Sciences Po Paris in the Spring Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I had a really inconsistent experience, in general. I had a couple classes that were exceptionally interesting and that I would consider practical and academic. However, in general, I felt that Sciences Po places too high an emphasis on student presentation, which oftentimes leads to wasted time. The Sciences Po semester is 12 weeks, with classes only meeting once a week. When you factor in that each class requires every student to make a 30 minute presentation (in a class of 15-25 students) obviously a large chunk of the time spent in class will be dedicated to presentations. In a couple of my classes, we never really got anywhere. Others, that were taught in English but by non-native English speakers were choppy and bad. I had 2-3 classes that were great, and to be honest the rest didn't hit the mark. Also, with 5-7 classes fitting a whole semester's worth of exams, essays, and presentations into 12 weeks, it seems overwhelmingly fast and concentrated. The workload was very heavy, with the payoff not being so great.

On-site administration of your program

Too much bureaucracy, too few staff members. Sciences-Po has limited resources, for sure.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I was in a Chambre de bonne of about 10 square meters on the 8th floor, without an elevator.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

Since its a bilingual school, you have the option of how many courses you want to take in French. I only took two french classes, one being a french language class. I wish that I had spent more time focusing on learning the language. This wasn't Sciences-po's fault.

Select all that apply

• Apartment

Select all that apply

• Americans
• International Students
• Local Students

Select all that apply

• Local Students