It has been four years since I finished the MiM at HEC Paris. A recent conversation with someone about to start their master’s made me think hard about what I would do differently if I had to start over. So here are the five things I would change about how I approached my master’s, ranked by how much they would have shifted my trajectory.
I would build deeper relationships with my classmates
If you come from a competitive bachelor’s program or a competitive country like India, the default mode is to see your classmates as competition. That instinct is wrong in a master’s environment.
Your classmates are the easiest network you will ever build. You are in the same place every day for one to three years. The relationships do not require effort, they require presence. Years after graduation, those classmates climb their own careers and become the people you call when you need a referral or honest advice.
I built some genuine friendships during HEC, but I could have done more. I underinvested in weak ties, the classmates I knew but did not stay in touch with after we scattered. Mark Granovetter’s research has shown that weak ties create more career opportunities than close friends because they connect you to networks you do not already have access to.
The advice is simple. Treat classmates as future colleagues, not current competitors. Stay in light touch after graduation. Five years from now, those relationships will be worth more than the GPA you optimised for instead.
I would be way more active on LinkedIn earlier
Most students do not start using LinkedIn seriously until they are looking for a job. By then it is too late.
The earlier you build a presence, connecting with people and writing posts, the more visibility you create for yourself. It is not just about job hunting. It is about shaping how people perceive you and giving them a reason to remember you when an opportunity comes up.
LinkedIn is where recruiters, decision-makers, and operators spend time. Showing up there consistently builds credibility. When you eventually want a referral or a coffee chat, the person on the other side already has some sense of who you are. Writing regularly also sharpens your thinking.
I built my brand on YouTube during HEC, which worked because video aligned with the marketing career I wanted. That channel was probably the biggest factor in landing my first job. But YouTube has a steep production curve. LinkedIn is much lower friction. Tools like ChatGPT can help you edit. Use them as thinking aids, not as content generators. No one wants to read clearly AI-generated posts.
I have written more about networking for opportunities and the funnel theory of networking.
I would figure out my target field much earlier
You do not need to know your career for life. You do need to know your starting point.
In my first year at HEC I was confused. I considered luxury, consumer goods, consulting, and private equity. My LA internship in the gap year made it clear that tech and startups were the path. My MAC Cosmetics internship after that confirmed it by showing me what I did not enjoy. By M2 I was focused on marketing in tech.
A clear target lets you build a small network in that space, attend the right events, and learn the language of the field before recruiters even start asking questions. By the time hiring season starts, you are not “another student applying.” You are someone already in the conversation.
If your MiM is one year long, this clarity needs to happen in the first few months. Two- or three-year programs give you more runway. You can always pivot later if it turns out you do not enjoy the path. Pivoting is much easier than starting from scratch.
I covered the broader framing in figuring out what you want.
I would say no to more things
A top business school constantly offers something. Events, parties, club meetings, career fairs, weekend trips. The default reaction is yes because of FOMO. The reality is that doing everything means doing nothing well.
When you say no to events that do not fit your goals, you free up time for the things that matter. Building a relationship with a mentor. Launching a side project. Going deep into one club.
Looking back at my first year, I attended career fairs I had no real interest in. I went because peers were going. Most of those hours added nothing. Once I focused on marketing and tech in my second year, saying no became easier and the time freed up went into my YouTube channel, which got me my first job.
I would take a bigger low-stakes risk
Your master’s is one of the last windows to take a swing without big consequences. If you fail, you are still a student. If you succeed, the upside is disproportionately large because doing something impressive while still in school is rare.
I took a few risks during HEC. I interned at a small startup in LA, far from family and home. That experience was the most formative learning period of my early twenties. I started a YouTube channel. That channel got me my first job. I freelanced for a scarf company and we sold zero scarves, but I made some money and learned what does not work.
I remember the risks that worked. I do not remember most of the ones that did not. After graduation, the stakes go up. Bills, visa rules, family expectations. Risk gets more expensive every year.
If you are in your master’s right now, take the bigger swing. The worst case is silence and a learning. The best case is a head start on a career you would not have built otherwise.
The five things together
These five overlap. Focusing on a field early makes saying no easier. Saying no frees up time for LinkedIn and deeper relationships. The whole thing compounds.
The biggest underlying mistake I made was treating the MiM as a checklist to complete. The MiM is a window. What matters is what you build during it. I unpacked more in my struggles at HEC Paris and the ten things I wish I knew before joining. If you take one thing, take the second-to-last point. Focus on what matters. Skip the rest.