Salon des Études Supérieures: un forum d’orientation pour les Écoles Européennes 

Higher Studies Fair: an orientation forum for the European Schools 

 

Le mardi 24 octobre 2017, le Salon des Études Supérieures a été organisé à l’École Européenne d’Uccle. Les élèves de S5, S6 et S7 de toutes les écoles européennes de Belgique ont été les bienvenus. Ils ont pu écouter les présentations de plusieurs universités internationales et échanger personnellement avec les représentants présents. Ils ont pu ainsi avoir de nombreuses informations susceptibles de les aider à faire leur choix concernant leurs études supérieures. Rencontre avec M. François Jourde et M. Arnaud Jutier, organisateurs du salon et coordinateurs de l’orientation à Uccle, avant l’évènement du soir.

Interview avec M. François Jourde et M. Arnaud Jutier 

Pouvez-vous nous expliquer en quoi consiste le salon des études supérieures ? 

François Jourde : Nous organisons la troisième édition du Salon des Études Supérieures (Higher Studies Fair) pour les élèves des écoles européennes. La première édition avait été organisée ici il y a deux ans et la deuxième à l’École Européenne d’Ixelles. Ce salon est destiné aux élèves et aux parents des quatre écoles européennes de Bruxelles ainsi que celles de Mol. 

Quels sont les objectifs principaux du salon ? 

F.J : Il s’agit d’abord de faire connaitre les écoles européennes auprès des universités, et il s’agit  évidemment aussi de faire connaitre ces universités aux élèves des écoles européennes, pour que ceux-ci puissent faire les meilleurs choix pour leurs études supérieures. Nous accueillons des élèves de S5, de S6 et de S7, qui n’ont pas tous la même motivation ni les mêmes intérêts. Les élèves de S5 sont encore dans la phase d’ouverture large, ils doivent être curieux. En S6, les choix sont déjà un peu plus précis. En S7, les élèves viennent plutôt pour avoir une confirmation de leurs intentions, ou pour effectuer un dernier choix. Mais, normalement à ce moment de l’année, un élève de S7 doit avoir une assez bonne idée de ce qu’il veut faire. Et le salon doit lui permettre de préciser le choix final. 

Il y a désormais une belle dynamique et le nombre d’universités participantes (plus de 70) et de visiteurs (plus de 1300) prouve qu’il y a une demande de chaque côté. Les universités sont demandeuses de venir et les étudiants sont demandeurs de recevoir l’information. 

What gave you the idea of organising the Higher Studies Fair?

Arnaud Jutier: This is the third year of the Higher Studies Fair. The very first year was in EEB1, the second edition last year was held at EEB3 and this year we brought it back right here to EEB1. The long-term goal is to have the Fair rotate between the four European Schools in Brussels. 

Have you already participated in the past fairs as well? 

A.J.: I actually did not because this is my second year teaching at this school, and my first year organising orientation activities. This is my first time coordinating this event, and I’ve learned a lot. 

Did someone recommend you to organise this event? 

A.J: I joined the orientation team because I had some ideas that I wanted to implement. We started advertising for this Fair, and the Direction agreed to the idea. This year, we really changed the way the fair was run which allows the universities to meet more people. 

Comment avez-vous choisi les universités ? Est-ce qu’il y a des universités qui ont été déjà présentes dans les deux salons précédents ? 

F.J : Certaines universités avaient déjà participé aux éditions précédentes, et ont voulu participer à nouveau. Le succès des éditions précédentes a aussi attiré d’autres universités, qui nous ont contactés. Pour elles, c’est un événement qui compte désormais. Nous avons aussi contacté certaines nouvelles universités, parce que nous estimons qu’elles sont importantes, qu’elles ont de la valeur, et nous voulons les mettre en contact avec nos étudiants. Les universités qui viennent ici savent qu’elles verront des élèves des écoles européennes qui sont, on peut le dire, un public d’étudiants très intéressants pour elles : ce sont généralement des étudiants très compétents en langues, intéressés par des études supérieures exigeantes, bien formés et ayant des possibilités d’étudier à l’étranger. On peut dire que ces élèves constituent un public de choix. 

Were there any universities that were supposed to come but in the end, couldn’t? 

A.J: Some universities couldn’t come at the very last minute, for instance some Belgian universities cancelled this morning, and we also had a few Canadian universities who couldn’t make it. 

