Indeed, the idea of doing preparatory courses for entrance to particular schools, universities and so on is quite French. They are common for mugging up on knowledge and technique for the entrance exsams to business, engineering, medical and paramedical courses. They are private and expensive. Quite e number of students take this sort of course more than once before getting a place, or not, as the case may be.

In the past, some similar set up did exist in England, generally for students who had not required the A-level grades they needed to get into a particular college or university. The aim was to cram in lots of exam technique training to improve grades and then sit the A-levels again. These were called "crammer colleges", and still exist. However, much less common as a rule in England as unversity entrance is done differently.





http://www.hec.fr/


http://www.hec.edu/content/advancedsearch?SubTreeArray[]=98&SubTreeArray[]=99&SearchText=preparatory


http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/ar...

From The Times
August 19, 2004
A degree of investment pays for the future
Tony Halpin, Education Editor, assesses the value of going to university as higher fees loom and colleges take in many more students

Degrees, tuition fees and student debt have been debated as never before this year, with the Government’s university reforms giving higher education an unprecedented public profile. But today’s A-level results are what really count for many of the 450,000 people seeking university places.
On past form, about three-quarters of applicants will find that they have qualified for one of their two preferred universities. An additional 35,000 — about one in 11 entrants — will get in through the “clearing” system that matches students without places to universities with course vacancies. At least 30,000 will opt to take a gap year before resuming their studies next autumn.
This guide aims to offer useful information to all three groups. There is advice on surviving freshers’ week and on coping with the workload in an environment that most students will find very different from school. We also offer tips on finding accommodation and surviving financially while still enjoying a social life.
For “gappers” — intentional or otherwise — there is information about the wealth of opportunities available and how to make the most of your year out. There is also advice about finding the right “crammer” college for students who need to improve their grades for a renewed application to university.



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Note added at 10 hrs (2009-06-04 07:39:07 GMT)
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My main personal reservation about 'crammer' is that it might be outdated and they are certainly not a common as French prépa. Never the less, a fair number of people I have known to go on prépa courses don't make it either, or repeat the course once or twice before getting through. In the UK, I have had quite a few friends go to crammer colleges to get the grades for an OxBridge entrance.

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Note added at 10 hrs (2009-06-04 07:41:24 GMT)
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"Prépa" à la française and the UK "crammer"s I agree are close but not totally comparable as each is quite tuned in to its own educational history and culture.

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Note added at 10 hrs (2009-06-04 07:49:45 GMT)
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Probably is best to avoid "carmmer", the French prépa being so, well, so French !

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Note added at 18 hrs (2009-06-04 16:06:37 GMT)
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My reservation about my suggestion of "crammer" is too distant, too English specific to be of any use here. Scrub that one!
However, I maintain my "preparatory course for the HEC business school entrance exam".

JLSJR has very helpfully pointed out that lycées run préparatory classes, quite different from anything you might find in the UK. Private schools do not have the exclusivity over these preparatory classes.

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Note added at 18 hrs (2009-06-04 16:08:53 GMT)
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Here the term remains in French :

http://prepas.org/english.htm
What is a "classe préparatoire aux grandes écoles" ?



A French specific two years undergraduate programme leading to a nation-wide competitive examination into a French "Grande ecole".

The programme includes high level courses in :

mathematics, physics, chimistry, computer and engineering sciences, as well as humanities (foreign languages and philosophy) in a scientific class;

mathematics, humanities, history, geography and economics in a management class;

a lot of humanities, history, geography in a arts class.



Glossary :

TIPE : pratical initiation to research methodology and communication.

Grandes ecoles : France's leading schools in engineering, management...