There are particular signs to indicate the official start of the summer season. For some, it's the end of exams, the first open air pop concert, for others it's Chelsea Flower Show, theatre in the park or the end of year shows at the London design schools. For Esc Lille, summer officially started yesterday with the kick off of the 'Admissibles' . Over the next few weeks, students from around the country and its DOM-TOM regions will arrive in Lille to be interviewed and to check us out. Being British and therefore not having come through this particular rite of passage, it's an interesting experience. The theme this year is Pop Art. There are bright colours everywhere, customised images of Campbell soup, the ubiquitous portrait of Marilyn Monroe and Jean-Luc Deherripon (pictured), for those who know him, has shown his usual high level of commitment and enthusiasm by dying his hair blond and wearing Beatles inspired clothes. Every day, son of Andy and members of the 'acceuil des admissibles' team welcome potential students in one of the amphitheatres with a roadshow worthy of Club Med. It's amusing and what a great way to communicate the character and the values of the school whilst helping would be students to destress prior to their interviews. This is a great tradition and certainly one I don't remember seeing when I went up for my university interviews in the UK. As befits the start of any summer season, the afternoon was punctuated by a tropical storm that made the news headlines that evening, flash flooding, dark and menacing skies. As I drove home with water almost above my wheels, I could not help thinking about all the work done to counter the image of a grey and wet northern France. For those who came Monday and who will pass through our doors over the next few weeks, I can assure you that the weather is not always so torrential, but the warm welcome in the amphi is constant.......
1 commentaire:
It cannot be denied that there are signs to indicate the official start of the summer season; however it is difficult to feel it in a closed workplace, in front of a computer and in the polluted atmosphere of big cities! It should be sun and leisure instead of rain and work!
But summer is absolutely here! It is time for some students to take the Baccalauréat exam, time for other to leave their school and go to overcrowded beaches, time for travelling around the world… and less “glamour” but not necessarily less funny… the “Admissibles” period and long interview in Esc Lille !
You are absolutely right to speak about a “rite of passage”! But not having come through this as being British, I think that you did not miss something so important! Because generally, you do not go to only one interview during this period! The first one, the second one, the third one… quickly it begins to sound like something usual and the welcome is not always warm…
Indeed, the only way to be different and be kept in mind by students is… the way they are welcomed in the school! And for that, even if we can lay the blame on several things in ESC Lille, it not the case for the “admissibles”! I think that all ESC Lille students have still in mind some souvenir about Jean-Luc! We do still not know who he is and what he is specifically in charge of in the school, but we all know him! I am not surprised to see this funny of him! Last year, I think the theme was rugby and he makes fun of himself with it Irish roots (if I am not making a mistake about his nationality!)
But when you do not know Lille, indeed it is very difficult to counter the grey image! The rain does not help us! I am very used to this issue… for me who comes from Brittany, it has always been very difficult to convince people that we definitively do NOT have 365 days of rain per year!! But the warm welcome and some great communication like the film of Danny Boon could help…
Enregistrer un commentaire