The Ultimate Guide

Everything I know about getting in, in one guide.

Applying to a top European business school — HEC Paris, ESSEC, ESCP, EDHEC, INSEAD — for a MiM, MSc or another master’s, and not sure how to build an application that actually stands out? This is the complete roadmap: how to position your profile, assemble every part of your application, and write essays admissions committees remember. The view from both sides of the table.

Mayank Sehgal · HEC Paris MiM ’21 760 GMAT (99th pct) Former admissions jury

One-time purchase · instant download (PDF + Notion) · 7-day money-back guarantee · fair PPP pricing by country

760
GMAT · 99th percentile
50+
applicants helped
2M+
views · 50+ videos
7-day
money-back guarantee
Came from the channel?

The videos, in order — plus the parts they can’t cover.

The 50+ free videos answer one question at a time. The guide is the whole system in one place, in the order you actually apply — with the school-by-school specifics and the ready-to-use outlines for 20+ prompts that were never going to fit in a video. If the channel helped, this is the structured version, so you’re not stitching it together yourself.

Secure Gumroad checkout · instant PDF + Notion download · 7-day money-back guarantee

On the channel · free
  • 50+ videos, 2M+ views — one question at a time
  • The big-picture answers, spread across uploads
  • Great for orientation and getting started
In the guide · one purchase
  • The whole system in one place, in application order
  • School-by-school specifics: HEC, ESSEC, ESCP, EDHEC, INSEAD
  • Ready-to-use outlines for 20+ prompts — not on the channel
What’s covered · 3 parts · 43-page PDF + Notion

What’s inside the guide

I

Building a standout profile

What top schools are really evaluating — and how to make every part of your profile work for you.

  • Academics & test scores — how much GPA and the GMAT/GRE really matter, what to aim for at schools like HEC and ESSEC, and how to address a weaker grade head-on
  • Professional experience & internships — how much you actually need, school by school across HEC, ESSEC, ESCP, EDHEC and INSEAD, and how to build a story from internships or part-time work
  • Extracurriculars & leadership — why self-started initiatives often matter more than formal titles
  • International experience — the section that carries the most weight, and how to turn study abroad, foreign internships and travel into a global-mindset narrative
  • Language skills & cultural adaptability
II

Putting your application together

The toolkit for turning your profile into a polished, consistent application.

  • A standout CV/résumé — what makes one stand out, how to tailor it to each school, and a look at the exact CV I used to get into HEC
  • Strong recommendation letters — who to ask, how to brief them, and what to avoid
  • Acing the interview — the single most important question you’ll be asked, and exactly how to prepare for it
  • A cohesive application — keeping your story consistent across essays, CV and recommendations
  • Financing & scholarships — Eiffel, Charpak, Chevening and more, plus the France-only apprenticeship route that can cover tuition while you earn
III

Writing essays that get you in

My full essay guide, included — essays are arguably the most important part of your application, so they get a complete playbook.

  • Three frameworks you can apply to almost any prompt — SRA (Story → Reflection → Action), PAS (Problem → Agitate → Solution), and AIDA, adapted for motivational essays
  • How to write stories that stick — the handful of components that make a story memorable, even in two lines
  • Ready-to-use outlines for 20+ of the most common prompts, grouped into motivational, career and personal essays — with what schools want to see in each
This is for you if…
  • You’re applying to a top European business school — HEC, ESSEC, ESCP, EDHEC, INSEAD and the like — for a MiM, MSc or another master’s
  • You want one clear system for the whole application — profile, CV, recommenders, interview and essays — not scattered tips
  • You’d rather learn the frameworks and write your own story than pay someone to write it for you
  • You’re early enough to act on it — ideally before you draft your essays
It’s probably not for you if…
  • You want someone to write or edit your essays for you — this teaches you to write them; it’s a playbook, not a writing service
  • You’ve already been admitted and just need visa or relocation help
  • You’re targeting US MBAs — this is built specifically for European master’s admissions
Written by someone who has sat on both sides of the MiM admissions table.
  • HEC Paris MiM ’21
  • 760 GMAT · 99th percentile
  • Former admissions-jury member
  • Mentored 50+ applicants
  • 2M+ views · 50+ videos

No fluff and no fake urgency — just the playbook, with a 7-day, no-questions money-back guarantee if it isn’t for you.

One honest note

The essay section gives you outlines, advice and exactly what to include for each prompt — but not a full worked sample essay for every single question. It’s a playbook for writing your story, not a bank of essays to copy.

In perspective

The cheapest part of your application.

A fraction
This guide

The complete playbook — strategy and essays — yours to keep, with purchasing-power-parity pricing at checkout, free updates and a 7-day money-back guarantee.

