Preparing for higher education: private lessons
Medicine, civil engineering or any other field: getting into higher education is not prepared the same way for every course of study.
A My Sherpa coach works with you on what those studies require, at home anywhere in Belgium or online.
Which studies are you aiming for?
Entrance competition, entrance exam, starttoets or simply prerequisites: here is what awaits you, and how we prepare you.
Medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine
These studies start with an entrance exam with a limited number of places: run by ARES in French-speaking Belgium (from the 2027 academic year for veterinary medicine), and by the Flemish government in Flanders. Our medical school preparation covers both.
Civil engineering
At French-speaking universities, a compulsory entrance exam in mathematics, in early July and late August. In Flanders, a compulsory starttoets whose result is not binding. A coach prepares you for either with private lessons.
All other studies
No entrance exam, but first-year courses that assume you master the basics of secondary school. In Flanders, many science and health programmes also require a starttoets. A coach works with you on what your studies require.
From secondary school to higher education: what really changes
In the first year, courses move fast and nobody checks that you keep up. Exams cover weeks of material, and the first exam session comes in January.
First-year courses assume you master the basics of secondary school. A student who arrives with gaps in mathematics, science or study skills has to catch up while keeping pace with higher education.
The best time to brush up on these basics is before the academic year starts: in your final year of secondary school or during the summer.
What you need to master, by field of study
Without an entrance exam, the first year sorts students out. Here are the basics to brush up on before the academic year, by group of studies.
Science, industrial and bioscience engineering, economics, management
Mathematics is on the programme from the first year: analysis, algebra and often statistics. The coach goes over the final-year chapters these courses build on.
Pharmacy, biomedical sciences, biology, chemistry
Chemistry, biology and physics are on the first-year programme. The coach reviews the secondary-school basics these courses take for granted.
Law, psychology, languages and literature, social sciences
Reading and summarising long texts, writing, arguing. In psychology and social sciences, statistics is also part of the programme.
Preparation built around you
The coach starts from your studies and your level, not from a ready-made programme.
Taking stock
The coach starts from your final-year results and the first-year programme of your chosen field to identify the chapters to work on first.
Brushing up on prerequisites
You rework these chapters with exercises at the expected level, and the coach corrects your reasoning, not just the result.
Learning how to study
Taking notes in lecture halls, planning your revision period, studying a full course: you learn to work the way higher education expects.
Private lessons in key subjects
Choose the subject where you need the most help: the coach goes over it with you at final-year level.
How does it work?
Analysis of the situation and goals
A My Sherpa educational advisor gets in touch and analyses the pupil's needs.
Designing the coaching programme
Your educational advisor proposes a suitable programme.
Coach selection
Your educational advisor selects the coach who suits your needs and your schedule.
Coaching follow-up
Throughout the programme of lessons, your educational advisor follows up and remains available.
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Your questions about preparing for higher education
During your final year if possible, otherwise at the start of the summer. For the civil engineering entrance exam or starttoets, held in early July, allow several months.
In French-speaking Belgium: medicine, dentistry and, from the 2027 academic year, veterinary medicine, with an entrance exam run by ARES, and civil engineering, with a special admission exam. In Flanders: an entrance exam for medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine, and a compulsory starttoets for civil engineering and most science and health programmes. To prepare for the medical entrance exam, see our medical school preparation ; for civil engineering, our dedicated page.
Some do. ULiège gives all first-year students a prerequisite test in the first week, with individual feedback and no effect on enrolment. In Flanders, the starttoets plays this role for many programmes: a low score means compulsory remedial work. Better to brush up on the basics beforehand.
For civil engineering and most science programmes, Flanders has a “starttoets”: taking part is compulsory to enrol, but the result does not block enrolment. If you fail, remedial work is required. In 2027, it takes place on 1 July and 21 August. Our coaches prepare students for it too.
€45 per hour for a programme of less than 12 hours, €44 from 12 to 24 hours, €42 from 24 to 36 hours and €40 from 36 hours, plus a €75 registration fee per school year and per family. Lessons take place at home anywhere in Belgium or online.
Our article How to choose your higher education studies goes through the questions to ask yourself. Once you have chosen, the coach builds your preparation around those studies.
