Today in France there are around 400,000 international students across all disciplines.
Attending your personal interview at Excelia, attending your Campus France interview, applying for a visa through Campus France… read on for some useful advice on how to successfully navigate the different steps of the application procedure and perform well in your interviews, to make sure you are selected!
Prepare for your personal interview at Excelia
In parallel to your visa application through Campus France, you will have a personal 25-minute oral interview with an Excelia admissions interview panel. Remember that the aim of this interview is to be selected, so you need to do your best! Your personal interview is an important element of the application procedure, as it helps us to understand who you are and whether you are a suitable applicant for the school. In addition to your academic results, the interviewers will try to ascertain what makes you different from other applicants. Excelia is looking for applicants who are socially aware, curious, have an open mind, are dynamic and highly adaptable. To prepare for this interview as effectively as possible, here is some valuable advice.
Prepare for your Campus France interview
During this interview, the Campus France panel is looking to validate the coherence of your professional project, to assess your capabilities, and to review your reasons for coming to study in France. You will be required to introduce yourself. On the day of the interview itself, you need to feel confident, so we recommend that you prepare answers to as many of the standard questions as possible, such as your strengths, your skills, your values, your aspirations, your career plan, your life plan, etc. To help you successfully prepare, Excelia has set up an online platform to practice for the Campus France interview. The exercises are in video format and are corrected by Excelia. You can repeat them as many times as you like. This is a definite advantage in preparing for the interview. Following the interview, Campus France will send your application to the French consulate in your home country.
Prepare for your personal interview at Excelia
In parallel to your visa application through Campus France, you will have a personal 25-minute oral interview with an Excelia admissions interview panel. Remember that the aim of this interview is to be selected, so you need to do your best! Your personal interview is an important element of the application procedure, as it helps us to understand who you are and whether you are a suitable applicant for the school. In addition to your academic results, the interviewers will try to ascertain what makes you different from other applicants. Excelia is looking for applicants who are socially aware, curious, have an open mind, are dynamic and highly adaptable. To prepare for this interview as effectively as possible, here is some valuable advice.
- Present your professional project in a clear and convincing manner
You are not applying to Excelia without good reason! You are applying to Excelia specifically to build your professional project and to achieve defined objectives. So make sure you express them clearly during the interview and present your project as comprehensively as possible. Explain why you have chosen France: it is important to know something about the culture of France, its geography and its history. - Find out as much as you can about Excelia
A successful personal interview involves proving to the admissions interview panel that you have a genuine interest in the school. This means having detailed knowledge of the specific programme you are applying for. Therefore, take the time to read our brochures, visit our website and follow our social media sites so as to have a detailed insight into the school, its values and its pedagogical approach. - Express your reasons and motivation for applyingAt Excelia, we are looking for students who are motivated, open-minded and curious, so we attach great importance to your motivation. Why do you want to study in France? Why do you want to study at Excelia? These are important questions for which you should be prepared. When explaining your motivation, focus on a specific aspect of the programme and the school that appeals to you, e.g. programme offered 100% in English, possibility of professional experiences abroad, opportunity of a multi-campus programme, experiences offered by the clubs and associations, humanitarian projects, etc.
- Prove you are open-minded, curious and interested in current affairs
As you are applying to study business and management, it is important to have a good knowledge of current affairs, especially economic, social, political and international affairs. Therefore, stay abreast of recent events as the interview panel will undoubtedly ask you questions. - Make sure you can explain how you will finance your studies in France
Excelia is a private business and applied management school. This means that tuition fees are paid by the student. Therefore, it is important to check (both for you and for the school) that you are able to finance your studies. For your information, Excelia offers an Academic Merit Scholarship to international students who are applying for a programme offered in English. The amount of the scholarship equates to a €2,000 reduction in Year 1 tuition fees. - Make sure that you are on time and dressed appropriately
Project the right image and make a good impression on the members of Excelia’s admissions interview panel. Punctuality is crucial to show that you are professional and can respect ‘rules’. As regards clothing, choose something plain and smart that inspires confidence and shows seriousness.
Apply for your visa through Campus France as soon as possible
If you are not a citizen of the European Economic Area, to study in France at undergraduate or postgraduate level you will need to obtain a long-stay student visa which also acts as a residence permit. This is known as a VLS-TS mention étudiant. The first step of your visa application is to register on CAMPUS FRANCE study platform. The app France-Visas offers international students the possibility to create their visa request file digitally so as to facilitate the process. As the procedure can be rather lengthy, we advise you to apply for your visa as soon as possible in order to maximise your chances. Please note that you cannot obtain a student visa once you have arrived in France. The request must be carried out in your home country.
So, you now have everything you need to maximise your chances of success!
Don’t forget that there is no need to feel overwhelmed by the admissions procedure. At Excelia, we have over 40 employees dedicated to international students, located on our 4 campuses in France and in our overseas offices around the globe… they are available to help you with all aspects of your application!
