Abby Reudelsterz, European Union Studies, 2013
After a few weeks of attending classes, I can now officially call myself a SciencesPo student. Though our program is not completely integrated into the school, I have still been able to interact with and observe the student population of SciencesPo. It has been very interesting to see how the education system works in France and specifically at SciencesPo, which is one of the most prestigious schools in the country. There are a few similarities between Northwestern and SciencesPo, but the overall student experience is vastly different at the two schools. Here is my perspective on the two schools:
First of all, I need to explain that SciencesPo is not a university, but a grand école. In our class called “France, French Politics, and the European Union,” we have been learning about the French education system. After the brightest students graduate from the French equivalent of high school, they strive to be admitted to one of the grandes écoles, a class of schools unique to France. The grandes écoles are very selective, with admittance given to students who score the highest on standardized tests. SciencesPo specializes in public affairs, and many SciencesPo graduates go on to become important politicians and civil servants in the government.
The entrance to one of the buildings where I have class.
The idea of a university campus doesn’t exist at SciencesPo. Rather, the city is our campus, with most of the academic buildings spread out around the fashionable area known as Saint-Germain-des-Prés. Every day I walk along the Boulevard Saint-Germain, window-shopping, or “window-licking,” as the French call it, at all of the stores and boutiques of the hottest designers. Although the school has a couple of cafes, there are no dining halls like the ones at Northwestern, and most students pick up a baguette sandwich from a boulangerie or bring food from home for lunch. After classes are done for the day, students walk or take the Metro back to their apartment, or in the case of the students in our program, to the St. John’s dormitory or their homestay.
While it is a very cool experience to attend classes in the center of all the action in Paris, I’ve definitely come to appreciate the campus community at Northwestern. The dorms, dining halls, and common areas at Northwestern provide an environment in which it is easy to meet other people and feel a close connection to the student body. SciencesPo does not have many areas for students to hang out or study, so there is less of a social aspect to attending the school. While there are plenty of student organizations and clubs at SciencesPo, the people most students live and spend their time with are not necessarily their classmates. There also seems to be a lack of school pride, partly because there are no sports teams that compete against other schools.
It’s been a very valuable experience to see how the education system works in France, and I am glad I have had the unique chance to be a part of it at SciencesPo. When I return home, I will appreciate many of the aspects of Northwestern that I have taken for granted in the past, but for now I’m looking forward to the rest of my studies here in Paris!