wish to start my MBA in 2012 at HEC .

Thanks Mukul for the prompt reply.
I have applied for the admission by sending the scanned copies of the transcripts and other documents.

What is the placement scenario there? are the placements local and how important is the knowledge of french language. I have started taking classes in french though.

Thanks again

Hello Mukul,

Thanks for the info. I wanted to know bout the scholarship oppurtunities available in HEC Montreal.
My profile:

3 years work experience
gmat 660
bachelors in hotel management(bangalore) and 1 year post graduate diploma from humber college toronto

Thank you.

Hi Rohit,
There are various kind of Scholarships available...to start with...the entrance scholarship is based on your overall profile; gmat score, essays, work experience etc etc..it varies from one individual to another.
after you get in the school most of the scholarships are based on merit i.e. how you perform in exams.

Regards,
Mukul

Hello All,

This is Suresh here, a current student of the intensive MBA program at HEC Montreal.

As you would often hear from MBA students and admissions committee, it is difficult to give an exact answer on admission prospects based only on GMAT scores. From what I know, HEC Montreal gives weightage to GMAT scores because that is the only common denominator for all candidates. However, the GMAT requirement is not that high. I will try to find out the average GMAT score for this year from the adcom. The average work experience for our batch is 7 yrs.

Should you have any questions about the program, please write to us and we will address those.

Regards,
Suresh