Targets schools for Paris
Trying to get a better understanding of the IBD scene in Paris. So I'm trying to do something like all the Target schools for London posts but for Paris instead. Do not hesitate to give your opinion, I will edit them in for future reference if people agree. I'm only going to rank the MiM here since it's considered the "royal way" in France, but do not hesitate to let me know if any of the MSc programmes could be ranked too.
*Note that the MiM at French schools is also known as PGE ("Programme Grande École").
Tier 1 - Top target:
HEC MiM
École Polytechnique
Tier 2 - Mid target:
ESSEC MiM
CentraleSupélec
Tier 3 - Low target:
ESCP MiM
Sciences Po
INSEAD (?)
Tier 4 - Semi-target:
EDHEC MiM
EMLyon MiM
Dauphine 203
Any recommendations? Not sure how schools from other European countries rank compared to local schools.
Insead MiM is no way tier 1 and change it for ESSEC MiM :)
Sciences Po is pretty well-respected - have seen several BB/EB banks in Paris specifically write "Applicants from Grande école / top-tier engineering school / Sciences Po" in their application forms for jobs / internships / dinner events
1. HEC, Polytechnique
2. ESSEC, ESCP, INSEAD
3. Centrale, Sciences Po
4. EDHEC, EM Lyon, Dauphine
Sciences Po is higher than ESCP
Wdym by the royal way
What the French call “voie royale”, an option that is tacitly considered “better” or “more prestigious” - what the establishment would un-officially look more favorably upon. It’s a very French concept that won’t apply outside of France
Thanks for the recommendations.
It seems that opinions on how Sciences Po ranks relative to other schools are a bit mixed. I've downgraded INSEAD, I thought that it would be a target school in France considering the school's international reputation. Concerning the ESSEC MiM, I don't think we can put it together with HEC MiM and Polytechnique.
I'm not sure that the difference between Tier 2 schools necessitates that we split it into 4 tiers, I might be wrong though.
yes 4 tier is better Tier 2 is Centrale and ESSEC
As of today, Sciences Po plays in ESSEC's league for M&A.
And actually, Lazard and Rothschild Sovereign Advisory teams which despite being niche are considered as part of the most prestigious and elite teams in Paris won't give a shot to ESSEC/ESCP kids but love Sciences Po students.
Really? I’m considering masters in France with the ultimate goal to work in Sovereign Advisory at Lazard / Rothschild / GSA and I thought that ESSEC / ESCP would put me in a good position for those… so are they even more competitive than M&A teams?
Unless you have an undergrad degree in economics from a top tier European/UK uni, ESCP/ESSEC won't be of great help unfortunately.
GSA may open their door, but I consider that the scope of their work is relatively different compared to Laz and Roth which is why I overlooked them in my original comment
.
Someone red pill me on Polytechnique/Sciences PO/Centrale?
I've been doing my research on MiMs and MiFs and I never heard of them tbh.
Are they only highly regarded in Paris, or in closer circle markets like MnAs or something?
CentraleSupelec and Polytechnique are engineering schools. Polytechnique is also a military institution and students are considered as officers and receive a salary. It is the most prestigious university in France with ENA which no longer exists.
I see. And they're supposed to be so strong with Paris IBD?
I have always heard that prepa -> MiM guys way of living is more about their classe prepa experience than about their MiM itself.
A professor in particular used to told us about a guy (top 5) bragging that François Hollande (former France president) was not legit because he entered HEC not via prepa (which some would argue to be actually harder).
Anyway, I think these kind of discrimination tend to be less and less present overall but having the MiM experience offer internship (and parties) opportunities and is probably a better choice for someone who has the time (and cash). On another hand, MiF will get you with people knowing what they are aiming for and might be better for pure finance networking (depend on which school we are talking).
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