In 1887, HEC recruited its seventh class intake. Back then, baccalauréat-holders were accepted automatically - everyone else had to sit an entrance exam. The competitive entrance exam of the admissions process wasn’t established until 1892. However, the selection criteria were no less strict. Candidates were required to show a “certificate of morality.” In addition to the list of tasks and the examinations, the string of selection criteria, edited by the Paris Chamber of Commerce (where this illustration was taken from), is described in the internal organization of School life. Those admitted had to pack a suitcase containing 42 day shirts, 6 evening shirts, 12 pairs of stockings or socks and 24 handkerchiefs. Work discipline and high performance, monitored under the “paternal and enlightened surveillance of the Administration,” were vital to the HEC students’ success.