But by the way, why attend a grande école?
Attention reader: this is a longer article than usual! But we wanted to delve into this complicated subject with an educational and honest perspective, and if you read it to the end, you will understand many things that your teachers do not necessarily tell you, so trust us! ?
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The world of preparatory classes for high schools is a very special universe. It is also unreadable for parents who did not pursue their studies there themselves. It is an insider environment, where hierarchies are subtle and numerous. The aim of this article is to return to the main axes that characterize this environment and to explain the stakes from our point of view.
And already, why pursue studies?!
This question may seem naive, but as is often the case, the most naive questions allow for a deep understanding of the school system and its links with the economic world.
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“After passing this competition, it speaks about oneself, about one’s ability to conduct logical and abstract reasoning, one’s ability to work, one’s ambition, one’s stress management.”
Many people may think that the role of higher education is to allow students to accumulate knowledge and skills, which will then be used in the professional world. Although this view is realistic in certain fields (medicine, law, etc.), it is absolutely not relevant in the world of CPGE, where students rarely have a clear idea of the profession they will pursue later. On the other hand, the highly theoretical preparatory courses will be of little use to students once they enter the job market (except for those destined for an academic career, research, or teaching).
This is one of the specificities of the prepa-grande école program. It is intended for ambitious students, most of whom do not yet have a very clear idea of the profession they want to pursue. The degree they will be able to obtain after five years of study (2 or 3 years of preparation, then 3 years in the schools) will allow them to access a wide variety of professions: teacher, investment banker, engineer, consultant, or even lawyer… Some professions will obviously require specialization at school or through a master’s program alongside their studies. But overall, the choice of professions is very broad. And it is very rare that once in the position, the young graduate has to solve math exercises, while this discipline is at the heart of the scientific or commercial prepa.
But if the knowledge acquired in prepa is not useful for most jobs, what is the function of this system? Well, it’s quite simple; this course aims to select, or more precisely, to send a “signal.”
Signal theory: what is it?
The vision that we believe allows us to understand this universe in a meaningful way is the “signal theory,” which is a theory of behavioral economics developed by Michael Spence, an American economist, in 1973. It is obviously not a question of going back to the details of this theory, but to understand its main outlines.
The idea is that the reason why a graduate from Polytechnique or HEC will be better paid upon leaving school than a graduate from an average CCP is not because the Polytechnician has acquired specific knowledge within his school, but mainly because he has succeeded in the entrance exam, which sends a “signal” to recruiters. After passing this exam, it says things about him, about his ability to conduct logical and abstract reasoning, about his ability to work, about his ambition, about his stress management… And these are qualities particularly appreciated by large companies.
“Being good at math would mean you have a strong sense of logic and know how to solve abstract and complex problems.”
So the harder the exam is to obtain, the stronger the signal. This is why currently, the baccalaureate has very little value in the job market, as it is passed by 80% of high school students…
The central place of mathematics in this process:
In this entire system, mathematics occupies a central place, and this is a French specificity.
It should be noted that it is now very rare for an entrance exam to a major school not to contain mathematics. Even parallel admissions to business schools require a good score on the famous Tage-Mage, which is supposed to partially assess numerical and logical skills.
The entire process is based on a very strong bias: mathematics would measure a particular form of intelligence and would constitute a kind of “neutral” and universal discipline that allows for the selection of people. Being good at mathematics would mean you have a strong sense of logic and know how to solve abstract and complex problems. Especially since mathematics would be a discipline in which family background plays a marginal role and would thus be much more “meritocratic.”
We are not here to determine whether this belief is based on reality; it goes well beyond the scope of our article! But it is about understanding the main outlines of the school system.
Ranking, again and again
With this idea in mind, we understand how all these hierarchies were born (very French, let’s agree once again…). The hierarchy of Grandes Écoles is therefore very strongly correlated with the level of mathematics required for entrance exams, thus for engineering schools (excluding ENS): Polytechnique, Centrale Paris, and Mines de Paris, Centrale Lyon, more or less at the same level as Supélec and Les Ponts… And for business schools: HEC, ESSEC, ESCP, EM Lyon… These rankings are reinforced by the rankings in students’ preferences.
The high school system thus produces a fine hierarchy of academic faculties in order to send signals to various actors in the job market.
