Year abroad at Sciences Po?

[Delphigirl]

Hi my DS (politics 2nd yr) is considering where to apply for a year abroad next year. Sciences Po Paris caught his eye. Obv it is super prestigious, but does anyone know what it is like to attend for a single year? There aren’t halls of residences so it would be very much setting himself up in a flat Paris and then attending. He has only gcse French so would be doing English-taught courses. Will he mix with the French students or do they ignore the internationals? Any views gratefully received.

For those who went to SP quite a long time ago - I think it's been making huge efforts in the last 10-15 years to show that it's changed and become less small-mindedly French. That doesn't mean lower standards in any way, more that the emphasis is more on academic rigour than external fripperies.

I find this comment quite amusing in a rather baffling way. I can assure you that 20+ years ago when I studied there that Sciences-Po was ALL academic rigour and no external 'fripperies'. It was academic rigour on steroids. I'm now thinking f*ck, how did I miss the fripperies?!!

[quote RuleOfCat]@Snoopsnoggysnog SciencesPo Grenoble calls itself that, but I don't think it's an intrinsic part of the Sciences Po. It's certainly not one of the seven regional campuses (from memory that's Paris, Reims, Le Havre, Dijon, Menton, Nancy, Poitiers). Maybe it has some sort of associate status? [/quote]
Can’t say I knew that but who cares? I got to spend a year in a beautiful city, ski every weekend, memories and experiences for life… and my French is fab, I was academically stretched there and I’d much rather have been there than in Paris or any of the other towns or cities you mention.

Sciences Po Paris offers a summer French language programme: www.sciencespo.fr/summer/content/university-programme-overview.html

Am currently doing a year abroad in Paris, not at Sciences Po though (and it doesn't count towards my degree, lucky me )

Obviously it will be different at each university but I've found that French students will come up and engage with international students of their own accord - I think we're a bit of a novelty! However, you do have to put yourself out there a bit if you want to make 'proper' friends/attend social gatherings etc. with French students.

There are loads of international students studying or working in Paris and I've found that community is really great. I don't know how many events Sciences Po put on for Erasmus students but given they've got such an international cohort I imagine they make the effort. There are also independent activities (free club nights, quizzes, meals etc.) open to international students at any Paris university.

Living in Paris is fantastic, but it is naturally very expensive - as a PP mentioned it's not just living costs but also costs associated with socialising. It is doable though and there are loads of free things to do, most of the big museums/attractions will let you in for free/cheap if you're under 26. Everyone I know has set themselves up in a 'regular' flat rather than halls of residence as they have quite limited places so that isn't an uncommon situation. He will get on absolutely fine with limited French as most people speak English but it's definitely a good idea to take language courses, nothing like living in a foreign country for improving your language skills!

I am so grateful for all your comments and am going to read and respond to them this weekend - apologies for my rude silence but I am working away from home this week and so busy I have barely time to pee in my waking hours! Thank you though!

@Geamhradh

I think there's a Sciences Po online open day sometime this month. I know DD has registered for it. I have a student who should have gone to SP for his year out in the middle of Covid but it's been pushed back and he's leaving imminently. I'll update when I hear more about how he's doing if you like. He's Italian, studying political science/international relations here.

@Geamhradh I would love to hear how your student is getting on if you are able to find out, thank you!

@Snoopsnoggysnog

Does it have to be Paris? I went to Sciences Po in Grenoble and it was honestly the best year of my life. It was 20 years ago now and part of Erasmus scheme so I don’t know what it’s like now. I was doing a degree in French and Politics so my French was already good. I studied the same courses as the French students with additional French language classes pitched at my level. In total about 12 hours a week. Took exams in French like the local students. I went to a top UK university so academically it was the same standard (just in French!)

We were a group of about 40 Erasmus students from all over Europe. They had a 3 week long series of nights out right at the start so we could meet people and get to know the city. Assigned a French student buddy as well.

It was easy to socialise and make French friends or stick to the international group if you wanted to. The opportunity to immerse yourself in the language, culture, skiing, travel, is something I will always treasure. I made friends for life from all over and the life skills gained can’t compare to what you experience from the standard 3 years in the UK.

@Snoopsnoggysnog - Grenoble sounds fantastic. He could go to SciencesPo Lyon, Aix, Strasbourg or Paris (but Paris has multiple campuses)… not Grenoble I fear.

DD seems to be enjoying her time at Sciences Po Aix - including days out in Marseille, swimming in the sea far later in the year than anyone sensible would be going in here, although she and a friend did actually go in on New Year's Day this year, so perhaps that doesn't necessarily say much about the water temperature in Marseille in October. She debated whether to apply for student accommodation, especially when not having an address was beginning to be a problem for the visa application process, but then found a flatshare (fortunately, if totally unexpectedly, including use of a supply of bedlinen and kitchen stuff, which DDhad been expecting to have to buy and sell on / donate at the end of the year).

She is theoretically on the 'English' side, wrt mode of instruction, but arrived too late to sign up for some modules, so is attending at least one fully in French. She has recently spent a few days in Paris with a French friend from her UK university and is hoping to do some travelling in the summer before coming back for her final year.

If a briefcase and / or suit has been a required purchase, she hasn't mentioned it.

I don't know whether a place in Paris was ever on the cards, but she actually really wanted to go to Aix-en-Provence, so it may not have been something she pursued anyway.

Oooh that’s interesting @MarchingFrogs! How was her French before she went out? Is she doing French as part of her degree? And how long is she out there for - is Aix beginning to feel a bit small or not?

@Delphigirl, her French was okay and yes, she is doing a 'with' French degree (rather than 'and'), but the French component is 'business French' iirc. Also possibly a bit of a confidence issue, which with any luck will be helped by the process of having to use the language much more. One of the modules she arrived too late to sign up for - no online enrolment there - was the 'French as a foreign language' course. She should be able to do this after Christmas, though...

As for Aix being too small, she hasn't mentioned. Also, she seems to be able to get cheap bus fares (with a 'Metro card'?), hence the fairly frequent visits to Marseille.

Not too keen on her nice landlady having just told her the rent is going up by 5%, however.

Hi there!

I know I am a little bit late to the conversation, but I think I can give you a little bit of more information.

Five friends of mine went to Sciens Po for their Year Abroad in 2019/2020, 3 to Paris and the other 2 to Reims and Strasbourg.

The girl who went to Reims had a wonderful time there, stayed in an ensuite in a private student accommodation building and spent a lot of time in and outside University with her French and Study Abroad peers. At first she was a little disappointed she wasn´t chosen for Paris, but when she realized how much money she was going to save she cheered up.

As for the girl in Strasbourg, she was better integrated with her French peers than with her Study Abroad ones, mainly because of her classes schedules. She rented a room in an AirBnb hostel and made lots of friends. As per the costs, it was a little bit more expensive than Reims.

The 3 girls who went to Paris had a really different experience. They rented an apartment with another Study Abroad girl in order to have more habitable space, but it was pretty expensive, even considering their accommodation was 50 minutes away from Sciens Po by Metro! They spent their time with other Study Abroad students, as regular students didn´t integrate them to their socials or other events. When they were invited by regular students, it was for really expensive socials (the minimum cost was 80 euros, if they wanted to spend less, they were excluded). Despite this, the three of them consider their year abroad as a really positive experience.

@Delphigirl Is any other student from your DS course willing to apply to Sciens Po as well, so they would go to the same campus?

My dd has just found out she’s going to science po in Paris for her 3rd year so reading this with interest and slight anxiety!