six training directors deliver the keys to a good file

The last straight line of Parcoursup is launched. After having formulated their wishes, the high school students finalize their files, which they must submit no later than Thursday, April 6, before hoping to join their first choice. The fear of landing on the waiting list or finding themselves without an assignment dominates and generates stress in the minds of future students, some of whom deplore an opaque and complex system.

>> Parcoursup: abroad, how are students who enter higher education selected?

Since its deployment four years ago, the platform for admission to higher education courses has become the symbol of a saturated system. “We push the walls, we can no longer accommodate students decently”regrets Philippe Claudon, director of the Nancy psychology license, with franceinfo. Result: at the time of completing their file, the final year students do their best to avoid ending up on the floor. How to put all the chances on your side? Franceinfo interviewed six training directors about the expectations they have of candidates.

“Get as much information as possible about the targeted training”

Laurent Sovet, president of the Parcoursup commission for the degree in psychology, “Psychological Sciences” course at the University of Paris-Cité.

“The best advice we can give students is to find out as much as possible about the training they are aiming for when preparing their application. Parcoursup provides more and more information online. The criteria and procedures for examining applications are made visible on the platform, through the percentages attributed to each element of the file (between grades, motivation, experience or even interpersonal skills). The student can consult them in the tab ‘understand the criteria for analyzing applications’. For example, in our psychology course, marks count for 71% in the examination of applications.

>> Training, transparency, calendar… What’s new at Parcoursup?

In another tab, the ‘advice for applicants’ can also be valuable. For our part, for example, we remind you that it is essential to find out about the content of the training courses and we explain that the choice of courses in specialty in high school is not a determining factor for applying. They can also find on the platform a whole lot of numerical information, useful for understanding their chances, such as the number of admissions each year.

“Having several business ideas is not at all prohibitive”

Françoise Duhaussay, BTS admissions manager in Alençon (Orne).

“The candidate must tell us as much as possible about his situation when he applies. When the student talks about the rest of his career in his file, he must not only mention obtaining his diploma, but also his personal and professional aspirations. If a high school student in bac pro wants to apply for a BTS in automotive, he can highlight the fact that he has acquired theoretical and practical skills during his schooling, by giving examples. He can also say that he did his training in a multi-brand garage, then explain that he is motivated by the idea of ​​becoming a car diagnostic technician.

“This information allows us both to corroborate the course taken in professional baccalaureate, but also to understand what is the level of his ambitions.”

Françoise Duhaussay, BTS admissions manager in Alençon (Orne)

at franceinfo

Another piece of advice that seems important to me: in no case should you censor yourself in the amount of information that you bring to your file. Not all recruiters dwell on the same details. In Alençon, it is possible that we miss a passion or an interest that the high school student has noted in his file. But this does not mean that another formation, elsewhere, will not be interested.

We are aware that at 17 or 18, all students do not yet have a clear idea of ​​what they want to do. But if they have even a draft project, they should not hesitate to talk about it. I insist: having several business ideas is not at all prohibitive. Career aspirations do not need to be accomplished. What will please us is the research effort and the fact that the student has taken the time to show that it is not by chance that he is applying. And if it is then necessary to continue in license after the BTS to specialize, it will be possible.

“Don’t cdo not choose a specialty just to try to get a mention in the baccalaureate“

Renaud Roy, head of admissions at the schoolhigher school of aeronautical techniques and automobile construction (Estaca) in Montigny-le-Bretonneux (Yvelines).

“The high school student must bear in mind that we are looking at his entire career: his first and final grades. We are also interested in his positioning in the class, the teachers’ assessments of his working methods, his ability to succeed. And we pay particular attention to the specialties he has chosen. For these reasons, in scientific courses such as those of engineering schools, it is essential to anticipate the orientation of Parcoursup.

In terminale, the dice are already cast. It is in first that the stake is important: the student must not make choices of specialty only to try to get a mention in the baccalaureate. We must not neglect the specialty abandoned in first class either. And if he stops investing during the year, we will see. It is important to maintain some form of stability. Even if a young person does not like a subject, it should not be reflected in his file.

“We are looking for a student who is honest”

Valérie Loubert, head of preparatory classes at the Lycée de la Perverie, in Nantes.

“We are not looking for the high school student who stands out at all costs, but above all the one who is honest. The first candidate who will stand out is the one with very good grades. And the academic results are obviously what we look at first. The report card and the assessments remain the student’s best identity card. But we also look at the motivated training project with a lot of benevolence.

In his file, the student can explain his project, and if he does not have one, he must not hesitate to say so. We are aware that an 18 year old cannot have had a full life behind him. The preparatory classes are also made so that the student finds his way.”

“The results can be offset by the personal journey”

Armel Cretual, director of Staps training in Rennes.

“Successful students are not necessarily those who had a good academic record in high school. This is why we consider that the results can largely be compensated by the personal journey. In our training, knowing how to take charge of a group of students or athletes is an expected skill. A final year student who already has experience in animation or first aid training can easily earn points.

This is also one of our selection criteria. If the student has first aid training, he can earn up to 12 points, 9 for the certificate of aptitude for the functions of animator (Bafa). A young person who would have excellent grades in scientific subjects, but no skills in what is put forward will not necessarily be very well classified. Conversely, theWhen reviewing applications, we value candidates with multidisciplinary skills.”

“Promote your general culture”

Daniel Andersch, director of the Montpellier School of Architecture.

“It’s always better if the high school student avoids big clichés in his application. It is preferable that the latter is based on concrete examples, specific references or significant aspects of his experience. As far as we are concerned, the student who applies can make a link between the world of architecture and the cultural world in which he is immersed, for example. If he has noticed buildings that are a bit loud during his visits, his travels, or even around him, the fact that he knows how to talk about them can allow him to earn points.

We consider it important to promote your general culture in order to stand out. While trying to get out of common places like: ‘I want to be an architect to build a wonderful ecological world’. The more personal the approach, the more valuable the application will be for us.”