Is a second MBA in Europe worth it after already completing an MBA in India?
For Deep Chaudhary, answering that question took 4 years, 12 GMAT and GRE attempts, 4 consultants, 14 rejections, and eventually an admit to HEC Paris.
Deep completed his first MBA from IIFT Delhi in 2019 and went on to build a six-year career across Hewlett Packard and PhonePe. But after gaining substantial work experience, he began considering a second MBA in Europe to gain global exposure and access to international career opportunities.
His journey didn’t end with the HEC Paris admit. After years of pursuing a second MBA, he faced one final, and difficult, decision: whether to actually make the move.
In this candid Q&A, Deep shares his second MBA journey, his GMAT and GRE preparation, how he shortlisted European business schools, what he learned from the HEC Paris interview, and why he ultimately decided not to attend.
Is a Second MBA in Europe Worth It?
12 GMAT & GRE Attempts Over 4 Years
Q&A with Deep Chaudhary
MG: To get things started, can you share a little about yourself? Where did you study? How did you start a professional career?
Deep: I did my B.Tech from College of Engineering Roorkee back in 2016. I never liked engineering, to be honest. After engineering, I had an idea of taking a business to scale, but knew there are some gaps in my business knowledge, and that’s why I had to pivot to do an MBA and learn more about the business universe.
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I did my MBA from IIFT Delhi back in 2019, and post then, it’s been six years I’ve been working. Three years I worked at Hewlett Packard, and it’s been three years now I’ve been working at PhonePe. Currently, I’m working as a business lead, handling the enterprise mid-market team.
MG: How was your process of identifying and going about your first MBA, and how was that experience for you?
Deep: Since I knew that I had to learn more about business, so honestly, I did not give a lot of thought to what I should be looking for. I thought that an Indian B-school should be good enough for me. I was clear that I wanted to do it from one of the top 10 B-schools in India, and there are basically only three exams you can look for: CAT, IIFT, XAT. That is what I had to prepare for.
During my final year of engineering, I gave CAT, XAT and IIFT, all three exams, but did not have a very good score which could lead me to a good B-school. The next one year, I took a serious prep, gave 4-5 months of proper regular study, and I got around 99 percentile in CAT.
Also, during the prep, I came to know that there were a few gaps in the quant, reasoning and the comprehension side that I had to work upon; comprehension was something which was always a trouble for me. So, for that, I gave a rigorous two-month study.
I read everything that I could I could lay my hand on, be it Fountainhead, Sidney Sheldon or Agatha Christie. Being focused on my comprehension and RC skills helped me make the difference. That is something which actually led to my CAT score from 91 percentile to 99 percentile. That was the major difference and the delta in my score.
I was pretty much satisfied when I got into IIFT Delhi and was okay to go ahead with that. So, that was the entire process.
MG: You said that you started your career with HP, right, which is a fairly well-known brand. So why did you decide to pivot? Also talk to us about the trajectory at PhonePe itself?
Deep: So, when I was at IIFT, I got an internship at HP and I converted it into a PPO. So I knew that the brand is decent, and I wanted to give it a shot. So, for 3 years I worked at HP, but the dynamics there were different, and they are a very big MNC, and there are certain processes you have to adhere to.
I got good experience, but I wanted to shift to something which was more prevalent at that time and something which was really booming, which was the UPI era. We were entering into that fintech segment, and I wanted to be a part of something which was a revolution in India. So I thought of shifting to PhonePe, which was a startup at that time. It’s no longer a startup, it’s pretty much established now.
My 3 years at PhonePe have been pretty good, and the difference has been in terms of experience. At HP, it was a different experience. With PhonePe, everything is pretty much fast. You come up with ideas, you fail, do thing at a very fast pace, something which I was looking forward to. In the last year, I was promoted to senior manager, and currently this year also I was promoted to a lead role.
I’m currently leading the team which I was earlier a part of. So, I think the risk was well worth it and I’m pretty much satisfied with where I’m right now. So, things have worked out well. So, hoping for the best!
Second MBA in Europe: Why I Decided to Pursue It
MG: Given this trajectory, tell us what prompted you to think about a second MBA; how was that decision-making?
