Interview with Agathe Dudilot -- Grilleau

Hello Agathe, can you introduce yourself?

Hello everyone! My name is Agathe, I'm 20 and I come from Saint-Emilion in the Bordeaux region. I'm currently in the second year of the preparatory cycle, with my sights set on the engineering course in 2025-2026!

Before coming to INSA CVL, I did a first year of preparatory classes in Bordeaux, in physics, chemistry and engineering sciences, but I soon realised that it wasn't for me.

What do I like to do outside the classroom? Music, horse-riding, cooking, playing board games with my friends..

What associations have you been involved with at INSA CVL and how?

As soon as I arrived at INSA, I heard about INSA'rpège, the school's music club. At the freshers’ fair, which showcased the various activities on offer, I signed up for basketball, as well as for the Sports Club (AS).

In the days that followed, I was added to the chat groups to pass on information such as training times and upcoming music events. Then all that was left for me to do as to take part!

In which association have you had the most responsibilities and what were they?

At the end of my first year, I became president of INSA'rpège, taking over from a friend who was in his fifth year.

I hesitated for a long time because it's a role with responsibilities and requires time to get things done. As I came from a classical training background, I wondered whether my skills would be up to the job, but in the end, I discovered a world that was very different from my 'comfort zone' in classical music, but extremely enriching. So, no regrets!

If you had to single out one highlight of your time with the association, what would it be?

If I had to single out one highlight of my term of office, I'd say it was the Class of 2024 GALA!

Traditionally, INSA'rpège is invited to play at the evening dinner. That year, it was held in Bourges.

It was then that I realised the difficulties involved in organising this kind of event. Between coordinating with INSA'rpège on the Bourges campus, working with the GALA organisers, managing the musicians on the Blois campus and finally performing, it was a frantic race right up to the last moment before taking to the stage!

And there was a big surprise that evening: the INSA'rpège performance was transformed into a big concert where all the graduates joined us to listen. As musicians, what more could we ask for?

In the end, we could only be proud of ourselves :)

But I can’t stop there. Briefly, there was also organising afterwork inter-club sessions, playing for Rotary Club and the French Blood Transfusion Service (EFS), fand or a congress organised by the GREMAN laboratory at INSA CVL... This all forged closer ties between those involved. We had a great time!

What has been the most difficult aspect of juggling your studies with your involvement in associations?

The most difficult aspect of juggling my studies and my involvement with the associations was managing my time. Generally speaking, when you get involved in a club, you put your heart and soul into it, even more so for music, which requires a certain amount of discipline. So, we had to be efficient during 'revision time' to be able to reconcile everything.

However, thanks to my experience on previous violin courses and, above all, thanks to a solid, close-knit team that was 100% motivated, we managed to achieve everything we wanted to.

And the most positive aspect?

I got to meet a lot of people thanks to the events we organised. It was a real opportunity for me to get to know my classmates in a context other than school, and many of them have become friends.

What's more, I loved the autonomy we had as club managers. Not only did we get to choose the frequency of events, we also got to choose the activities. At the integration event in September, we organised a giant musical chairs and a blind test, for example, to encourage students from different years to get to know each other through games.

Talking about your school, what support/help have you received from INSA CVL recently?

The INSA'rpège club received various grants (CVEC, FSDIE, etc.). Thanks to them, we were able to maintain and renew our equipment, so that we can offer our musicians the chance to play and perform in the best possible conditions.

The school administrative team (communications department, partnerships, etc.) were also at the top of their game in supporting me and answering any questions I had.

I also received support from INSA CVL as a violinist in the Music Studies stream.

In student life in its broadest sense (housing, inclusion, solidarity, grants, health, etc.), what do you think is the school's greatest asset?

INSA CVL is located in Blois and it’s a town I particularly like - its human scale means you can feel 'at home' quickly with your friends nearby, which encourages inclusion (I think that's great!).

As the school is made up of two campuses, in the first few years you have the opportunity to get to know each other in a relatively small circle of friends and acquaintances, which makes this first year of integration much easier.

It's also a town with a historic centre that gives students the freedom to leave their cars behind and do everything on foot. I highly recommend walking or cycling along the Loire to visit the surrounding châteaux, especially in spring.

Students have access to a range of accommodation, including two CROUS student residences. Otherwise, we are an average of 5 minutes from the university restaurant, 7 minutes from INSA and 10 minutes from the train station (3 minutes from INSA), which is also accessible by bus on the public transport network serving the city. This makes it possible, for example, to get to a sports class or to more specific shops (sports, furniture, etc.) or health establishments (hospital, clinic, etc.).

On a more personal note, the college of music is just 5 minutes from my house and the horse-riding centre is a 15-minute bike ride away: it's perfect!

What skills do you think you've developed through these student activities?

Thanks to student clubs, I learnt a lot about managing music events. They require rigorous organisation, a lot of moving equipment around and therefore a protocol to follow, and precise directions to ensure that the teams work closely together in a spirit of understanding and good humour, since one of the primary objectives of such student activities is to develop and meet other students.

Finally, I've learnt that delegating is essential to keep an association in good health! Without a great team, it's almost impossible to do everything on your own. This way, everyone can make the most of their skills and add their own personal touch - and that goes for engineering too!

Lastly, would you have any advice for students who might be reluctant to get involved?

Don't hesitate to get involved! INSA CVL offers a wide variety of clubs and associations, so everyone can find one that suits them. Alternatively, you can always set up your own. In this case, you'll receive support to help you realise your project.

My advice would be to ask the other students for their opinions or ask them questions. Everyone has been through the discovery process and we're all delighted to be able to help and advise you!

Thank you for your story and your good humour, Agathe!

Thank you very much!