The IÉSEG Excellence Program opens doors to the world’s top academic institutions
05/30/2023
“Since its creation, IÉSEG has always relied on 3 fundamental and distinctive pillars: excellence – in particular academic excellence and the excellence of its research, internationalization, and ethics and sustainability. In 2016, after redefining the School’s Vision (to become a unique and international hub training and empowering changemakers for a better society), we looked at how to consolidate IÉSEG’s position among the world’s best institutions, building on these three pillars. We wanted to enable our students to expand their knowledge, open up to new cultures and develop their career opportunities and international networks. We had already built up a network of excellent international partners, and had increased the number of double-degree offers available to our students. We therefore wanted to provide them with specific support to enable them to join the world’s top universities. The IÉSEG Excellence Program was born out of this desire,” explains Gwarlann DE KERVILER, Associate Professor of Marketing and head of the program.
Thus, in 2017, IÉSEG launched its “UnderGraduate” Excellence Program, a program based on 3 components (student selection, financial support and long-term guidance) to allow the most motivated students who meet strict academic requirements to apply to study for a semester or a year as a Visiting Student at Harvard University or at London School of Economics. The Excellence Program aims to recognize and support the academic excellence of the School’s best students. Therefore, since its launch, 18 students have been accepted into these prestigious institutions.
First component of the “UnderGraduate” Excellence Program: selection of students who are eligible to apply to these institutions. Considering the limited number of seats available and the fierce competition to join the selected institutions, the selection criteria are very stringent. Only students who have the best rankings at IÉSEG can be considered for admission: a minimum average grade of 16/20 since enrolling at IÉSEG – and for Havard – at least high honors in the Baccalauréat, and a minimum TOEFL IBT score of 100 – and for the LSE – an IELTS average of 7.0 (with no section below 6.5). Students who meet the requirements then fill out an application file, which must be approved by each institution.
Second component of this program: financial aid. Indeed, studying at LSE (£20,500 per year) or at Harvard University ($23,000 per semester) can represent a significant financial investment. IÉSEG thus has put in place a specific financial aid for this program, and offers different possibilities to students. A selection committee reviews each file and the cost structure in order to determine the most appropriate financial support taking into account each student’s situation and the financial restrictions of the School.
Final component of the program: long-term support. For Gwarlann DE KERVILER, “while studying at these institutions is a real opportunity for our students, it’s just as important for them to succeed in their studies and prepare for their return to France and to IÉSEG”. It is a matter of preparing yourself beforehand and, once there, knowing how to seize the opportunities to discover new learning methods, to succeed in new courses, and to expand your network. But it’s also important to be able to anticipate your return to the Master’s program by thinking about the logic of your career path, and then making the most of your experience and skills, particularly for your professional career. The Excellence Program is designed to help you think about how to build a successful career.
In 2019, building on the success of the “UnderGraduate” Excellence Program, IÉSEG has launched a “Graduate” Excellence Program by selecting 29 international programs for their excellence, selectivity and complementarity with IÉSEG’s teaching. Among the institutions selected were Columbia, Stanford, Oxford, Imperial College, Yale, MIT… After a rigorous academic selection process, IÉSEG accompanies its top students every step of the way, from the preparation of applications and of the GMAT to the passing of the test, admission interviews and integration into the institution.
They went to Harvard University thanks to the Excellence Program, read their testimonials!
International and multicultural, committed and focused on new technologies: this is how Julia GUILLEMOT, who graduated from IÉSEG in 2021, sums up her academic career. In this interview, she shares her international experience (Harvard University and Shanghai), her commitment to education for sustainable development and her passion for Artificial Intelligence ethics.
Quentin AUFORT joined IÉSEG in 2020. Thanks to the School’s Excellence Program, he had the chance to live a unique experience as a “Visiting Undergraduate Student” at Harvard University during this academic year. He tells us how IÉSEG opened the doors of this mythical institution to him, and how he will grow from it.