Alumni Profiles: Jean's Experience during the 2019 Pre-College Programme

I am currently studying at Sciences Po Paris in the Europe - North America specialisation, majoring in Law and Comparative Politics and minoring in Finance and International Trade.

I participated in the Sciences Po Summer School in 2019. It was for me an opportunity to assess whether Sciences Po met my academic and professional aspirations, interact with students from many different countries and immerse myself in a rich and fruitful international experience.

The Pre-College programme gave me the opportunity to delve into Sciences Po’s core subjects during Master Classes and tutorials, under the guidance of Sciences Po professors and researchers. I was introduced to higher education methodology and challenged to meet university-level standards during the final exams. I also really enjoyed the life on the Reims and Paris campuses and was thrilled to meet and discuss with students currently studying at Sciences Po.

Having the opportunity to discuss directly with and learn from Sciences Po professors was really unique. I had the opportunity to discover many new subjects such as International Public Law, Populism, Peacebuilding, the European Integration, Humanities and of course Sustainable Development. I met many of my best friends during this Summer School and was glad to find them also afterwards at Sciences Po for the Undergraduate Program.

The Summer School confirmed my conviction that Sciences Po is the ideal institution that meets my academic and professional aspirations. Indeed, the Summer School proved that Sciences Po was perfectly aligned with my own skills and expectations, at the intersection of public and private sectors as well as European and international organisations.

I wish I had known earlier about the Summer School and about Sciences Po – it would have saved me a lot of time!

Whether you are sure that Sciences Po is the ideal institution for you or not, the Summer School is a unique opportunity for you to concretely make your own opinion, discover great individuals from all around the globe and explore very interesting university-level courses. I am sure that the Summer School will trigger in you many interests that you did not know about and that you will leave from the Pre-College Program even more passionate than you were before applying.

I recently finished my internship as Head of Project at the Institut Français of Qatar & the Service de Coopération et d'Action Culturelle of the French Embassy, where I had the opportunity to interact with numerous multicultural organizations such as UNESCO and international students from many diverse countries. Moreover, I am currently the branch leader on the Reims campus of Junior Consulting, the junior enterprise of Sciences Po. I chose to take part in it as it is a way for me to decide if I want to continue my professional career in the public or private sectors.

I also like to take an active role in the various cultural events because I see it as yet another way of contributing and understanding society. I often volunteer in diverse humanitarian organizations at the service of the wider community through community work such as the ‘Cours Colibri of Esperance Banlieues.’ I also play the piano and classical guitar and the public performances that I gave, have helped boost my confidence and so did being a member of the the Giffoni Film Festival’s jury.

I am currently planning on doing my third exchange year abroad in the USA.