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07.09.2016
“I want to help people obtain better living conditions”
Yanhua Chen was born in a small city in China. She has just started her first year on the Le Havre campus in the dual Bachelor’s degree between Sciences Po and Columbia University. She tells us about her reasons for choosing the Sciences Po campus in Le Havre, and shares her expectations and dreams. The first in our web series #FirstYearsScPo.
Why did you choose Sciences Po for your undergraduate education?
Most of my friends from high school in Singapore went to study in England or the USA, but I really wanted to discover Europe and study the social sciences. For my friends, Sciences Po is maybe less popular than Oxford University but when you take a closer look at Sciences Po, you realise that it is a leading university in the social sciences, especially in political science.
What does Sciences Po represent for you?
First and foremost, academic excellence! Then the specialisation offered on the campus in Le Havre. The Europe-Asia undergraduate programme allows students to gain an understanding of the contemporary challenges facing both continents, and to study fundamental disciplines such as law, history, economics and of course political science and sociology. The format of the dual Bachelor’s degree also really appeals to me. After four years of study, two years at Sciences Po in France and two years at Columbia University, the partner university in New York, you earn a degree from each university.
What are your expectations?
I want to improve my French! And I am also looking forward to meeting new people and making friends. I like Paris, but I feel comfortable in average size cities too. I come from a small city in the South of China, Ning Bo, and the campus in Le Havre suits me perfectly, including the climate here. Unlike some regions in China which are so warm and humid, I am expecting to be a bit cold in Le Havre, but I’m pleased about that.
What are your dreams?
It is still a dream, but I can imagine myself working in law, for an NGO or international organisation like the International Criminal Court for instance. To fight injustices perpetrated by dictators, to judge corrupt people, it really makes sense for me. More generally, I want to help people obtain better living conditions. Maybe it’s a dream, but it is also the meaning I want to give to my life: to have ideals and try to achieve them.
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