“This certificate allowed me to round out my education”

Casey Floren is an undergraduate student from the University of Texas. She took advantage of an exchange programme with Sciences Po to enrol in one of the four certificate programmes offered on the Reims campus.

Upon successful completion of the programme, she received a Certificate in International Affairs and Strategy from Sciences Po. She talks about the skills and knowledge she gained through this 4-month long exchange programme.

Why did you decide to enrol in the Certificate in International Affairs and Strategy during your exchange at Sciences Po?

Casey Floren: Enrolling in the International Affairs and Strategy Certificate allowed me to round out my education while at Sciences Po, given that it includes core courses, an elective, and a foreign language course.

I study government at my home university, so I intended to continue my studies in political science in an international setting. It happened to work out that each of the Sciences Po courses I was interested in counted towards the certificate. That meant I received the full Sciences Po experience as well as evidence of the hard work I put into my semester.

What did you learn on the programme? Which courses did you take?

C.F: I learned the French academic style through a pre-semester seminar as well as the following courses: International Migration, Geopolitics of Religion, Changing Practices of Contemporary Diplomacy, and Political Economy of the Welfare State. Subjects varied from studying the Daech in the “Arab world” to methods of negotiation to welfare models of Nordic countries. The biggest departure from my home university is the oral presentation model, which improved my public speaking and advanced my knowledge of the presentation topic.

When you arrived at Sciences Po, you were a complete beginner in French. What is your level in French now? What was the pedagogical approach used by the French teacher?

C.F: I only had a slight familiarity with French as a language before I studied abroad in Reims, and my accent was atrocious. However, my French professor helped me to increase my level to intermediate (level 2) by the end of the semester through daily French practice. The pedagogical approach was different from that of American universities in that there was less of a focus on rote memorisation of vocabulary and grammar rules. Instead, frequent conversation practice allowed my accent and pronunciation to improve rapidly.

Sciences Po campuses are known for their vibrant, multicultural student life. What is it like to be a student in Reims?

C.F: Studying at Sciences Po in Reims was indeed a fascinating look at multiculturalism since the Reims campus hosts the Euro-American programme. There were of course several students from both continents as well as from all over the globe, making for a veritable melting pot. The small size of the campus helped me get to know the other students and participate in the several events put on by school organisations.

Are you planning to complete your studies with a graduate degree? What are your plans for the future?

C.F: As of now, I have applied to join the Peace Corps in Ghana and I have just passed the Foreign Service Officer Test, the first step to becoming a United States diplomat. I will also be taking the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) in October in order to gauge my chances of getting into a good affordable law school within the next few years.

Learn more about Sciences Po’s certificates for exchange students