After completing ECS preparation in Chateaubriand, then Saint-Jean de Douai, Romain Lefranc is one of the lucky ones to have joined ENSAE. He then opted for the double degree offered with HEC Paris. For Business Cool, he looks back on his education and the strength of this training.
Being a student at ENSAE
Why did you choose ENSAE?
I loved maths in prep and, at the time of the admission results, I found out about the opportunities at ENSAE which are (wrongly!) too little known for prep students. On the one hand, artificial intelligence and data science were themes that really interested me. On the other hand, I always had in mind the wish to go to business school, because I wanted to have managerial training for a future entrepreneurial project. I therefore decided to place ENSAE as choice 1 on the SIGEM.
How did you spend your years at ENSAE?
I arrived on the Saclay plateau, among other engineering schools, and before COVID! The transition between the region and the campus under construction went well. ENSAE mixes all the horizons of prep (ECS, scientists, BL, universities, etc.), there is a mix between the schools on the plateau and the accommodation which is rather qualitative.
In terms of courses, it is the continuation of the mathematics of prep by deepening analysis, probability and adding micro/macro, and of course Python! The teachers are competent, there are tutorial sessions to apply the course with exercises. We’re not going to hide it: there’s work at ENSAE if we want to come out with a good record. And this good record is important when you want to apply for double degrees with business schools (notably the three Parisiennes).
Can you tell us about life at school?
School life is rhythmic, there are many associations for all tastes and it is possible to combine them. Each promotion brings together around a hundred people, so it’s easy to meet everyone quickly.
The second year is more complicated, because the courses intensify and deepen. There are intense and long data science projects all year round, so it’s no longer possible to dodge the hard skills coding in Python. This year is particularly busy, because you also have to prepare the TOEIC plus the files for double diplomas. And it’s in the second year that we are in charge of association projects… It’s intense, but it’s done. I will not hide the fact that some partials were revised intensively the two previous days.
At the heart of the ENSAE-HEC double degree
Can you tell us about your double degree?
I joined HEC after two years of ENSAE. I am delighted with this course and to leave ENSAE after these two years, because I saw myself neither doing pure data science post-graduation nor doing a thesis. Changing schools at this time is rather appropriate. HEC Paris trains me in all the managerial, strategic, financial and legal skills of the company, and I am very happy with it.
Associations have much larger projects and they can also be combined. Only negative point: double degrees at HEC do not have accommodation on campus, so it is not the best situation. And since the promotions are four times bigger, it’s not the same atmosphere either.
What do you remember about ENSAE?
In a word, ENSAE is a very educational school, where you become an expert in data science and microeconomics. These are very promising sectors of the future. And even if these are “niche” fields, we acquire highly sought-after skills. This is why it is possible to complete double degrees subsequently with other prestigious universities (in the United States, in England, the three Parisiennes, etc.).
