Ten good reasons to go to business school

1. To easily find a job

In these times of crisis, business school graduates still continue to record a good rate of professional integration. According to the latest CGE (Conférence des grandes écoles) survey, almost 86.6% of the land a job less than six months after graduation. And for almost eight out of ten hires, this is a permanent contract (open-ended contract).

It must be said that the schools are concerned about the integration of their students: the lessons are very oriented towards professional practice, many executives in service intervene in the courses and long periods of internship are planned. They also multiply recruitment forums, CV workshops, invite companies to present their jobs on campus, organize speed-dating with recruiters, and personalized coaching for students.

Finally, it is not uncommon for associations of former graduates, who publish directories and organize regular meetings, to help students find an internship or a job.

2. To access international studies

Optional a few years ago, a stay abroad is almost essential today to get your diploma. It can take the form of a university exchange, an internship, or a stay on a delocalized campus.

More and more establishments have also invested in branches abroad. In Skema, which has made multicampus (Brazil, China, United States) its trademark, it is even possible to complete its entire curriculum without ever going through the Hexagon box!

And for those who want to extend the experience even further, most establishments offer the possibility of taking a “gap year” between the second and third years of study.

In reality, the change of scenery begins in France, on the campus of schools that welcome students from all over the world. From the second year, many courses are given in English by non-French speaking teachers. An increasing number of establishments even offer a course 100% in English, or even in German or Spanish.

3. To open as many doors as possible

The fairly general program is organized in the first and second years around a common core (finance, marketing, accounting, human resources management, etc.) and more cross-cutting lessons, which address issues of social responsibility, leadership, governance, entrepreneurship. An interesting palette for those who wish to test a maximum of fields before choosing the specialization, in the third year, which will then facilitate their entry into the job market.

At the exit, the opportunities are very varied. According to the latest CGE survey, 18% of graduates in 2016 landed a job in finance or insurance, 17% in consulting; 10% are employed in the trade, and 5% exercise legal, accounting or management activities. Finally, a few chose IT (5%), publishing, or audiovisual (3%).

4. To develop a double competence

Business schools have opened up to other specialties and it is not uncommon to meet their former students in culture ( Audencia has a partnership with the Fine Arts of Nantes and the École du Louvre ), design ( GEM - Grenoble management school - has set up a master's degree in product design with Strate École de design, in Sèvres) or sustainable development. Rennes School of Business and INSA Rennes have thus created an MSc Sustainable Management and Eco-Innovation.

In addition, more and more schools have implemented dual engineer-manager diplomas, accessible to the more “mathematic”. A profile much sought after by companies for project manager positions. Double courses in law are an excellent business card for integrating large law firms.

5. To undertake

A survey carried out in 2015 by EDHEC shows that a third of business school students dream of one day setting up their own business. "The traditional wage in a large company is no longer seen as a panacea," observes a school principal. According to the CGE, 4% of graduates in 2016 embarked on the adventure as soon as they left school.

To do this, business schools have rolled out numerous programs to support their students, such as “weekend start-ups”, business creation contests, tutoring, and even specializations at the end of the course.

At the center of this ecosystem, start-up incubators host student entrepreneurs on school premises. And the start-ups are coached by experts at the different stages of their growth: from writing the business plan to finding clients, not to mention raising funds. This is the case, for example, at EM Lyon, which has even made it one of its specialties. The school indeed supports each year between 60 and 70 young business creators.

6. To be quickly immersed in the business world

Many working speakers come to give lessons and testify to their experience. In addition, pedagogy is often based on case studies, namely problems posed by companies on the basis of real situations. As in professional life, you will do many group works, with presentations to the class.

Your education will be interspersed with several internships. Almost one in five 2016 graduates signed a work contract after their graduation internship.

Many schools also allow students to follow a work-study program. You then chain periods in business and periods in progress, to obtain, in the end, the same diploma. In this case, the tuition fees are borne by the company, and you receive a remuneration which corresponds to a percentage of the minimum wage. In 2016, around 20% of graduates of the major business schools had chosen apprenticeship, which is a good springboard to employment: one in three apprentices is hired in their host company.

7. To carry out associative projects

Community life is an old tradition. The grandes écoles all have their BDE (student office), which organizes evenings, integration weekends, etc. They also often host a Junior-Enterprise (managed by students who bill missions, in particular for consulting), an arts office, a sports office, a humanitarian association, etc.

Some association events even have a national scope, such as the EDHEC Cruise-cruise (a sailing tour of France in which several schools participate) or the 4L Trophy (a rally across Africa, initiated by Rennes School of Business).

8. To take interactive courses

If the lecture courses and traditional tutorials have not disappeared from business schools, many lessons are given in small groups and in a fairly interactive, even fun way. Objective: to capture the attention of students and encourage them to be involved in their training. How? 'Or' What? By co-building certain courses, such as at ESSEC, as part of the “Build your own course” initiative, or by developing their own finance case studies, as at EM Normandie. These are then shared with all students and teachers of the school, via an online platform.

Very widespread, these platforms encourage joint work (note-taking, revisions, projects, etc.), including from a distance. Coupled with videoconferencing systems, they allow students to attend a lesson or to work on a project, regardless of the campus they are on. While, thanks to online courses, they can, like at Kedge BS, continue to follow certain lessons during their internship or their academic stay abroad.

9. To be “cocooned” during your schooling

Unlike your comrades in certain university streams, you will be supported in all your efforts. Career services have the means to offer multiple services to help students in their search for an internship or job. The international relations services intervene at all levels to prepare your university exchanges abroad: they organize meetings to prepare for departure, assist you with formalities.

Unlike college, permanent teachers have their own offices, where they can receive students and advise them in case of problems.

Finally, many schools, especially postbacks, care about your parents. They organize annual information meetings, at the start of the school year and before your departure abroad.

10. To earn a good living

Remuneration started to rise again for the third consecutive year. According to the CGE survey, a business school graduate starts on average with a gross annual salary of € 35,980, excluding bonuses (€ 41,865 with bonuses), or a gross monthly salary of around € 3,500. Areas of activity are considered more profitable than others, such as finance or auditing. “In these sectors, a young graduate starts at more than 35,000 € per year or even 45,000 € in Luxembourg,” remarks Stéphan Bourcieu, director of the Burgundy School of Business.

Are there differences in salary depending on the school of origin? “Recruiters are still sensitive to labels, observes a consultant. To establish their grids, they rely on groups of establishments. ” A school principal also notes that, “overall, students from the best four or five schools [EDHEC, EM Lyon, ESCP Europe, ESSEC, HEC ] get higher starting salaries. For the others, salaries are between € 30,000 and € 35,000, but they depend on the candidate's background, the type of company, the sector and its location, in Paris or in the region ”.