Sciences Po

Hey !

You have been through the admissions process and chosen as one of the very few lucky applicants who will begin a whole new experience as a student at Sciences Po. But, since our curriculum is so unique, you are probably having a difficult time envisioning how your academic life will look like, so let’s start with some basics:

First, you should know that all the mandatory classes of the first year are taught in English, but you will have some liberty of choosing from a list of French elective courses. In order to help you gain a better grasp of the two main languages – English and French – which will be used simultaneously and more intensively during your fourth and fifth years in Paris, you will enroll in a language course that correspond to your level.

When you arrive in September, you will sit in both written and oral examinations for your non-native languages. For instance, if your native language is Chinese, you will be asked to sit for exams in French, and any other Asian languages you have taken before matriculating. It is just to know which level you will be in so there’s no need to stress or to learn by heart anything you know in the concerned languages. Also, if you are planning to start a language you don’t now anything about, you won’t have any test, obviously. At the end of the process, you will be given a level in English, French, and your Asian language in the following manner:

5 – Impeccable, exempt from taking courses

4 – Excellent, will sit only about one session per week

3 – Good, will take limited courses each week

2 – Intermediate, will take an extensive course

1 – Familiar, will take an extensive course

0 – Beginner, will take an accelerated, intense course

There is no test about English because the evaluation of this language is different and English lessons are optionnal, for those who need them. However, there are some students who come with absolutely no prior knowledge in French and Asian languages, so don’t worry if your language proficiency isn’t up to par with those of your fellow classmates. Everybody is chosen for your capacity to succeed in this program, and the aim of Sciences Po’s curriculum is help you achieve Level 5 in both English and French, as well as Level 4 in an Asian language by the time you receive your diploma, so there is no need to compare yourself to anybody!

As you may know, it is mandatory to choose an Asian language, unless you are not sufficiently proficient in both English and French; in such a case, you are already fluent in your native Asian language, so you will enroll in French and English courses. Anyway, the choices of Asian languages are Chinese, Korean, Japanese, and Hindi. Because you will most likely spend your third year abroad in the country of your chosen language, it would be wise to select one that fascinates you the most!

Ok, once you take the language exams during the week of your arrival and are placed in a certain level, you will receive the very first schedule at Sciences Po. You will notice that our academic year is divided into two semesters of 14 weeks each. The school is very strict on giving 12 sessions of each class during a semester, so you will almost never have a “free cut” (with a teacher’s absence, for example) and even in such a rare occurence, you will be making up for the missed class at the end of the term. 14 academic weeks may seem short for some of you, but once you find yourself trying to learn all the important events of human history between 300,000 BC and 1700 AD, you will get a better sense of how intense it may get at times. (so, be prepared!)

On your term schedule, you will also note the differences between credits allocated for each course. Courses that grant either 6 or 7 credits are the ones with both lectures (Cours Magistral) and seminars (Conférence de Méthode) . Normally, during your first semester, Economics, History, and Law will be given more weight, and you will sit for about 2 hours for a lecture and an extra 2 other in a seminar, which are divided into smaller groups. Because seminars at Sciences Po traditionally test your understanding and oral presentation skills, you will give 1 or 2 exposés per course.

In addition to delivering oral presentations, you will also be asked to sit for a written examination called galop d’essai (or “trial run”), starting in Week 5 or 6 of your semester. Usually, these are administered on a Saturday morning, so it will be spread out over the course of about 3 weeks. Because it is geared towards testing your writing capacity, you will be asked to formulate a succinct, coherent, and convincing essay on a given topic in 2 to 3 hours.

In certain courses, your professor may ask you to take another written test during a class or submit a dissertation as a part of continuous assessment. Because there are, on average, two instructors for each language course, the method of continuous assessment may vary. In Japanese, for example, you will take two tests every week – one on vocabulary and another on kanjis – in addition to submitting regular homework and presenting an exposé. Although you will not have a galop d’essai in language classes, you will most likely have to take a midterm exam, consisting of both written and oral components, spread out over two sessions.

Once you have completed the 14 weeks, you will have a few days for a Reading Period, during which you are required to participate in a workshop, which will be a series of special lectures given by an invited speaker. Then, after reviewing all your notes and possibly reading 400 pages of history, you will sit for your final exams.

The mode of final exams varies each semester, but during your first term, almost all of them will be in an oral format. So, instead of sitting down for another 4 hours (like galop d’essai), you will be tested by a panel of professors in each course. During your allocated slot, you will first enter a reading room, in which you will be monitored by a proctor, who will give you a topic on a random basis. You will then sit for 20 minutes to prepare a 10 minute presentation that answers your topic. Once the time is up, you will enter another room and showcase your knowledge in front of two or three professors, who will then ask you questions for the 10 minutes that follow your presentation. (and this probably sounds very familiar to many of you who were interviewed during the admissions process!)

Anyway, it is rather conventional in the French higher education system to employ professors who teach at other universities or institutions. So, most of your professors will travel to Le Havre from Paris and other nearby cities to teach you each week. They all have email accounts, so you will be able to ask them questions before an exposé or an exam.

Aside from regular lectures and seminars, Sciences Po also provides you with special lectures delivered by an accomplished scholar, government official, or businessmen. Recently, a speaker from NATO came to enlighten us of the war in Afghanistan, a Polish scholar projected possible consequences of the latest elections in India, and officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs discussed about global terrorism.

These special lectures, as well as our entire curriculum, are designed and maintained by the kind individuals that make up our campus administration. Our Director, Ms. Grouès, will be available to have discussions with you and resolve any problems that you may face during your term. For all that concerns budget, be kind with our newest Administration member, Anne Petit. You may also wish to be on friendly terms with our Secretary, Sandrine Garnier, who is in charge of all the administrative logistics and helps organize your life here at Sciences Po. Lastly, you may be compelled to seek help from Mr. Olivier Rondeau, our Director of Technology, who will not only allow you access to our Wi-Fi network, but also help you set up for your exposés on large projector screens (if he is here and available because he is really famous for being… not in his office ^^).

But, until you get to know them better, you may wish to speak to people more of your age before your arrival. So always remember that BDE members will answer any questions you may have! Facebook is also a very useful tool to get to know each other a bit before the beginning of the school year.

Go visit the website of the campus with the link on the side, you’ll find many information and details about the school year.