Let me begin this article by tracing the personal history of French economist Thomas Piketty, who has made himself world famous with his book, "Capital in the Twenty-First Century."
Born in 1971, he passed the baccalaureat examinations at the age of 16. In France, acquiring that academic qualification is both necessary and sufficient conditions for advancing to university, and in principle, whoever has acquired that qualification can enter into any school of higher education of his or her choice.
Those who have achieved high scores in baccalaureat aim to move on not to universities but to grandes ecoles, which offer highly specialized education to a selected few. Famous among them are Ecole polytechnique, Ecole normale superieure and Institut d'etudes politiques de Paris (Sciences Po). Those aspiring to study at grandes ecoles first study their respective subjects of specialty under preparatory programs for one or two years. Since a majority of grandes ecoles offer curriculums in the fields of natural sciences and engineering, Ecole normale superieure, famous for its highest level of education in social sciences and humanities, is one of the most difficult schools to enter.