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Ben is a student in the class of 2026 and one of the fall 2021 recipients of the Social Media Scholarship. Below he reflects on his first year at the Sciences Po Campus of Le Havre.
I thought the best way to present my year in review was to organize it in a before and after so as to bridge the gap between your current expectations and my personal experience. I will divide into three parts: academics at the Sciences Po Le Havre Asia Campus followed by student integration and concluding with my expectations for next year.
Academics:
Expectations:
Before attending Sciences Po, I decided to research the general philosophy/approach to education in France so as to have a baseline on what would be demanded of me. Whereas as American learning aims for students to gain practical knowledge which could be evaluated objectively, for instance the AP formulaic short answer questions guidelines, French learning seemed to achieve greater depth by dealing with the abstract with an emphasis on eloquence and stylism in writing.
Coming from a high-pressure prep school, I was also hoping that the academics would not be as challenging allowing for more free time to be dedicated to professional/artistic/social activities.
Regarding the lecture and seminars, I believed that lectures would function as information relays and the seminars would act as places to discuss this information.
Reality:
Although it would be difficult to qualify the Sciences Po institution as an ideal-type provider of the French method of education, as at least half of the professors were international, there was nevertheless a focus on theory and French argumentation. Presentations, Essays, Midterms, and Finals all had to follow the dissertation style meaning, finding a critical issue and providing a line of reasoning to it through a thesis, antithesis, and synthesis. Rather than arguing a point, students must outline several contrasting perspectives on the question to then integrate the arguments introduced. This forces you to think beyond a particular rhetoric, seek opposing viewpoints, and manage to formulate a coherent, nuanced answer. The prime difficulty of the first semester was getting acclimating to this new style of writing.
It would be a crime not to mention my favorite course of the year: Political Institutions with the famous Gretchen Allen-Mestrallet. In the introductory international legal course, we examined countries’ constitutions and how they reflected the political reality of the nation by how the different branches of government interacted between each other and communicated with its constituents. The first third of the course provided us with a theoretical toolkit, the second third was a primer on France from the first to fifth republic, and the last third on case work, exploring a range of Western and Eastern countries. What fascinated me was the interplay between national cultures and history influencing the character of the constitution and thus the specific structure of a given country's government.
Far away from family motivating you to study, I found that the peer pressure at Sciences Po to succeed striking. This was enhanced by the grade ranking system where for each class you are given your rank in the class and in the entire grade. In addition, seeing people spend hours in the library and cancel plans to work compelled me to stay on target to turn in assignments on time and do the readings for the class. Also, the first class of each course is dedicated to assigning dates to presentations and papers for the coming semester allowing you to build and balance your work schedule. It is a myth that getting into Sciences Po is the easy part, but it is possible to have a healthy regime and social life while obtaining good grades.
Integration:
Expectations:
When I thought about Sciences Po outside academics I wondered: How do I make friends who are not American? How can I manage to have a space/time for myself while also building close relationships?
Reality:
Even for someone extraverted like myself, I had doubts over the summer that I would not be able to integrate into the student body. No sweat! Every single student is leaving home, a substantial majority are leaving their countries and the BDE (student council) acknowledges this and does a great job of having people get to know one another and create bonds with the 2As (second year students). There is an entire integration week organized which consists of hikes, ziplining, speed-dating, pool and house parties, stargazing, blind-dating, and bar nights aimed at sparking connection. Each 1A (first year student) is paired up with a second-year student known as their godparent to help them navigate their freshman year at university. Godparents organize dinners and widen the social circles of the 1As. This program is especially successful in erasing distinctions between 1A and 2As making the entire school feel like one large community.
I have to admit, integrating the first month was difficult nevertheless. In American high school, I was taught to constantly sell myself by actually boisterousness thinking it was funny. It is important to note that sensibilities are different in Europe and it is important to learn to adapt without having to compromise a part of yourself. In my case, I decided to tone myself down and try to act with introspection and be more sensitive with those around me.
The word diversity is thrown around very often today; it is hard to beat Sciences Po Le Havre in this domain. 70% of students come from outside of France mainly from China, India, Korea, Japan but also Italy, Germany, Spain, US, Canada and many more from smaller countries. My three roommates next year are each from a different country including Samuel from Slovakia, Taïf from Kashmir, and Pavithran from Malaysia. The student diversity encourages authentic traveling adventures. During fall break my friend Balínt hosted me in Budapest. After the winter finals, I was invited to a road trip back to my friend Toan’s home in Strasbourg and visit the world famous Christmas market. Spring break was spent in Czech Republic and Slovakia eating Samuel’s grandparents traditional food, hiking the High Tatras Range, and visiting Prague.
The smallness of Le Havre and Sciences Po can sometimes be suffocating so on a free weekend I would try to skip town. I attended a party in Paris, listened to the symphony in Rouen, walked around small Norman coastal villages, or visited the cliffs of Etretat often accompanied by friends.
Regarding living, most international students do CROUS university housing their first year where you have your own apartment and a couple of students may be in the exact same building. Although communities can spring up (for example in Delavigne where I lived, Dela Dinners were organized) it is nothing compared to what I imagine dorm life being. Coming from a family with little boundaries, I really enjoyed having my own haven. My apartment was my private space where I could be by myself separated from the public space (school, 2A apartments where most dinner and parties occur).
Next Year:
Expectations:
I too am anxious and thrilled to come to Sciences Po as a 2A next year. I am taking the Politics & Government major with a minor in law meaning the bulk of my studies will deal with international relations, political science, and introductory law taking courses such as Thinking Like a Lawyer, 5th Republic France, Comparative Politics, and 20th century history. Knowing more or less what is expected of me gives me confidence that I will succeed despite a larger workload which I have been warned of repeatedly by last year's 2As. The challenge will come with managing to balance the persistent academic pressure with newfound responsibilities at Sciences Po. I am an elected association member for Sciences Po Environment where my job will be to present career opportunities to students within the ecological transition field. I am starting a weekly Latin/Ballroom Dance Club that will join the vibrant and ever-present dance community notably Afro, Contemporary, Cheer, KPOP, Bollywood, Jazz and Chinese dance. Artistic expression is paramount at Sciences Po LH with performances staged at least once a month in the big amphitheater on campus, in local bars, or rented-out theaters. Finally, there is the civic internship where second year students must engage weekly in community service projects aimed to support the city of Le Havre. All of this will be quite busy no doubt, but it also gives me purpose.
I am comforted by the fact that no matter how hard things get, I know that I am engaging myself in meaningful work that excites me as a politically engaged, humanities student hoping to help push for progress.
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