Combien y a-t-il de participants ? 

F.J : Nous avons environ 1300 visiteurs inscrits, et nous plus de 70 universités internationales seront représentées. On peut dire que cette troisième édition du salon est plus grande que les deux précédentes, le salon a pris de l’ampleur ! 

Are you satisfied with the number of participants tonight? 

A.J: We got just the number of participants that we were expecting. We used a ticketing office and we could track how many people we could host. That was our concern – that we would have too many people show up at the same time. Right now, we’re at a balance where we have enough participants so the booths can host our students, but not too many so you can visit all the booths. 

Comment pouvez-vous évaluer l’efficacité de ce salon ? 

F.J : Nous pouvons déjà observer le nombre de demandes de participation des universités : ce nombre élevé nous prouve que, pour les deux premières éditions, les universités et les écoles participantes étaient plutôt satisfaites. Mais nous essayons aussi d’évaluer l’intérêt des élèves et des parents, même si ce n’est pas toujours évident de le faire. Nous étudions la possibilité de réaliser un sondage après l’évènement, pour mesurer la satisfaction. Mais, sur le plus long terme, la réussite sera visible, j’espère, par le témoignage que nous pourrons recueillir auprès de nos anciens élèves devenus étudiants et concernant la qualité de leur orientation. La réussite académique et professionnelle des élèves après leurs études est le meilleur indice que l’orientation a été efficace, et qu’ils ont bien choisi leurs études supérieures.

 Montage vidéo par Stéphane Moriceau

Interviews with some of the universities 

With more than 70 universities presented at the Fair, students and their parents had a good occasion to learn more about higher studies opportunities. Some universities were happy to answer EurscMag’s questions too! 

ESCP Business School: Ecole Supérieure de Commerce 

What kind of students are you hoping to meet tonight? 

Mostly students who are very diverse in nationalities and who come from different horizons, but it’s a bachelor that’s open to all students. It’s for people who just passed their bac and want to enter into a very international atmosphere. 

Is it an advantage to have extra-curricular activities or work experience on your CV? 

They are counted a lot when you apply, it’s not just your academics. We take into account what you do outside of school, your profile and what you’re interested in. 

Have you offered many places to students from the European schools before? 

In fact, I’m studying in this university and I was in a European school and I also have many friends who were in European schools, so it happens quite often. 

What can your University offer that others cannot? 

Well what’s really specific about this course is that you do three years in three different countries, so each year you change city. You get to discover new cities, new people and work with different teachers that come from different countries, so you learn about the whole European way of doing business and economics and all the social sciences. 

Is there a wide variety of different nationalities in your universities? 

There are forty different nationalities in our University. People come from all over the world, such as Peru, Brazil and Ukraine, so there’s a lot of diversity. 

 

University of Kent 

What kind of students are you hoping to meet tonight?  

We’re hoping for really positive students who want to come to the UK and to the university of Kent and who are looking for a wholesome education at our various campuses that we have in the UK.  

What can your university offer that others can’t?  

We are known as the UK’S European university and there’s several reasons for that. We have centers around Europe in Brussels, Paris, Rome and Athens. Lots of our programs offer students the opportunities to study abroad as well. There are lots of reasons why students want to come to Kent and when they get there the campus they have to enjoy is fantastic.  

Would doing extracurricular activities help getting into the school?  

We have many societies and sports clubs and are really focusing on something called ‘Kent extra’. This is where students can take additional modules or engage in activities which don’t fall within their subject. They can gain knowledge through that kinetic scheme whether it’s learning languages, taking different modules and different subjects or just engaging in our different societies and sports clubs as well.  

Have you offered any places to many students from the European school System?  

Yes, we are very popular here and with other schools in Brussels. We are a very popular destination, so hopefully the students I speak to tonight will think that Kent is right for them as well.  

Is there a wide variety of different nationalities in your university?  

Yes, there are as we are very diverse. We have over 150 nationalities within both staff and students.  

 

UCA – University for the Creative Arts 

What kind of students are you hoping to meet tonight? 

Well, obviously, the best kind of students [from] our point of view are students that know what area in art and design they want to study, it obviously can be quite hard because we  [offer] over 120 different courses, so it’s quite confusing to know which way you want to go. We just want to see students that are really creative and they’re challenging things, and they’re looking at different aspects from different creative industries, and also have been working on their portfolio, because a portfolio is a huge part of coming to an arts university. 