Often more
One hour with a consultant

A single call with an admissions consultant usually costs more than this whole guide — for a sliver of the ground it covers.

Tens of thousands
One application cycle

Tuition and a year of your life ride on getting the application right. The guide is the part that costs the least and changes the most.

If it shifts one decision — which schools, how you frame your story, what goes in an essay — it has already paid for itself.

The other side of the decision

What a mis-aimed application actually costs.

The guide is the cheap part. Here’s the other side of the ledger when an application misses — none of it invented, all of it the reason getting it right the first time pays.

  • Application fees you don’t get back Most schools charge a non-refundable fee for every application — you pay it whether or not you’re admitted. Aim at the wrong schools, or apply underprepared, and that money is simply gone.
  • A whole reapplication year Miss this cycle and the next intake is a year away: the entire application again — CV, essays, recommenders — and another twelve months before you can even start.
  • A year of momentum, deferred A later start pushes back a year of post-MiM salary and career momentum you don’t get back — the quiet, largest cost of getting the application wrong.

Set against any one of those, the guide — the complete playbook, strategy and essays — is the cheapest insurance in the whole process.

Get the guide → 7-day money-back guarantee

Everything you get

  • The complete guide A 43-page PDF covering all three parts — building your profile, assembling every piece of the application, and writing the essays.
  • The full essay guide, included The B-School Application Essay Guide as a companion Notion page: three frameworks and ready-to-use outlines for 20+ of the most common prompts.
  • Free updates, for good Every future revision of the guide lands in your hands at no extra cost.
  • Fair pricing by country Purchasing-power-parity pricing is applied automatically at checkout, so the price adjusts to where you are.
  • Instant access, any device Download the moment you buy and read it anywhere — no Notion account needed.
  • 7-day money-back guarantee Not for you? Email me within 7 days and I’ll refund you in full.
Fair pricingone-time · PDF + Notion · PPP by country
Get the guide → 7-day money-back guarantee
  1. Secure checkout on Gumroad. You review the details — nothing is charged until you confirm.
  2. Instant download. The 43-page PDF and the Notion essay guide, the moment your payment clears.
  3. Yours on any device, for good. No Notion account needed, and every future update is free.
  4. 7-day money-back guarantee. Not for you? Email me within 7 days for a full refund.

Used by 50+ applicants

Here’s some of their feedback

Reader thanking Mayank for the guide Reader: thanks for the help and the guide Reader writing essays and CV for their HEC MiM application: the guide has been truly helpful and covers all the questions

Both sides of the table, in one guide.

The strategy to get admitted, and the words to write the essays — in one purchase.

Secure Gumroad checkout · instant PDF + Notion download · any device · 7-day money-back guarantee

Questions, answered

Who wrote this?
Mayank — I graduated from the MiM at HEC Paris in 2021, scored a 760 on the GMAT (99th percentile), made 50+ videos on studying in Europe with 2M+ views, and have sat on the HEC Paris admissions jury. The guide is the view from both sides of the table.
I've already watched your free YouTube videos — what does the guide add?
The videos answer one question at a time across 50+ uploads; the guide is the whole system in one place, in order — how to read what each school is really evaluating, build every part of the application, and write the essays — with the frameworks, the school-by-school specifics (HEC, ESSEC, ESCP, EDHEC, INSEAD) and ready-to-use outlines for 20+ prompts that aren't on the channel. If the free videos helped, this is the structured version that saves you stitching it together yourself.
Is it worth it?
An application cycle puts tens of thousands in tuition and a year of your life on the line — and a single hour with an admissions consultant usually costs more than this whole guide. One purchase gets you the complete playbook from someone who got into a top MiM and later sat on the jury — with purchasing-power-parity pricing applied at checkout (so it adjusts to where you are) and a 7-day money-back guarantee. If it changes one decision — which schools, how you frame your story, what goes in an essay — it has already paid for itself.
How is the guide delivered?
As a downloadable PDF you can read on any device, with the essay-writing section included as a companion Notion page. You don't need a Notion account — just open it in any web or mobile browser.
What if something I need isn't covered?
Email me and I'll work on adding it, free of charge. If a prompt or situation you're facing isn't in the guide yet, that's exactly the kind of thing I want to hear about.
What if I'm not satisfied?
There's a 7-day money-back guarantee. If for any reason you're not happy with the guide, email me and I'll refund you — all I ask is your feedback on how to improve it.
My payment won't go through.
Use an international debit/credit card with international + online payments enabled — 9 times out of 10 that's the fix. Still stuck? Email mayank@mayanksehgal.com and I'll help.