According to her, it resembles an obstacle course and accentuates inequalities among students. The connectivity phase has begun and the process will last until June; however, criticism has not waned since the implementation of this system. Parcoursup was designed to guide students towards their academic future, offering a wide range of programs. However, the abundance of information available can be overwhelming and anxiety-inducing, especially for those who are still undecided about their career choices.
Families lacking resources or involvement often end up with underdeveloped applications, diminishing their children’s chances of accessing the best programs. Instead of stacking often unverifiable layers of information, the system needs to be simplified. The famous motivation letter must be written, the length of which varies depending on the program requested. Applications are often adjusted to give students every chance of success, leading to widespread overvaluation and biased assessments.
This, coupled with the administration’s tendency to inflate high school grades to achieve certain averages, makes the Parcoursup selection process even more opaque and inequitable. To complete this picture, the selection system based on the Parcoursup algorithm is complex and often perceived as random. The criteria vary from one program to another, making it difficult for families to understand how to optimize their children’s chances of success. As a result, the outcome may seem unfair, with bright students sometimes being rejected from programs where others, less proficient, are accepted.
Faced with these challenges, it is imperative to rethink Parcoursup to make it fairer, accessible, and transparent. Instead of stacking often unverifiable layers of information, the system needs to be simplified. A more equitable model should be adopted, favoring a meritocracy and focusing on the student’s actual academic ability rather than their extracurricular commitments. The high school diploma should be part of the consideration.
This diploma, once a key milestone in French education, has lost its relevance entirely.