THE BASICS
Your first name: Pierre
Your partner university:SciencesPo Paris
Your UVic major during the exchange: Political Science
UVic session(s) during which you did your exchange: Spring 2011
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GENERAL EVALUATION
Please rate your overall exchange experience on a scale of 1 to 5 (5 is the best rating):
Rating: 4
Comments:
Paris was wonderful, but dealing with SciencesPo was always a hassle.
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ARRIVAL
How satisfied were you with your experience of arriving in your host country or city? Please rate on a scale of 1 to 5 (5 is the best rating):
Rating: 3
Comments:
SciencesPo’s upper year classes are half full of exchange students, so it was harder to meet French students to practice speaking. That being said, the exchange students were great.
What assistance, if any, did you receive when you arrived at your exchange destination?
The Buddy Program did walks in different neighborhoods every Sunday.
How difficult was it for you to obtain your travel documents (visa, etc.)?
Not difficult at all.
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ORIENTATION AND ASSISTANCE
How satisfied were you with the orientation and assistance available to students at your partner university? Please rate on a scale of 1 to 5 (5 is the best rating):
Rating: 2
Comments:
To be honest, there was hardly any. When signing up for classes, I was left with very little help or choice.
How easy was it to find information you needed to know right away?
2
What help did you receive from the international staff or office?
They were the only helpful people. Academic advising questions were difficult though.
What was your impression of the international staff or office?
Very organized and fairly effective at accommodating a large number of exchange students.
What was the orientation like at your partner university, if there was one, and how well did it suit your needs?
There was nearly none. Unfortunately, this made meeting people a bit tougher.
What was it like to adjust to the culture of your exchange site and were there people you could talk to about what you were experiencing?
It was a bit of adjustment, but nothing too serious, and there were tons of other exchange students around.
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HOUSING
How satisfied were you with the housing available to students? Please rate on a scale of 1 to 5 (5 is the best rating):
Rating: 2
Comments
No Residence, quite difficult and very expensive to find housing in Paris.
How early could students move in to housing at the beginning of term?
What options were available for meal plans or cooking facilities?
How satisfied were you with the food?
How close are the residences to the university?
Could students stay in the residences during major holidays?
Which residence would you recommend to UVic students?
If you lived in off-campus housing, how easy was it to find?
What should future UVic exchange students know about living off-campus?
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COURSE REGISTRATION
How satisfied were you with the registration process at your partner university? Please rate on a scale of 1 to 5 (5 is the best rating):
Rating:1
Comments:
Please describe the registration process at your partner university.
You are given the registration time of 3AM. SciencesPo does not have enough classes for their enrollment, so you are squeezed into some courses that are of no interest.
What kind of help was available?
Not much, other than from the International Office.
How successful were you in registering for classes you wanted?
I got none of the classes that I wanted, and only two classes that were related to my program.
What advice would you offer to next year's exchange students about registration at your partner university?
Whatever you do, figure out the time change, get up in the middle of the night, and complete the registration online VERY quickly.
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ACADEMICS
How satisfied were you with the academic program at your partner university? Please rate on a scale of 1 to 5 (5 is the best rating):
Rating: 4
Comments:
How did the style of teaching at your partner university compare with that at UVic?
Very different. SciencesPo exists to train future French bureaucrats. The emphasis is not really on critical thinking but rather a thorough understanding of history and political structures
How did the workload compare to what you would expect at UVic?
About the same. Maybe a bit heavier on the reading, but lighter on the essay writing.
How many courses did you take in your first term abroad?
2 Cours Magistral – Main courses taken by all students at SciencesPo that are twice a standard course.
What would you recommend as an appropriate course load for other UVic students visiting your partner university?
Probably more than that. Two Cours Magistral with another two or three standard (one class per week) courses would have been fine.
What specific courses would you recommend to visiting UVic students?
Why?
If you studied in a non-English speaking country, what was the availability of courses offered in English?
Quite good. I didn’t take any, but SciencesPo insists that its own students take courses in english, so there are many.
What advice would you give UVic students about succeeding academically at your partner university?
Make sure that you have a thorough understanding of assignment structure before you start. Because exchange students take upper year courses, profs expect you to know the structure of assignments. These assignments are completely different than UVic ones, especially Exposé presentations. Most of the marks given are for simply following their very rigid format.