Deep: When I did my first MBA, one thing I realized is that whenever you look for a global MBA, there’s a mandatory clause of having work experience, and I understood why it is needed. I think everyone should have some work experience in order to justify and utilize your MBA in the best possible way. I did my MBA as a fresher, so Indian MBAs generally do not provide you that leverage, something which I sort of missed at that time. That was one realization.
Secondly, after 6 years of experience in the corporate world, I realized that opportunities lie everywhere. To have that global exposure, you need the brand of a global B-school which can help you propel into these opportunities. So that was something I was looking forward to. So, these were the important reasons for me to start looking for a global MBA.
I was so sure about it that as soon as I stepped out of IIFT, in March 2019 itself, I gave my first GMAT attempt so that I have something to look forward to. So, that is where my journey towards a second MBA started off in 2019.
From 650 GMAT to Seven GRE Attempts: My Long Test-Prep Journey
MG: You’ve had a long journey with test prep, so walk us through it and, if you have any insights, especially since you’ve done both the GMAT and GRE, anything that you can share.
Deep: Honestly, I had a very, very long run with the test prep. So, back in 2019, as I mentioned, when I gave my first GMAT attempt, it was without any preparation. I did not even know what the GMAT stood for, what the format was.
I ended up scoring 650. I thought, ‘I am someone who has scored 99 percentile, and without any preparation I’ve attempted the GMAT, and got a 650, which is good. Once I’m serious about it, I’ll prep and I’ll do great’.
In September 2021, I decided that I would be serious about the test preparation as I was targeting 2023 admission in the fall. That is what I had in mind. So, I started preparing for the test. I gave my GMAT five times from December 2021 to July 2022 and my score went from 650 to 630 to 600, while in my mocks, I was scoring 750, 730.
Especially for second MBA candidates, there’s a certain ego factor also, which I realized. I thought ‘I am someone who already scored 99 percentile in CAT, so it’s going to be a cakewalk for me’. It’s not. You go through a certain journey of your own, and things change a lot. And these are very different examinations, with a very different format, so you have to keep that ego aside.
So, I knew that the format of the GMAT exam is something which is adaptive for every question. Whatever question I’m getting wrong or right, the next question is going to be based on that. That is something which got under my skin.
In mocks, I was pretty relaxed. I knew things, I knew how it works, and I could go ahead with it. But in the examination, that nervousness sort of built up. Actually, it’s the most beautifully designed exam. However, the GMAT, to be honest, was something which was not right for me, and that’s why I was failing every time. There was no skill set issue; it was more about how I was taking the exam.
That’s when I decided it’s better to go off the GMAT and look for the GRE. In October 2022, I gave my first GRE attempt, and from October 2022 till December 2024, I’ve given GRE seven times. My score started from 319, and it has gone up to 326, being the best, which is a decent score. I can live with that score, and there has been a decent improvement since the time I started preparing for the GRE.
One thing with the GRE was it is section adaptive unlike the GMAT which is question-adaptive. I can play around the questions. I can play around the sections. You can pick and choose questions, and then work it out in your own way. That is something which worked out well for me.
So, I had a pretty long journey with exams. I gave it a fair number of times because managing your job and then preparing for it is something you have to find out your own way. There is no such set method or pattern to it.
Why I Chose MBA Crystal Ball After Three Consultants: The Big Difference
MG: That’s a very useful tip, actually, that you shared. Thanks for that. Like the test prep, you also had a reasonably long journey with applications. So, walk us through that, and also share, how you discovered MBA Crystal Ball? What was your experience with us as well?
Deep: I knew MBA Crystal Ball since 2015-16, I guess, when I was preparing for CAT. I knew there’s something called as MBA Crystal Ball which existed. But when I was serious about this global MBA application, I knew MBA Crystal Ball was something at the top of the charts. The reviews are all out there. You can visit any page on the site, and it’s there for you.
I was, sort of, being negligent, to be honest. I started preparation in 2021. As I said, I had worked with three other consultants before I came to you. I had three different experiences. Consultants’ pricing somehow became a challenge for me at that time. I thought, okay, why not compromise for quality and take a hit? That was the real reason, and I admit it, it was a mistake.
