6 mistakes not to make when choosing your university

Are the rankings reliable?

The rankings published in the press engage only their authors. Take them with caution. We are still skeptical about the means deployed by the media to establish a ranking based on the declarative data of the schools. By means, we mean those implemented to verify and validate the information provided. Finally, be aware that the methodologies and the coefficients assigned to the criteria very often differ from one year to another, making it impossible to compare one prize list to another. The main characteristics that distinguish the schools from each other are never valued.

Do not miss

Don’t miss a unique opportunity to meet the biggest business & management schools and the biggest engineering schools! For this, go to the Studyrama fairs of the Grandes Ecoles organized throughout France.

A unique opportunity to discover the establishments and discuss with the educational managers to ask them all your questions!

Twitter and discussion forums are causing trouble

Avoid as much as possible discussion forums where you can find everything and its opposite. Admittedly, the comments are sometimes given in complete transparency, but you will have a hard time discerning the false from the true. Do not forget that the schools devote themselves to an exacerbated competition and that all the means are good to distill fallacious remarks. So-and-so told me that… Nothing is worse than forming an opinion on “hear-says” without taking a step back. Will you be able to do it without letting yourself be influenced?

The big shots

The must in this regard is the great rhetoric about the state of financial health of the school. Know that schools thought to be lost forever a decade ago are doing better today. Another big cliché: schools are reserved for students from well-to-do backgrounds and preparatory students.

Many initiatives (“Cordées de la Réussite”, social lift, disability, etc.) are conducted to encourage young people to pursue long- term studies , regardless of their social origins . So dare a great school!

Also avoid opposing the world of the Grandes Ecoles and the university world (private vs. public). If the professional integration figures favor school graduates, there are also many joint projects (double degrees, research, status, etc.) that have been crowned with success.

Do not consult the alumni network, serious mistake!

All schools publish a directory of former students and have an association bringing together “alumni”. The latter also have many profiles on social networks, in particular LinkedIn. It is even the vocation of this network to exchange ideas and professional information. Seeking advice from former graduates is a very relevant approach .

Alternation, everyone is entitled to it

Contrary to what we think, do not enter an apprenticeship or work-study program who wants! If all the students have to do several internships, not everyone will have the chance to live this rich experience. This training system presupposes a real commitment in all respects .

The company that gets involved, the school and the work-study student, who can in no way give priority to their academic training over their training in the company. The latter gives, in return for a financial reward and the cost of training, a real mission planned for the duration of the contract.

At the same time, and because there is no preferential regime for work-study students, one should not neglect one’s studies, lessons and exams. In short, reconciling student and employee life is not an easy task!

A bachelor’s degree, a “dead track” compared to the prepas

Absolutely not. Engaging at all costs in a preparation because you have the school record for, while you aspire to follow pragmatic studies, punctuated by internships is a choice that must be carefully considered. The preparatory courses offer great chances of integrating a “grande école” master’s degree but, all things considered, so do the bachelors ! The preparatory courses are suitable for rigorous and rather scholarly students, the bachelors for students who want to take the step towards business and the international after the baccalaureate.