Why an HEC (ISA) MBA in Paris?

As I grew up, the opportunity to study or work in Japan, France or the U.S. was one that I enjoyed. Aside from the nature of the opportunity or the people I would find, there was one important condition for making my choice to go abroad which is a bit peculiar and deserves mention: That my studies or work be in the language and mentality of the country. Hence, when I chose to study in Japan, I chose the most traditional all Japanese high school or firm and then later Keio University for which all my courses were in Japanese. In France, the obvious choice for me was HEC (the only MBA to which I applied in Europe). Although I had good friends who were very happy with INSEAD and respect that institution immensely, I did not apply there because it did not make sense for someone like me to pursue an MBA in France in English. If I had wanted to do that, I would have stayed in the states.

Although HEC is becoming more and more international, what attracted me was its reputation in France, and large active network (20,000 alumni) which is very helpful if you want to do something interesting in Europe. When I emphasize HEC's reputation in France, it is because most Americans have never heard of L'enat, Science Politiques or HEC for that matter. Humility is a good thing on the international level and healthy in life in general. The only school that most Americans know in France is the Sorbonne…and just to be fair… the French are not much better than their American counterparts citing only Harvard and perhaps MIT or Stanford.

If elite French schools are seeking greater international recognition in a global economy, then I think HEC is on to something. Their large number (35) of alliances to top Business schools in the US and abroad -- including excellent business schools such as Wharton, Columbia and Berkeley in the U.S., Keio in Tokyo and the Fletcher school of Law & Diplomacy in Boston (not all diplomats.. alumni including anyone from the former President of Exon and the current CEO of Xerox Corp.) -- is a brilliant move in internationalizing HEC's brand name. A small personal proof that its international reputation is working? Last year, when I moved out of my apartment before moving to France another MBA had moved in. When she asked where I was off to, I responded HEC and not expecting her to know a school in France, I immediately proceeded to give an explanation. Much to my surprise she said immediately oh..yes…H-E-C...one of the brighter students in my Columbia class was an HEC MBA from ISA on exchange. It's an excellent MBA.

Slowly, but surely, if HEC (ISA) continues to make the right moves, I believe that they can become a truly global player through their alliances and an active commitment from alums and students. I feel it is starting..just last week a former HEC and now Venture Capitalist in Silicon Valley contacted me and expressed interest in helping in this direction. This year students have gotten actively involved in helping entrepreneurs and there is movement from MBA students to shake the system. HEC (ISA) also has fantastic alumni representatives in New York such as Etienne Lamairesse who was willing -- even as a busy CEO -- to take out time from his busy schedule to meet me in Paris on one of his short trips here.

What I think about MBAs and an MBA at HEC?

I think an MBA is what you make of it. It has nothing to do with the ratings that seem to change every year-but what you bring to your program and what you are willing to do afterwards. That may not be a very French perspective which tends to focus on what school you came from. Perhaps I am not entirely French.

Even after being accepted into HEC (ISA) I wasn't sure about being an MBA student. At the Fletcher school of Law and Diplomacy, I was surrounded with international students that were driven by so many career interests. There are no two students alike at Fletcher. Since I find the diversity of the people one of the greatest assets any school can offer, I was afraid to come to business school and be bored - of finding a "cookie cutter" business student too busy with accounting to notice the dynamic world around him or her. Instead, I surprised (and worried) myself as I became fascinated with accounting. Not because of the subject in itself, but because of a brilliant, dynamic and cultivated French Professor who managed to render the subject both comprehensible and fascinating. I felt as if I was at the theatre and not a first year struggling through a balance sheet. And believe me I struggled in accounting and struggled in French.