All the three times when I worked with consultants, the biggest difference I would say was the connect with your mentor. There have been consultants where I was just talking with the editors, not even the consultants or the mentors.
And there was just a to and forth exchange of essays on Word docs or on mails. There was no such exchange of conversation. It gives you no visibility, right? And that is something which was keeping me in the dark, and I was not having clarity on what was happening.
There was a time when I got my final essay at 12 midnight, and the next morning, I had to submit my essay for INSEAD. So, that is when I realized, it’s not going right, and it’s not the right thing for me.
I met my mentor from your team for the first time in December 2024, and the biggest thing he told me, that helped me in my applications was that you need to bring out your own personal story. ‘You have a good personal story, and it is not coming out anywhere‘. So, he was the first one to call it out, and that actually helped.
Later on, with Sharmishtha, she just carried on from there, and she made sure that she was there, available for me all the time. Not just having discussions, but always reachable. I have any doubt; I can just simply reach out, and I’m reaching out to the mentor, not the editor here. I’m just reaching out to her, and she’s helping me out.
So, that clarity, that confidence, and that access to your mentor helped me and was the major differentiator between MBA Crystal Ball and the three other consultants I’ve worked with, where I was basically exchanging emails with barely any conversations, which was never fruitful. They never understood my story and how it can be moulded and folded and then presented in the right possible manner.
So, finally I was there with MBA Crystal Ball. But should I have come? I should have come a long time back, way back!
Business School Shortlisting Strategy: How I chose My MBA Programs
MG: How did you go about shortlisting your schools?
Deep: I had done a lot of research about people who are doing their second MBA after having done their first MBA from top B-schools, so I prepared a list of where and how they are going? And I found that HEC Paris, Chicago Booth, NYU Stern, MIT Sloan and Kellogg – these are the schools they are looking for and where these people have gone. So, I interacted with these people.
And if you have done your MBA from a good Indian B-school, your next MBA has to be good enough. It can’t be that you’re taking a hit on the quality of your college.
The second thing which I was very sure about was that I wanted a one-year MBA, not a two-year MBA. Since I already had work experience and completed one MBA program, a two-year MBA would not make sense for me; also it had to be a flagship MBA.
So, that’s why I was looking for European B-schools because they have their one-year flagship MBA programs, unlike the US, which has two-year flagship programs. That’s why HEC Paris, INSEAD, Cambridge and Oxford were my obvious choices.
Also I had a discussion with you on why we shortlisted those colleges, what I should be looking for, that it need not be a two-year MBA and one year is enough, and how you can play your cards.
So, this is something I deep-dived into, and I had interactions with multiple alumni as well as the committees of these schools. We would get on 15-20-minute calls, and they would tell me about the program; that helped me make my judgement about the quality of the program.
HEC Paris MBA Interview: What Applicants Should Expect
MG: How was your interview experience? Anything that sticks out; what was the outcome that you achieved?
Deep: So the interview experiences were quite relaxed compared to the MBA interviews which we have in India.
The HEC interviews were pretty relaxed. It involved a 30-minute conversation where, firstly, you have to start with your own presentation, followed by three or four general questions in the next 15 minutes, which are basically based on your application.
The format is also something where the interviewer gives you the flexibility. You can either start with the presentation and then move on to the questions, or vice versa. In both my interviews, it was the other way around. In the first one, it was the presentation, and in the second one, it was the general questions that they asked.
They also judge you on how sure you are about what you have decided to do. Are you confident about it or not? That is the first thing which they judge you on. Do you have clarity of thought in your mind? That is something which they are actually looking for.
There are no technical skills that they are judging you for, but whatever I’ve already written in my application, I have to present it to them in person also. That is the key, or the gist, of the interview which I had.
The interviewers were also keen to have a conversation after the interview ended. If I had some doubts, I could reach out, always connect with them, and they were pretty much open to having any conversation that I was comfortable with.
They appreciated the questions we had prepared for them. So, I would suggest to whoever is having an interview, do prepare three or four good questions, because they judge you on how serious you are about the program and how well you know about the program.
Always have that kitty list ready with you, and that only adds a brownie point for you.
MG: This is an interesting differentiation for HEC – this presentation, which, a lot of people get very nervous about. So, talk to us about how the title or the topic is decided? How did you go about that process?
