The Top IV Challenge - Part One

[Schweitzer]

Hello,

I am an eighteen years old student, living in Lyon, France. I have just finished up a first year of CPGE in the Ampere high school, in Lyon.

CPGE means Classes Préparatoires aux Grandes Ecoles : a French expression that designates a two years course of intensive scholar work that grants access to French Business Schools through a final entrance examination. The students must attend each week eleven hours of mathematics, six hours of history-geography-geopolitics, six hours of “general knowledge” (which includes philosophy and learning information about science, social science, economics, literature, etc), and six hours of two foreign languages (I chose English and German). This system allows about seven thousand French student to get in several of business schools, the best-known whom are HEC, ESSEC, ESCP-EAP, and EM Lyon. Notice that, according to the Financial Times, HEC is currently the best business school in Europe (and obviously in France) : FT.com / Business education / European Business School Rankings .

Each of these schools grants between 300 and 400 places for about 3500 candidates.

Unfortunately, although my teachers allowed me to begin the second year of “prépa”, and despite a good ranking on the practice test in May (fifth over forty two, with and average of nine out of twenty – don’t worry, marks are always very low in CPGE), I ended the school year almost depressed with falling marks, because of spreading procrastination and difficulties to focus on my work. I have had to cope with those problems for years, and I feel they are bout to destroy me if I don’t quickly react.

So here am I. In order to struggle against those trends and to overcome them, I decided to set clear goals and to post them on these forums, so anyone can read it. I think I need high pressure and support from as many people as possible to get rid of my destructive habits and feelings.
This is what I decided: the second year of CPGE last two semesters (about 6 months) and then come the first entrance examination. Adding the two months of holiday that have just begun, that gives me eight months to get fully self-disciplined. My main objective is to get in one of the four best business schools in France, by maintaining hard work and focus.

This is what I think I will need to implement:

• Mathematics: since this is my worst subject (I used to be very good in maths until I got a teacher in high school who made me hate this subject, and since that I have never worked on it enough), I will have to work hard on it as long as I am on vacation. Working on maths means learning all definitions and theorems, and doing classical exercises (dozens of them). For further information see the wording of HEC maths examination 2007:

http://www.int-evry.fr/aphec/concour...c_2007_S_2.pdf and http://www.int-evry.fr/aphec/concour...c_2007_S_1.pdf and the mathematics curriculum (look at ECS only, sorry it’s in French): Programme Mathématiques prépa HEC - prepa-HEC.org.

• English and German: these are the two subjects where I am the best. I am in the habit to get fifteen or fourteen out of twenty, so I don’t need to work much more on it. However, the two or three hundred words to learn each week need some organization. I usually learn them with the software Hot Potatoes, and if I don’t procrastinate it takes me a few hours to type them into the software and a few minutes to learn them. It took me much time to type them all during this year, but I think this is a good investment of my time since the vocabulary to learn in second year will be the same. This is just some kind of revision. There is also some grammar and civilization to learn each week. The examination includes one question about an English-speaking writer’s text, and an essay on a topical issue. Both must be answered in 250 words.

• History and geography: this subject is the most difficult to learn because of its density: there are hundreds of facts, dates, and examples that interpenetrate one another. I learn the lessons by repeating them while working in a park, as I do with mathematics. This way to learn is very effective and needs not much time. I got my best marks (including my ranking in the practice test) with it. However, procrastination may destroy all my efforts, given the size of the curriculum.

Besides, this is the curriculum (in French again): Programme Histoire Géographie Economique prépa HEC - prepa-HEC.org .
A more accurate version: Bulletin officiel n°29 du 22 juillet 2004
An example of examination wording (still in French… lol) : [APHEC] - Rapport sur les épreuves écrites des concours 2007 d'Histoire, Géographie et Géopolitique

• General knowledge: I got many books to read, I will post the list soon.
You can see that this is a very difficult challenge for anyone who isn’t a superhuman to success in such classes. Moreover, if I ever overcome my procrastination problem, I will need time. I’m going to try another-other-other-other time to wake up early (I tried hundreds of times and always failed) by using Sir Pavlina’s How to get up right when your alarm goes off. I also need to exercise at least Two times a week to keep fit, so I think I’ll use this time to exercise. First results tomorrow morning.

I hope I will be able to keep implementing these commitments with your help. I deeply thank all those who made the effort to read my first – and long! – thread on these great forums. What do you think of all these goals? Any advice or criticism that could help me is welcome!

Further information: see the websites of the top 4 business schools

HEC International Business school Europe management school - Home

ESCP-EAP / Home

ESSEC - International Business School in Europe : MBA programs, executive education, - - ESSEC Business School

International and European Business School - Executive Education - EM LYON - France