Ecole Centrale Paris

It's not taught in English, and it's not a university but a Grande Ecole. It's basically the 2d best engineering school in France after Polytechnique, on par with Les Mines de Paris, and it's arguably one of the 3 best formations you can get in France (ENS-X-Centrale), even if you want to work in the business world/finance, since every firm recruit in the engineering schools as a priority (before the business school such as HEC,ESSEC,ESCP).

They don't accept A Levels, you have to go to une classe préparatoire and then pass the concours. That means: Getting very good A Levels to enter an excellant prépa (en francais, bien sur), after two years of hard work you take the concours and: Good Luck!
There are some other ways than prépa, but more for extraordinary students studying not in prépa but at University.
After entering the Ecole you can take a lot of courses in English.

Great Ecole.

I studied in France, in HEC Paris.
Imo, you might need a lot more than a simple AAA, I don't think you get how hard it is to be accepted in the 3 best Engineering School and how impressive those who're studying there are. You need a flawless school record and an interesting profile, I think.

Well, as we don't know if Madrigal speaks French fluently, this may help you:

http://www.enseignementsup-recherche.gouv.fr/cid20182/classes-preparatoires-aux-grandes-ecoles-c.p.g.e.html#inscription

Speaking French fluently is not sufficient to succeed in prépa, what people need to understand is that the French High School system is the most demanding in the world, it is way harder than the US/UK one. And the classes préparatoires-system is for instance, as far as I am concerned, more demanding than a hardcore science program at the MIT. All you do during the two years of intensive courses is work, work, work. So it is impossible for a student who didn't went through the French high school system to get into the best engineering/business schools in France.

the French High School system is the most demanding in the world, it is way harder than the US/UK one.

Speaking French fluently is not sufficient to succeed in prépa, what people need to understand is that the French High School system is the most demanding in the world, it is way harder than the US/UK one. And the classes préparatoires-system is for instance, as far as I am concerned, more demanding than a hardcore science program at the MIT. All you do during the two years of intensive courses is work, work, work. So it is impossible for a student who didn't went through the French high school system to get into the best engineering/business schools in France.

You can't succeed taking the Prépa path without being french, I've never heard of an international student in prépa. Tell me what you want to do as a professional

Speaking French fluently is not sufficient to succeed in prépa, what people need to understand is that the French High School system is the most demanding in the world, it is way harder than the US/UK one. And the classes préparatoires-system is for instance, as far as I am concerned, more demanding than a hardcore science program at the MIT. All you do during the two years of intensive courses is work, work, work. So it is impossible for a student who didn't went through the French high school system to get into the best engineering/business schools in France.

Can you explain why? I went through the French High school system (and did the French Bacc in 2007) and lived in the US for 7 years, and I completely agree that the French system is way harder than US high school, but I always thought that A-levels were very similar to the French Bacc... I don't know too much about the UK high school system but when talking to British friends about it, it seemed that they had studied pretty much the same material as me; and the exams are also intense aren't they?

And yeah, Prepa is really intense. I have a few friends who went through it (two of which are now at ENS) and all they did for 2 years was work, eat, and sleep. They went out max 5-6 times during the entire program. AND THAT is the reason I would never do Prepa!

Not much of a concern. I despise clubs and what not. I drink on my own. Next.

Similar to what they did in A-Levels? Were they/you doing maths and sciences?

And Nathanielle, I'd be curious if you could name a single prépa with at least one student who didn't go through the French high school system (and obviously the Lycées Francais of NY,London,Casablanca, etc)...

It is fascinating how convinced you are of the French School System. You don't have to be a genius, going to e.g. a German High School would be sufficient, as it would be the case for other countries. (And yes, I know the programm of Maths at Bac S.) In addition the level/teaching at a normal French High School is often of lower quality than at a Foreign School (they represent France, thus have to be very good). Just go to poorer areas or in the country side, you have the same range of quality as in most countries.

Perhaps you could argue that the UK system isn't good and that it will be hard work, harder than having 11 subjects until the end of high school, but we neither know what school Madrigal goes to, what he does for his subjects in addition to the normal syllabus and how much work he has to put into Math A Level.

As I am to lazy to search for you all the statistics/forums/websites and you asked only for one foreigner: http://www.ambafrance-cn.org/50-lyceens-chinois-en-classe-preparatoire-scientifique.html

I do remember about that happening, but all of the chinese students, including the "major de l'X" went to a French high school in Shangai, and as far as I can read: all of that stuff was "mis en place par l’Amabassade de France en Chine et coordonné par le Consulat Général de France" (quote)

The Ecole Centrale de Lyon (Lyons, France) as well as the Ecole Nationale Su perieure d'Ingenieurs de Constructions A eronautiques and the Ecole Nationale Superieure de l'Aeronautique et de l' Aerospace (both in Toulouse, France)