A Semester in Paris Past Review
By Julia W (International Relations-History, Wellesley College) for
Sciences Po: Paris - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
It was great meeting people from France and other exchange students from all over the world. Paris is a very exciting city, but also expensive so it was difficult to participate in as many cultural activities as I would have liked. I gained a lot of independence through the experience.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I felt that the administration was too rigid and unavailable. For example, students cannot change courses once classes have begun, so if a course does not really fit what the student was looking for, there is no way to switch. Also, getting documents or assistance from the administration always took a lot of time. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
I think Paris is a difficult city for vegetarians who want to dine out. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I was an exchange student so there were no programmed trips or events. I was paired up with a "buddy" which was really nice. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Paris has safe and dangerous areas so it is really up to the student to find accommodation in a safe area and practice situational awareness. I did not have any serious health issues. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | eat at the resto-universitaire, purchase a navigo, beware that you need to purchase social security at Sciences Po (200€), apply for the CAF |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Exchange |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
HISTORY AND LAW OF STATES |
| Course Department: | AIPO 1200 |
| Instructor: | Jean PICQ |
| Instruction Language: | French |
| Comments: | This course included a conference as well as a large lecture, altogether 4 hours a week. The lecture had approximately 500 or so students so it was difficult to understand the professor at times. The conference, which had approximately 20 people, was very challenging and encouraged class participation. The difficulty of the conference varies by instructor. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No |
| Course Name/Rating: |
ARCHITECTURE AND CINEMA |
| Course Department: | DCUL 1390A |
| Instructor: | Pierre LEGLISE-COSTA |
| Instruction Language: | French |
| Comments: | The professor was very knowledgeable about cinema and architecture, but also very disorganized. If one puts a lot of effort into this course, meaning s/he does the recommended readings and watches the films the professor recommends, it is a very instructive class. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No. |
| Course Name/Rating: |
MEN AND WOMEN TODAY: DIFFERENCES OR INEQUALITIES? |
| Course Department: | CSPO 1155 |
| Instructor: | Marie DURU-BELLAT |
| Instruction Language: | French |
| Comments: | The professor focused a lot on statistics from France and the education system there, so it was not particularly engaging for the international students. I felt that all the discussion was very superficial in that we just discussed already mainstream opinions on gender. We were not given the tools to come to more complex conclusions, nor were we encouraged to. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No. |
| Course Name/Rating: |
AFRICAN SPACES BETWEEN DEVELOPMENT ANS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT |
| Course Department: | BAFF 1475A |
| Instructor: | Cristina D'ALESSANDRO-SCARPAR |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | The subject matter of the course was very interesting and so were the readings. There could have been more organization and theory behind in the course though. The professor specializes in geography but did not teach much about theories of geography, which I felt was essential to the class and the sort of research she wanted to see from the students. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No. |
| Course Name/Rating: |
HISTORY OF EUROPEAN SOCIALISM |
| Course Department: | CHIS 1620 |
| Instructor: | Alain BERGOUNIOUX |
| Instruction Language: | French |
| Comments: | The professor is extremely knowledgeable and has published a lot on the subject matter. He encourages discussion and reflection on the reading materials. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No. |
| Course Name/Rating: |
CONFLICT AND DEVELOPMENT |
| Course Department: | CAFF 1305 |
| Instructor: | Lisa CHAUVET |
| Instruction Language: | French |
| Comments: | The professor was extremely knowledgeable and our readings included many recent studies. The reading was mostly in English. There was not much class discussion but the professor was very open to questions about the material. She was also very friendly towards international students and was very understanding of difficulties with presentations and papers. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No |
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