It is hard to believe that my semester abroad at Sciences Po is ending. I found this blog post particularly challenging to write; how do I recapitulate four months abroad into a post. I hope that readers see my analysis of my time as pragmatic and fair. My goal of this blog was to write about substantive current issues within France. I hoped I could provide some insight into French and American issues as well as travel advice.
In my last post, I will address university education in France and how it compares to the United States.
When studying the Social Sciences, I think it is vital to study abroad because of the subjective nature of the Social Sciences. With the Social Sciences comes many opinions from everything ranging from theory, to methodology, to conclusions. Therefore, I thought it was important that I studied economics and political science for a semester outside of the United States.
At Sciences Po, I took six different classes: Debating in Teams, Economics of the European Union, Nations and Nationalism, Personal Autonomy and Political Liberty, Political Economy of Central Banking, and Varieties of Regulatory Capitalism. My first day of classes at Sciences Po was very reminiscent of my first day of classes at Northeastern. I knew few people, I had no idea what professors would be like, I was worried I did not have the right books etc. etc. I found that there were some profound differences between the classes at Sciences Po and Northeastern.
First, students take more classes at Sciences Po and the classes meet less often. For example, at Sciences Po I am taking six different classes and was in class for 14 hours per week and at Northeastern I would take four classes and meet for classes about 13 hours per week. Another logistical difference is that at Sciences Po students complete their undergraduate studies in three years and they are forced to study abroad for their third year at university. French students thought it was very strange when I told them that it will take me 5 years to complete my undergraduate work and that most students at Northeastern do not spend a year abroad.
At Sciences Po, in the classroom professors are much more opinionated and (conversely) the students are less. All my professors at Sciences Po have full time jobs either at another university or with another organizations. For example, three of my professors have full time jobs at the European Central Bank, two run NGOs, two teach at other universities in Paris, and three are in the middle of writing books. This is very different than at Northeastern where most of the professors I had were full-time academics and teachers working solely for Northeastern. The benefits of the Sciences Po system are that my professors have a great deal of “real world experiences” and love to share stories about their jobs which helps to bring the classes to life. For example, many of my professors talk about how they worked to bring stability back to the European Union after the Sovereign Debt Crisis in 2009. However, since the professors have other day jobs, they do not have as much time for their students. It is rare for a professor to hold office hours and it is common for professors to be unresponsive to emails. Whereas at Northeastern, I found that all my professors had office hours and most professors were very responsive to emails. The unresponsive nature of professors might explain part of the barrier between students and professors at Sciences Po.
In class, it is easy to tell which students are French and which ones are international student. The French students are much quitter and do not ask questions. They sit in class and take notes and do not make a fuss. Whereas the international students are more willing to raise their hand and openly question the professor in the middle of the class. I found most of the French Professors prefer the French style of lecture where he or she speaks and everyone listens without asking question and do not want to be questioned by students. For example, for one of my classes, I had some questions about the test which the class just took and the French professor was visibly angry at my inquiry and would not consider my request. On the other hand, one of my professors is German and loves it when the students participate and ask questions.
About grades, I find the French system to be much harsher than the American system. France does not suffer from the same grade inflation as the United States and so average grades at Sciences Po are much lower than at Northeastern.
The University System in France is very different than the system in the United States. Tuition at Sciences Po is on a sliding scale where students pay between depending on the family’s income level €0- €10,370 ($12,800) per year Sciences Po is very expensive whereas as the sticker price of Northeastern is $49,497 per year. In France, University is free for students and everyone is accepted into the publicly funded universities. Sciences Po is a “grande école” which means that it is selective, only partially government funded, and charges fees to students. On one hand, I wish Northeastern was only $12,800 per year, but I can also see the difference in resources between Sciences Po and Northeastern. For example, there is more “free” student programming at Northeastern than there is at Sciences Po and the buildings tend to be nicer. While it might sound petty, the classrooms are visibility older with more wear on the stairs and bathrooms and it is hard to find outlets to plug in laptops. As well, the library is hope to older and the computers are not as new as the computers at Northeastern. However, I do not think the better facade of Northeastern is worth $37,000 more per year.
More interesting than the price of Sciences Po is its legacy. Sciences Po is considered “the school” to go to if one is interested in going into French politics. Out of the last eight French presidents, seven of them went to Sciences Po. The high-powered alumni add to the clout of the school. Sciences Po is to France as Harvard is to the United States or the London School of Economics is to the United Kingdom. However, Sciences Po has been under increased scrutiny over the last years. I have heard many people express the sentiment that Sciences Po is over-priced and over-rate considering the quality of education. Last week, there was a blockage of the main building where students were protesting President Macron (an alumni of Sciences Po) and the exclusive, elite nature of Sciences Po. This is very different than at Northeastern which started out as a local community college and is now becoming more selective and raising in college rankings. I think this speaks to perhaps a trend in education, which emphasizes the quality of education over the legacy of a school.
Recapitulating my four months in France, I feel like I learned a great deal within classes as well as about life and current issues in France.
Thank you for reading along.