What was your impression of the computer facilities, library, and internet access at your partner university?
Fantastic, all brand-new.
What electronic devices would you recommend a UVic student bring (laptop, PDA, etc.)?
Laptop.
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COSTS
Please indicate currency:
Books - per term: 30 Euros (most readings were provided online)
Accommodation - per month: 650 Euros
Meals - per month: Same as Victoria.
Local transportation - per month: 65 Euros
Health insurance - per term: 200 Euros
Personal spending - per term: 3000 Euros
Communications (phone, etc.) - per term: 20 Euros
Other university related fees - per term:
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EXTRA-CURRICULAR/SOCIAL ACTIVITIES
How satisfied were you with the out-of-class opportunities at your exchange site? Please rate on a scale of 1 to 5 (5 is the best rating):
Rating: 2
Comments:
What organized activities (clubs, sports, etc.) were available to students?
There were some clubs and sports groups, not many.
What extra-curricular activities would you recommend to future exchange students?
What do you recommend other visiting students see or do on their weekends or holidays?
Travel. I bought 8 Ryanair plane tickets for under 200 Euros total. Book early and it’s very cheap.
What opportunities were there for students to work on-campus?
None.
Off-campus?
Very few. Work in France (especially right now) is quite difficult to find for the French, and extremely difficult to find for foreigners.
What volunteer or internship opportunities were there for students?
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SAFETY AND HEALTH
How safe did you feel at your exchange site? Please rate on a scale of 1 to 5 (5 is the best rating):
Rating: 5
Comments
What are the biggest safety concerns for future exchange students going to your exchange site?
Same as here.
What are the biggest health concerns for future exchange students going to your exchange site?
Same as here. Upon arrival, myself and many exchange students I know got a bit sick from the change in diet. This only lasted a week or two.
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PERSONAL AND CULTURAL CONNECTIONS
What was it like making friends?
Parisians (especially at SciencesPo) can be a bit snobby, but there are always exceptions. Most of my friends were other exchange students.
How successful were you at making friends with local (i.e., not international) students?
Not very successful. I only had two close French friends.
What was it like to adjust to the culture of your exchange site?
Not hard at all.
What, if any, cultural differences did you find particularly challenging?
What parts of the culture did you most appreciate?
Mostly the food, but also the art, architecture, and general feel of Parisian culture. I even enjoyed the fashion.
How were you treated by local people? By university staff and faculty? By students?
By locals – They were a bit cold. I was, after all, in Paris.
By the university – Quite well. They were not always overly helpful, but didn’t treat me badly.
By the students – Some are snobs, as SciencesPo is seen as an elite school, but most of them were quite nice.
As far as you could tell, how easy would it be for students with disabilities to study at your partner university?
There were elevators in all of the school buildings, but Paris is not very disability-friendly city (especially for the physically disabled). Many high narrow staircases and such.
For students who are visible minorities in your host country?
Some French are quite racist, but this was not an issue in the SciencesPo setting.
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TAKING STOCK
What are the three most important things for students to take with them when they go to your host country or region?
Whatever you need here. A good backpack is handy for traveling.
What are the three most important things you would tell a UVic student who is going to your partner university on exchange?
Try to make friends with as many French people as possible. This is, of course, easier said than done.
Explore Paris as much as possible.
Is there any other information that you think might prove useful to UVic exchange students attending your host university?
What was the most rewarding part of your exchange experience?
I have made lifelong friends from all over the world. After my term, I traveled for a month and a half in Europe and found myself knowing people almost everywhere I went.
What was your greatest challenge on the exchange?
Making French friends.
How has your perspective changed as a result of the exchange?
I have a better understanding of culture issues in Europe. Europeans have an attitude that culture is to be preserved at all costs, rather than changed. Different races tend to live in their own neighborhoods. Many Europeans view immigration as an attack on their way of life. This is a huge generalization, of course, but it is very different than in Canada.
What else do you want to say about your exchange experience?
I would do it again in a heartbeat. Paris can be a stressful place to live and SciencesPo did not exactly meet my hopes for a world-class school, but the city and the people I met more than made up for it.