Whether you come from a preparatory class for the Grandes Écoles or from a university course, via parallel admissions, the first year in business school always represents a challenge. Change in pace of work and life: it can be easy to get lost! Anne Prevost-Bucchianeri and François Pottier, professors at NEOMA, therefore looked into the subject with their book: Succeed in my first year in business school.
How did you come up with the idea for this book?
Anne Prevost-Bucchianeri: I thought it would be interesting for students to have at their disposal a tool that gives them the essentials to succeed in their first year. After carrying out some research, I realized that there was no book that covered the main themes studied in business school. I called my editor who came to the same conclusion. However, it is essential for students who are discovering new subjects. There are also no tools that allow them to see the big picture and understand how all of our courses are connected.
François Pottier: We carried out a study of the courses taught in other establishments and we noticed that 90% of the subjects covered in the first year are similar from one school to another. We got started and as soon as we understood that the courses were going to be taught remotely, during the first confinement, we accelerated the writing of the book to best support students during the start of the school year in September.
How did you create this book?
FP: We first surrounded ourselves with trusted teachers, great teachers who clearly identify the problems encountered by the students. We worked with teachers from NEOMA, but also temporary workers who teach in other establishments, such as the Sorbonne.
APB: It was important for us to build this book with people who have an educational background so as not to reproduce what you can find on Google. The work was also built around a business case which corresponds to the themes seen in the first year and which we created. We started entirely from a blank page. This book is not a succession of theoretical concepts.
Why not integrate the associative aspect?
APB: We have already written a book on community life which integrates all aspects of personal development and managerial management. We also made a video with students from the school’s associations to talk about their daily lives and the problems they encounter. With this book, we did not want to make a directory, but focus only on the academic part.
FP: We have also completed a book which highlights atypical changes in career paths, talents who do not hesitate to change professions, and in which we discuss what we call multi-experiential which includes associative life, but also the internships, apprenticeships and student jobs.
Finally, what are your tips for succeeding in your first year in business school?
APB: You have to work on cases to get to grips with practical situations. This will allow us to see that everything interacts in the company. It also makes the course much more interesting! You also need to open your chakras, even in a class that may seem boring. Don’t hesitate to ask questions and interact.
I would say that, to succeed in your first year, you really have to be an actor and not be passive. You have to interact with others, whether teachers or students, especially during the COVID period when classes are done remotely. The first source of information is the teacher!
FP: I actually think it is important to make cases. When you invest yourself in a course, you gain depth and you develop a curiosity that is visible to the teacher, but also to the companies. I have often observed that tackling complex concepts in class helps keep students hooked.
The other important element is to get into a good rhythm. If we let ourselves go, especially at the beginning, we quickly become overwhelmed. In business school, everything goes very quickly and you have to hang on and learn to manage your time.
APB: Regularity is also extremely important. You have to invest yourself, be attentive in class. This is already a good starting point. You should also not hesitate to make connections between lessons and your everyday life. I had the case of a student who was a bicycle deliveryman and who explained his experience to us. This made it possible to concretely highlight concepts such as contracts, recruitment, etc.
FP: It is true that you have to know how to learn from your daily life. We already see it during the orals. Some have incredible experiences, but do not know how to convey all the richness of their journey.
Do you plan to write a sequel, to help students succeed in their second year?
APB: It was very interesting to write this book. It was an incredible human adventure, since there were 10 of us writing it, in just 8 months. We also have a lot of freedom from our editor and we would like to write the sequel in the second year. We are waiting to see the feedback we have on the first work and we will discuss it again with our merry band of teachers, even if our publisher is interested.
Where to find your work?
APB: It is available on our publisher’s websitein all independent bookstores, but also in large chains of cultural stores or in virtual libraries like Scholarvox.