More important to me, the nature of the students were unique. While at Fletcher, my only experience with MBAs was at Harvard, where I took one fourth of my classes (in law, business, and at the university). I was impressed with HBS (Harvard Business School's) students' ability to read a case twenty minutes before class, and yet speak so eloquently that they could convince you that they had worked for that company for the last ten years. Yet with a few striking and worthwhile exceptions (a dear friend of mine from HBS was a Franco-Vietnamese who grew up as a child in Vietnam, studied in Paris/US and worked in three continents), I found that many at HBS had a very similar view of the world738230a mold perhaps coming from a majority having had investment banking and consulting jobs. For better or for worse, at HEC (ISA), I found the background of students were outside this mold. In addition, many came with personal projects that were entrepreneurial in nature or were quite adventurous in their career choices. This includes one of my friends who didn't go far in his previous studies in France, founded a company and just prior to ISA sold it to France Telecom. And the school was flexible enough to allow dynamic people like him to build on this diversity and strength. He has now taught courses on the internet and the web to many of his fellow HEC colleagues who are web hungry. We also worked together to evaluate the HEC internet strategy. Last I spoke to him, he started a new startup in internet/telecom.

This diversity, however is not always easy to swallow nor should be judged on nationality alone. A majority of students at HEC ISA (around 70%? ) are engineers and hence I found the education more quantitative than second year classes at Harvard. From experience, I think, that strategy, marketing and organizational behavior are just as important as coming up with the so called "right" numbers depending on one's subjective assumptions of the business environment. Obviously, a natural balance between the quantitative and qualitative is critical for any program. Suffering from this obsession with quantification is not unique to HEC. I toiled even more at Fletcher in Professor Jacque's notorious finance class (he previously taught at Wharton which is well known for their number crunching). Professor Jacque's class was easily equivalent in work load to two HBS classes. I made sure to avoid his electives at ISA! He is an extraordinary Professor.

In general, the sixteen-month program gives HEC (ISA) an edge over shorter one-year programs. One of my good friends who wanted a real career switch chose to come to ISA over INSEAD -- where he was also accepted -- precisely because of the duration of the ISA program which would allow him more time to go into depth in the areas of his interest. I remember being told by a consultant who was recruiting both at INSEAD and HEC that the difference between the students is that with INSEAD the quality depends on what the person did before INSEAD (and from my knowledge and experience from friends that go there they pick excellent people), whereas with HEC they are technically impressed regardless of prior background. Of course this is only normal as most of my friends from INSEAD had to spend a great deal of their time job searching right from the beginning of the one year program - which means they have a little less time to focus on finance or course work.

As far as improvements, I can think of a few. Although HEC is probably more flexible than most MBAs, I think they can do better. I was used to in Boston "creating" one fourth of my classes with Professors, and would have liked to have had at HEC the room for one elective right from the start of the program. Given the exceptionally strong emphasis at HEC on teamwork, I know that this would create a nightmare with scheduling, but some nightmares may be well worth it. I believe that particularly with students who have an entrepreneurial project in mind, we cannot afford to wait until the first two semesters are over to begin our projects. The curriculum has to be open to real entrepreneurs and right from the first day. And I know the administration is moving in that direction.

I also believe there should be more co-ordination amongst schools in France. In the US at Fletcher, due to arrangements with the schools I could take courses at Harvard University, Harvard law school and business school - even MIT was game. Here in France I would like to see more co-ordination between HEC, Polytechnique and Centrale particularly where it concerns startups and high-tech. Informally, some of this is beginning and it is exciting. Yet there remains much to be done.

Europe is an exciting place and it needs to keep its brightest people on their toes. It would be a pity to have many of the brightest leaving to Silicon. My hope is that HEC alums get involved with MBA students who are active in this area and help foster and encourage startups in Europe. Some Professors such as Santi and Krieger are fantastic in entrepreneurship providing us students with insights and valuable contacts in the field. Other international strategy Professors such as Douglass Orton are helping students organize conferences on high tech.

We are at a critical stage where the next few years really count. This is one boat that HEC cannot afford to miss.

Written By Nathalie Ishizuka, 2/13/00