Securing her first choice for next year, Lily has received an unconditional offer from École Supérieure de Commerce de Paris (ESCP). The prestigious ESCP business school, ranked Number 1 in France for undergraduate studies in management, is unique as it has six campuses across Europe, in Berlin, London, Madrid, Paris, Turin and Warsaw. This means students pick three campuses at which to study during their three-year degree.
Lily will study for BSc in Management and will live in Paris for the first year before moving to Madrid for the second and then Berlin for the final year. The course encompasses core technical areas such as finance, economics, law and accounting but offers academic breadth so that she can pick optional modules ranging from humanities and languages to courses in personal development and leadership.
Initially, Lily planned to go down the more traditional UCAS route, but, having reviewed the leading UK universities, she recognised that she really wanted a broader, international and more applied, tertiary education, offering a dynamic, contemporary range of modules. Luckily, Lily knew someone who is studying at ESCP, and so began researching it for herself. She said, “as soon as I watched the video on website, I knew it was for me.”
The application process for ESCP works quite differently to that of UCAS. After submitting a CV, the last 3 years of her school reports, predicted A level grades and personal statement, Lily had an in-depth interview before receiving her unconditional offer. This means that, whilst she must finish her 3 A-Levels in Spanish, History and Economics, her place is already secured and not dependent on her grades. Whilst studying in Madrid, some of Lily’s classes will be in Spanish, but she sees this as a really exciting opportunity to further her language skills.
Lily loves travelling and learning languages, which is one of the reasons she considered an international option for university, despite being the only one of her friendship group doing this. She is excited to travel and meet lots of different people. In addition, Lily is looking forward to her internship placements, a requirement for 24 weeks across the three-year degree. ESCP has a very strong network of corporate employers to support students find challenging placements. She plans to complete three quite different internships, probably in new countries, to give her a broad experience which she hopes will then help her decide what to pursue further as a career.
Currently, Lily is sitting her A-Levels. Being a competitive and driven person, she still wants to do her best, despite having an unconditional offer. Lily is also beginning to look for student accommodation for her first year of study in Paris and has joined a WhatsApp group to meet others who will study with her next year. Lily says, “my subject teachers have inspired me and helped me find an academic pathway that really excites me”. We wish her all the best for both her A-Levels and this next exciting journey!
