BEING IN CPP : HERE IS A GUIDE
Things not to miss
First of all, you have to know that being in CPP is kind of like being in a big family. Indeed, contrary to classic prepas there’s a real feeling of belonging. Moreover you know that you will never be pushed aside. If you have any problem or any question you can just ask the 2nd-year students to have some advice.
Being in CPP is also being part of student life, so if you want to, you can participate in the student office campaign to be the new student office. You will become responsible for the organisation of the parties but also of the big events that will take place during the year.
When you become a CPPin, the most essential is not to forget your good mood and your determination. The road is not so easy but with friends and conviction, you can make it. Anyway the thing important is to be prepared from the beginning and to work little by little in order not to miss something, so you have to avoid procrastinating. Even if this prepa is less harsh than a classic prepa you have to keep in mind that this is something really demanding.
Sports
What’s interesting in the prepa, is that sport is included in your schedule. Every wednesday, you have two hours mandatory. In addition, several sport’s training are organized each month by the sport office in order to prepare the CPPiades, vent your frustrations, and above all to gather and spend some good times.
CPPiades, a word that you’ll hear millions of times, and have goosebumps each time you’ll think about it. To make it short, it’s a big tournament occuring at the end of the year, gathering all the prepa’s students from INP curriculum. In other words, more than 500 students from Toulouse, Grenoble, Valence, Nancy and Bordeaux fight for the title in several sports such as Rugby, Football, Basketball, Volley, Handball and Pom-Pom Girls.
Finally, if you think that there is not enough sport during your week, you can keep doing an extracurricular activity. You just have to be very well organized.
you'll see, your experience will be full of obstacles that have to be overcome.
Accomodation
To spend a good year and have a great environment for your studies, you need to find an accommodation that suits you well.
And as we know money isn’t your best friend during studies, so you need to find something cheap, but nicely equipped. For this, the best thing to do is to start looking for an apartment months before the prepa begins.
If you are afraid to be alone for the first time, you can easily find a roommateand share an apartment.
What’s interesting in the flatshare is that your rent is divided, so you pay less. Moreover, you can afford a bigger apartment, and you are not alone. If one day you feel bad, you won’t depress.
However it can quickly become a mess if you and your roommate are fond of procrastination.
If you choose to live by your own, there are also many great sides and inconvenients.First of all, you are not distracted by the other people, and you have more privacy. If you want to invite some friends, you don’t have to worry about your roommate (only your neighbors).Nonetheless, it gets harder to be motivated, either for work or household chores.
Workload
We’re not going to lie, the workload is extensive, while you won’t have to undergo semestrial exam, you’ll have not one, but two 1h-test each week. So you can kiss your free-time goodbye !
More seriously, you CAN have free-time, if you keep a tight work schedule and know which courses needs your full attention.
Clubs and bars
Moreover during your free time you can visit the wonderful city of Bordeaux. There’s a lot of activities to do and above all, a lot of good bars. For example you can spend chill time on the quays, or drink some good beers at The Houses of Parliament.
Besides that, your student office organises a lot of parties and events. The first one is your integration weekend, when you will discover good parts of being in CPP. You also have a Christmas dance, a ski weekend, a disintegration weekend, a huge party at the end of the year where students receive awards and much more.