Luca Springer is a 2016 Rhodes Scholar

Luca Springer, a student in the dual BA programme between Columbia University and Sciences Po, is one of only 89 recipients of the prestigious Rhodes scholarship. The Rhodes Trust seeks students of “outstanding intellect, character, leadership, and commitment to service” who “demonstrate a strong propensity to emerge as ‘leaders of the world’s future.’”

“The Dual BA Program has been the most important step in my life”

At Sciences Po, Springer studied politics, law, and economics, and at Columbia he is majoring in philosophy with a concentration in business management. He describes his undergraduate studies as having laid the foundation for his future endeavors, where his time at Oxford, where he will pursue a Master of Public Policy degree, will give him the tools to take the next step.

“The fact that an individual can make a difference in politics is something I only realized through my experiences in the dual BA programme, and it is a large part of the reason I decided to take the step—and the risk—to apply for the Rhodes and pursue a career in politics,” Springer said.

“It’s one thing to learn about a culture, but it’s a very different thing to get the chance to experience it. The dual BA programme has been the most important step in my life—it has changed everything. Being able to study in two distinct environments is a very new approach to education, and I think this approach will only become more important in the future,” Springer said.

The dual BA programme between Columbia University and Sciences Po builds upon a decade-long partnership, offering a truly global undergraduate experience unlike any other. Dual BA students have the opportunity to immerse themselves in two distinct academic, social, and cultural environments: a close-knit college in a French regional setting focusing on the social sciences and a large research university in New York City.

Source: The Columbia School of General Studies website

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