It is worth noting here that one of the reasons why this system is completely unreadable from abroad is that the promotions consist of relatively few students (Polytechnique, for example, has 400 French students per promotion, which is very low internationally), which partly explains the average ranking of these high schools in international rankings, based on many quantitative factors (number of publications, number of students…)
On the other hand, this extreme selectivity allows for very fine granularity in assessing a student’s scientific abilities. The École Normale Supérieure, which is the most selective school in recruiting students from scientific preparatory classes, is therefore the world leader in the ranking of institutions producing Nobel Prize winners relative to the number of graduates from the same school (link here). It should therefore be noted that from a purely academic point of view, this system is extremely effective at identifying future Fields Medalists and other Abel Prize winners (see the article on Yves Meyer who himself is a Normalien…)
The high school system thus produces a fine hierarchy of academic faculties (mathematical and scientific intelligence, ease of written and oral expression, etc.) in order to send signals to different actors in the job market (recruiters, colleagues, etc.).
Of course, we are well aware at Cours des Grands that there is clearly an arbitrary dimension in this hierarchy… Competitions are sometimes decided by a hair’s breadth, some students miss out by 0.1 points, or get in because they are bilingual in English, while others miss out because they were shaken by a family tragedy… In other words, there is nothing “scientifically accurate” in this perception. But this perception exists, and it is enough to be aware of it!
On the other hand, it should also be emphasized that some professions have a very important technical component, where a degree from a top engineering school is “objectively” necessary. This is the case, for example, for certain jobs in the field of market finance or research.
But what does this mean in real life?
All this implies that what should lead you to make your orientation decisions, in prepa or elsewhere, is not so much the knowledge that will be provided to you in a given field but the perceived value of the degree you will obtain at the end of this training. And we emphasize this word: perceived!!! In other words, the question is not whether graduates from Centrale Paris are “intelligent,” but to realize that many people think so, and that is what matters.
“With this income level, a young graduate is already among the top 70% of the best-paid employees in France.”
These hierarchies have been present in the minds of individuals from certain backgrounds for a long time… It is not uncommon to meet older people, very proud whenever the opportunity arises, to explain to their audience that they graduated from this or that school over 40 years ago…
Starting salaries…
One of the indicators of the reputation of these schools is, as you might imagine, the level of salaries upon graduation. Thus, according to surveys from the Conference of Grandes Écoles, the average salary upon graduating from a grande école is around 35,000 euros gross per year. To get an idea of this level of remuneration, it is important to keep in mind the distribution of salaries in France. With this income level, a young graduate is already in the top 70% of the best-paid employees in France, even though he is only 24 years old… Graduates from Polytechnique and HEC are paid an average of 45,000 euros gross per year, placing them in the top 85% of the best-paid employees in France, also at the age of 24…
So if I don’t go to a grande école, have I failed my life?!
Unfortunately, and this is a consequence of the prepa and high school system, we observe at Cours des Grands a great anxiety among students and their families. There is an overestimation of the stakes, fueled by many discourses claiming that the job market has become too competitive, and where, without a secondary school diploma, one could not lead a prosperous and happy existence… This idea is completely false.
Thank goodness the world is much more complex and multidimensional than these simplistic hierarchies that a minority of people are so interested in. In practical terms, your degree may have an impact, it is true, when you apply for your first internships and for your first job offers after your studies. Some companies only accept interns from a very small number of secondary schools (for example, some strategy consulting firms, some investment banks, etc.). On the other hand, it is also true that recruiters often have salary grids, with a hierarchy that corresponds more or less to the hierarchies of higher education institutions, for young graduates.
But there are so many other factors that matter. Your personality, your motivation, your integrity will play a much more important role than your degrees in your professional life. Not to mention your personal network, or just your luck… Moreover, as the years go by, your “career” will depend mainly on your personal performance and your own qualities, which are not academic qualities.
“the journey is more important than the destination.”
It should also be noted that all this plays a role in the job market; if you decide to start your own business, your degree will have only a marginal impact on your eventual success.
So, if during your studies, in high school or in prepa, you realize that you do not have enough academic level to fit into a well-ranked grande école, don’t make it a drama! Above all, this should not affect your self-confidence, which at the moment is an essential element for achieving a serene and happy life.
So let’s relax, give it our all, and have fun!
The purpose of this article is therefore not to put pressure on students, but simply to provide as objective a viewpoint as possible, especially for those for whom this universe is not familiar. Moreover, it is not easy to describe in a single article the links between the world of high schools and the world of economics.
But if you remember only one thing: yes, things happen when you study in preparatory classes, so if you think you are at the level and are motivated, go for it! It could make your life much easier. That’s why you should put all the chances on your side during this period, especially by working hard, so that you never have regrets and thus have the greatest degree of freedom possible when you enter the job market.
But if the results of the competitions do not match your ambitions, we sincerely tell you, it is not the end of the world, really. Life is full of surprises, twists and turns, and a competition is just a step in your life journey. That’s why “the journey is more important than the destination,” and as much as possible, we advise you to enjoy these two years (or even three, like the author of this article!) that are very intense, from both a school and personal perspective.
Tag: studies in IUT