What can your university offer that others can’t? 

So, we have a very high teaching quality, and actually [we have] quite small campuses – the biggest campus we have is about 2,000 students. So between having good teaching quality and not many students, you get a very personalised tuition and it’s really nice, we have quite a close-knit community. 

Is there a wide variety of different nationalities at this school? 

Yes, so about 20% of our student population is from different countries, and it’s over 92 different countries, so all over from Asia, America, and Europe, which is quite nice because it adds a different culture to the university which is cool. 

Do extracurricular activities and work experience mean a lot to you when picking students? 

They are beneficial and I would definitely mention them in personal statements, it’s definitely something that tutors find helps, but actually it really just comes down to the portfolio and their level of creative ability. 

  

Maastricht University  

What kind of students are you looking for and do they need any skills?  

Any kind of interesting students that can speak English and are willing to study abroad. Depending on the study track you want to go towards you don’t really need any work experience etc. Also, coming from a European school you are already really prepared for Maastricht.  

Would it be an advantage if you were multilingual?  

Yes, definitely as people in Maastricht tend to speak 2 to 4 languages. Usually your mother tongue and English being what people normally use.  

Have you ever offered places to many students from the European schools?  

Yes, we have loads of people from the European schools. Most of them being from Belgium.  

Is there a wide variety of different nationalities in your university?  

There are loads such as Belgians, Germans and French.  

What can your university offer that others can’t?  

The fees are quite low compared to other international universities. We have around 200 partners, California Berkeley being the top one. Also, our master programmes last one year so you can, for example, do two masters instead of just one in Belgium.   

 

What did they expect?  

Students’ and Parents’ opinions 

With 1300 people being registered, at 6 pm the canteen was already filled with students and their parents, excited to investigate and compare universities from all over Europe. The EurscMag Team had the chance to meet and interview some of them.  

We talked to seven students aged between 15 and 17, all of whom came with the intention to see and compare the possibilities. Most of them already had a rather clear idea about where and what they want to study. Nearly half of them were influenced by their parents. 

Interview with Laura, 16:   

Why are you here?   

I don’t know which university I want to choose.   

Do you already know what you will study?   

Yes, I will study medicine. 

Do you have any preferences in countries?    

 I would like to go to the US but I think I will choose Belgium because it is easier for medicine.  

Have your parents tried to influence you in your choice?   

Yes, my father always says: « medicine is the future » or « science is the future », but I was always into these things, so my father’s opinion did not change anything.  

As for the three parents we asked, their reasons for coming were very similar: they wanted to see their children’s possibilities. They all imagined their children’s future in Europe – not far from Brussels. Only one of them recommended a specific area of study to his daughter (law), while the others let the children choose. 

Interview with a parent: 

Why are you here?   

For my daughter, to look at the universities. She still has time, but we already want to inform ourselves now.   

In your case, whose idea was it to come here?   

It was my daughter’s idea. She wanted me to come as well. 

What exactly do you expect from this evening?   

To look around and see what the possibilities for universities are. To try to imagine my daughter in three years’ time, where she will be and what she will be doing. 

Do you have any idea where you would want your child to study?   

Not really, it depends on her. It shouldn’t be too far from Belgium. Maastricht University sounds quite interesting, even if it is quite selective concerning the language.  

Like Laura, all our candidates aged over 16, had quite a clear idea of what or where they wanted to study. On the other hand, most of the people aged 15 or below responded that they were rather unsure of this topic. Most parents want to allow their children to make decisions for themselves, however they have an idea of what they wanted their children to do, which results in parents, even if involuntarily, influencing their decisions. 

On a survey we posted on Instagram we learned the following: 

 

Given the high number of visitors, we can say that the Fair was very popular. If you are interested in it but you didn’t have the opportunity to be there this year, don’t worry – you will have the chance to come next year. Don’t miss it! 

 

Textes & Photos : Boryana B, Rosemary C, Alexandra D, Lilla H, Jonas K, Anna O.D, Katie O.D, Amelie Scicluna, Antonia Siebert,
Jan T, Alexandra Von Koppenfels, Philip Von Koppenfels / S5 / EEB1