How to get the most out of your MBA—according to recent graduates

With so many opportunities available to you as an MBA student, it can be difficult to know where to place your focus.

Should you prioritize gaining work experience, learning about a new culture, networking, or simply enjoying studying in a new country? And, is it possible to do everything during one MBA?

We spoke to two HEC Paris MBA graduates, Daniel and Nishka, to find out how they made the most of their MBA.

Be intentional with your MBA goals

Setting goals for your MBA can help you ensure you don’t get distracted. For Daniel Saenz, from Peru, outlining what he was looking to achieve at HEC Paris helped him feel confident that pursuing an MBA was the right next step.

“If you’re going to take a risk and stop working for two years, it has to pay off,” he says.

Having worked in commercial and strategic roles for Coca-Cola and P&G, Daniel had core goals for his MBA: to maximize the experience through networking, travel, and learning French; and to continue growing in his career, ideally landing a role in France after graduation.

He suggests being realistic when setting such goals. “An MBA isn’t magic,” he says, but it can help you get to the next step—or even change careers—if you put the work in.

Having outlined his goals from the outset, Daniel focused on finding a job and studying courses that interested him. He was also keen to explore the luxury sector and hoped the MBA would facilitate this.

Nishka Hemrajh, an HEC Paris MBA graduate from South Africa, took a different approach to goal setting. Although unsure about her preferred post-MBA role, Nishka's background in actuarial science and investment consulting inspired her to set a different focus for each of the MBA’s four distinct terms.

During her first term, she strove to try as many new experiences as possible.

“If there was a trade-off between another tech event or something completely different, I would do something different, just to understand it,” she explains.

Nishka believes the purpose of an MBA is not just to become more employable, but to better understand yourself and to gain life experience that will help you in the future.

By term three, she had narrowed down her career interests and started looking into chief of staff roles.

“I had more focus at this point, and I started going deep into what I wanted to do. That only happened in the later parts of the MBA, not the beginning, because I allowed myself to discover first,” she says.

Experience as much as you can

Nishka immersed herself fully in the MBA experience, often spending full days on campus from 8am to 8pm.

“It really was the most special time, because it was time I could work on myself,” she says.

During HEC Paris’ highly practical classes, faculty would encourage students to apply their learning through negotiation simulations and even personality tests. After each group activity, Nishka and her peers would gather and reflect on what they did well and how they could improve.

Nishka discovered she tended to approach situations with a sense of urgency—something she was unaware of before the program.

“There are lots of situations like that, where you just need to learn by doing. This is something HEC does very well. It’s not just coursework,” she says.

For Daniel, the MBA helped him explore career options he hadn’t previously considered. For example, he’d always had a strong interest in finance, so he took courses in wealth management to see whether he could potentially pursue this as a career.

“You must explore options and have an open mind but also look for realistic opportunities where your skills could transfer,” he advises.

Network and gain new perspectives

A diverse student body is one of the major draws of an internationally focused MBA program, enabling students to connect with people from various walks of life. At HEC Paris, there are more than 60 nationalities in an average cohort, allowing students to work with peers to solve problems from different perspectives.

“We’d just have a conversation and ask, ‘What is life back home like?’ You’d never get people from all those different places in a room together,” says Nishka.

Over time, Nishka built connections that went beyond just professional life.

“Yes, they are my friends, but they’re also leaders across the world that I have become friends with,” she says.

Building a network takes time, says Daniel. It’s not as simple as attending an event or having one conversation. HEC Paris frequently invites employers to on-campus job fairs, and it was through those connections and his peers that Daniel landed an internship with cosmetics brand L’Oréal, and later a permanent position at luxury fashion house Chloé.

Learn about local culture

For students completing an MBA abroad, learning about the local culture can be an important part of the experience.

Daniel’s internship at L’Oréal taught him about French working culture. His experience of working in France challenged his expectations around work-life balance. While colleagues valued taking time off, he found that this was often balanced by periods of high intensity and a strong commitment to getting work done.

The HEC Paris MBA also taught Daniel about French cultural experiences during optional workshops covering unspoken rules of French etiquette, such as how to distinguish wines. Optional French classes also help international students learn the language.

All of this helped him while working in France.

Use your MBA to find a career you love

For both Nishka and Daniel, the MBA helped them move closer to careers that aligned with their interests.

Nishka entered the MBA looking to explore career paths outside of investment consulting; the program helped her discover an interest in tech and entrepreneurship.

“I really wanted to get into the AI space, but more importantly, I wanted to learn from a founder,” she says.

Now, working as chief of staff at AI infrastructure company Antimatter back in South Africa, she is doing just that. “It’s been 18 months now, and I’m very happy,” she says.

Meanwhile, Daniel joined the MBA looking to move into the luxury division. After graduation, he secured a full-time role at Chloé in Paris, before later moving into commercial strategy consulting, where he now works with consumer goods companies.

“In the end it kind of worked to plan. I found a job that I find interesting, and I'm living in a great city [Barcelona],” he says.

“Overall, I would recommend the MBA. It’s been a great experience, both professionally and personally, and one that has taught me a lot about my career, myself, and the world around me.”