Deep: So, the topic has to be something which is your own, something you know in and out. It can’t be something as random as what you are looking for. It has to be something you aspire to do, and something which is very close to you.
And the questions which followed were also about judging you on that. Is something which you have written in the presentation real or not? Are you serious about it or not? How sure are you about what you have presented on the slides?
They had follow-up questions about what data points you were presenting. Is there any backup for it? What are you showing us? What can be the scale of the business idea you are presenting to us?
They will ask you 3 to 5 follow-up questions, which means you’ll have to justify what you have written in the presentation. So, you have to be very sure about it. What you are presenting can’t be a random topic. It has to be something you are very clear about, something you have good knowledge about, and something you can answer questions on, whichever ones they want to ask.
Getting Into HEC Paris: Why I Decided Not to Attend
MG: You had amazing news. You were really happy, but then you had a difficult and different decision, so share about that.
Deep: As I mentioned, that I started in September 2021. It took me 4 years to get where I wanted to. I finally got there. Sometimes it’s the obsession which makes things happen, and the obsession got me there.
But there’s a parallel universe also which exists, which is my professional life. Actually there were two reasons to it. Firstly, there was a personal reason that I had to defer, which I got the approval for. They deferred my MBA.
And second one was this: my professional life has already had its own chart in the last four years. I have gotten from a certain A place to Z place. You have to do the cost-benefit analysis also – where you’re currently standing and where you want to be, what benefits you’re going to get, and what disadvantages come with moving away from your current job, and what lies ahead for you in the future.
So, it was honestly very difficult for me to let go of something that I had been working so hard for over the last four years. But after giving it a lot of thought and thinking about it very deeply from all angles, I had to let go of it.
I had to connect with multiple candidates before making this decision. I spoke to at least 10 to 12 current students from this batch at HEC Paris, as well as students from last year, and had multiple VC conversations with them – not just casual chats, but actual VC conversations.
Also considering the scenario right now, there are challenges, especially for Indians going to European B-schools – be it the preference for a native speaker in Europe, that is one. Second being the opportunities for Indian candidates dwindling down currently in the UK or Middle East, making it difficult for people to get a job there.
Also, there were a few doubts which were raised about the support which people are getting from the community. I’ll decide what needs to be done in the future, but as of now I have to let go of the offer considering all these scenarios and analysis.
Advice for Second MBA Applicants: GMAT, GRE and Interview Preparation
MG: As you reflect back on this long journey, any tips, suggestions that you might have for people in similar situations in general, for HEC in specific, or second MBA candidates specifically?
Deep: Firstly, the GRE or the GMAT is not the end of the road. If I were to break down the timeline, you typically start preparing your applications around June and work on them through September or October. So, start preparing for your examination from December onwards, give it four to five months, and once you’re done with it, just live with the score. You don’t need to think about it anymore.
The problem with me was that I used to think about the score all the time. It’s not worth it. Once you have the score ready, ideally by June, just focus on your application and strengthen the other parts of your application rather than constantly worrying about the score. Right?
The second one is that interview preparation is extremely important. One has to take it seriously. Getting to the interview stage is extremely good, but you need to prepare for that interview. The interview is casual and very conversational in nature, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have to prepare for it. It is extremely important that you take that seriously.
And for second MBA aspirants, have absolute clarity of thought as to why the second MBA is needed and at what point in your career you need it. Do a proper cost-benefit analysis of what you are aspiring towards and where your current situation stands.
And it’s important, as in my case, to let go of that ego you have of your CAT scores. The GMAT is a different exam, the GRE is a different exam. You have to prepare for it in a different manner, and it’s not the same.
So, these are three or four tips which I have. I hope this helps the other candidates.
MG: Thanks so much for transparently sharing that. It’s very tough to let go of such an offer, which convinces us that you have a solid career ahead. So, all the best, and I’m sure your tips will help a lot of future candidates. Thanks so much for doing this.
Deep: Sure. Thanks a lot, Manish. Pleasure.
We hope you found this interview helpful. At MBA Crystal Ball, we’ve helped many applicants get into the elite business schools, often with scholarships. Reach out to us at info@mbacrystalball.com if you’re looking for professional help with your applications.
