Consistency is key, 20-year-old Phillippine Sarre shares. Despite not planning to get on the Dean’s List at first, the French Global Bachelor of Business Administration (GBBA) student found that her formula of doing a little bit of work each day accrued huge gains at exam time, putting her on the Dean’s List three times and counting.

It’s not that time-consuming, she says. “Reviewing work regularly only takes around an hour each day; it gives you a nice overview of what you should focus on when it comes to the exams!”

Echoing the need for consistency, 19-year-old German student Niklas Schmitt reiterates, “Do not underestimate the power of project work and participation grades.” Noting that (for other institutions) it is “fashionable” to talk about teamwork, transformation, and diversity, he emphasizes that ESSEC is one of the few schools that “walk the talk.”

And necessarily so, as in the business world, “you cannot work in isolation any longer,” Niklas matter-of-factly states.

Coupling these interpersonal skills with the case competitions, workshops, and projects done in class, Niklas garnered a recruiter’s interest when looking for an internship and scored himself a position at Singaporean management consultancy Momentum Works.

In his four months there, he confidently took on key projects. In one instance, he helped develop a professional social network for the Southeast Asian market and co-authored a market research report on the region’s food delivery landscape. His work exercises the same consistency and attention to detail he learned at ESSEC.

Finding the Right Motivation

“Learn what motivates you and use that to your advantage,” fourth-year student Simran Hathiramani chimes in.

The 21-year-old from India has been on the Dean’s list since her first semester at ESSEC, completing five internships, two of which were done part-time while studying. Her sixth is in Institutional Equity Sales at leading investment management and research firm AllianceBernstein, a position with over 2,000 applicants vying for a chance.

She shrugs this accomplishment off unassumingly, stating: “What really drives me is when people challenge me and tell me I won’t be able to do something. It makes me want to do better.”

Citing a recent example of when work required her to summarize a 400-page report in just 45 minutes, she says: “Break things down and keep a cool mind. It’s achievable. It might be hard, but the point is to challenge yourself.”

Relishing Opportunities to Learn, Network, and Grow

Simran shares that another key to doing well at ESSEC is to be brave enough to reach out. In one of her first classes as a freshman, her professor told her: “No question is a stupid question.” She’s lived by this motto, which helped clear up any queries about schoolwork, build rapport with her teachers, and connect with members of the ESSEC alumni who have helped with her internship hunts.

It is also important to remember that the results aren’t everything, Philippine advises. “It’s also about making mistakes, trying out different fields, and developing your interests,” she says.

She adds that this is a massive part of what drew her to ESSEC in the first place: The school encourages students to seize opportunities and try out new things.

Making it to the Dean’s List may just be one of those things to explore, but it is also one of many milestones in life—after which a whole new world awaits.