It’s 6:50 p.m., Thursday evening. At the age where we tend to organize evenings for the BDE, Jules, Celeste and a few others are busy on the second floor of an office building in Boulogne-Billancourt. Only the baskets of candy and the Zero Coke betray the youth of the team. They are waiting for the Minister of Higher Education, Sylvie Retailleau, who has an appointment, like them, at 7 p.m. to discover the first results live on Parcoursup with thousands of high school students.
“It’s an idea that we launched barely a month ago,” explains Luca, Jules’ right-hand man, founder of the ExtraStudent social network. Created by someone who was still a high school student at the time of confinement to “throw a bottle into the sea” towards those who were at risk of dropping out, the site for sharing revision sheets has evolved well. Now supported by investors like M6, the social network has 250,000 users, 85% of whom are high school students. And the small team, within which the average age is around 21, has noted an increase in questions and anxieties linked to Parcoursup.
Yezzaswag discovers his results with the minister
So this evening, the free broadcast broadcast live on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and Twitch begins as soon as the first results are published. “700th on the waiting list, do I have a chance of being taken?” » “I only have refusals”… The first comments pour in, and on set, the stress goes up a notch. The lifestyle influencer Yezzaswag, followed by 150,000 subscribers on TikTok, discovers her results live, her hands a little trembling. It targets preparatory classes or the law degree from Paris-Dauphine University.
“I was accepted into CPGE at Honoré de Balzac, and… Panthéon-Sorbonne University, degree in economics. » An approving “ooooh” runs across the board. For the Henri IV high school, it’s threadbare, but “the pending wishes are nice”, she puts things into perspective. “It’s clear that last year’s ambitious Yezza would have the same success but that’s okay. » Beside her, Sylvie Retailleau smiles and reassures her: “the positions on the waiting lists will change very quickly. »
“I am refused everywhere…”
The minister takes part in the game of questions asked live by the young spectators, reassures, discusses the additional procedure and explains what a “yes if” entails. “Everything is not decided today, at 18 you can change your mind,” she also repeats, insisting on the bridges between sectors. “She’s very good,” smiles backstage Sylvie Boudrillet, psychologist at the Information and Orientation Center, who is waiting for her turn to go on set. Luca notes a comment: “and you, Madam Minister, what would you have asked about Parcoursup? » The trained physicist smiles. “I think I would have asked for medicine. »
In standard, the phone heats up. Several young spectators call to share their results, their joys, their questions, and to wish each other courage. Until Leonard called. “I only applied for selective courses, I was refused everywhere. » The tray consoles him, evokes the additional procedure. Influencer Mathilde Studygram, who specializes in creating revision sheets, shares her own experience, having gone through Parcoursup last year.
The ExtraStudent team also offers some articles, including a tutorial on how to confirm your wishes and a guide to the Crous and the best student cities in France. “I love how people in the chat keep giving each other their results while we talk,” smiles Luca. “We’re happy, we think what we’re doing is useful,” whispers the presenter at the end of the show. In total, around 15,000 young people passed through during the two hours of live broadcast. And went to bed with a few fewer questions on their minds.