Hi! So, I was just admitted to Amherst College for the Class of 2025 and to Sciences Po (Reims campus, North America/Europe concentration, English track). Both of the financial packages I was offered are very similar and right now I don’t know how to choose between those two schools.
Shortly about my background, I am a high school senior from Croatia. I would love to pursue a major in IR/public policy/economics/law. I am not sure yet about my post-bachelor plans but I would love to continue my graduate study either with public policy or law. As for now, I am not sure if I would be applying to US grad schools or French/Oxbridge or LSE for my masters.
The most important criteria for me would be 2 things. First, possibility to enrol in grad schools for either law or public policy (i am considering idea of having my one-year-masters done in Europe for public policy and then proceeding to US law school but really anything is possible in 4 years time). Second, opportunities and funding that the Amherst/Sciences Po would provide me for internships, fellowships and competing in debate tournaments as debate is my greatest passion right now and costs of travelling to competitions were a big obstacle for me during my high school. Of course, quality of the classes, freedom to choose classes and social and campus life are important factors for me as well.
I would greatly appreciate all your insights. Thank you
If you would like to pursue graduate school in, possibly, public policy, then you will need a very solid grounding in economics, with, ideally, completion of an undergraduate thesis supervised by faculty current in their field and active in their own research. For this level of engagement, Amherst represents one of the finest choices in the U.S: Economics rankings: US Economics Departments at Liberal Arts Colleges | IDEAS/RePEc.
I do not know all that much about the Sciences Po Reims program, but freedom to choose classes is not something I’d associate with the French system. Amherst has an open curriculum and with the exception of a freshman seminar, you can do what you like. I’d be very suprised if the the SciencesPo program were not much more prescriptive.
Sciences Po will have great connections with EU, not that great within the UK and very little in the US. Amherst, the exact opposite. Of course, if you go to grad school, that will have a much bigger influence on where you end up, but undergrad will have a big influence on where you go to grad school…basically, on which side of the pond do you see your future?
What are the finances like? Can you afford both easily? Sciences Po, is, I assume, a 3 year program. Travel costs to see your family may be lower.
Edited to add that I am not aware of a particular emphasis on debate in the French system either. And English may be the second or additional language for a lot more people at Reims. I would not underestimate how much that can influence the qualities of the debate inside and outside of the classroom. Your own English proficiency being clearly very high.
The good US grad schools - for both IR/Public Policy and for Law- will want some work experience between UG & G. The experience of Gradschoolkid1 in the last round of applications was that intro Micro/Macro Econ was necessary but sufficient, and experience mixed with the reasons for wanting the degree was the common denominator in the admitted cohort.
Amherst won’t have name recognition in most of the world, but it would give you an American credential and network.
IMO the biggest element is where you will thrive, as you will need both good marks & good recs. Spend some time on the Sciences Po & Amherst boards and consider the negatives of each- all colleges have them: the question is which negatives are particularly important for you.
Most of the responses to your questions have focused on grad school, so I’ll add a bit about the activities you mention.
My son is graduating from Amherst this year. One thing that really impressed him about Amherst is the funding that is provided for student activities. At one point he served on the Senate committee overseeing funding of student organizations so he saw firsthand how generous the college is. It is one benefit of attending a college/university with a large endowment.
I seem to recall him speaking about the debate team and how their travel is fully funded. Also, internships/research funding is common. He received funding to do economics research with professors for 2 of his summers.
Why don’t you see if you can connect virtually with a current student who is participating in some of the activities you enjoy so you can learn all the details?
Good luck to you.
Thank you! I will try to look into work opportunities after Amherst since that seems to be a problem sometimes for international students due to visa requirements and similar
@Tigerle Thanks! Amherst definitely has a more open curriculum compared to Sciences Po. What confuses me the most is an exceptionally high Sciences Po’s ranking (2nd best in the world for politics and social sciences bachelor). To clarify, while I do understand what an amazing university it is, I don’t yet understand what differentiates its bachelor program from quality of Amherst’s or one of the Ivies’ majors in pol sci or social sciences. Tbh, Sciences Po’s ranking is what attracts me most to it for now (apart from the French culture and climate which is closer to me than American) so what I’m really trying to do is figure out what puts it that high on rankings and how important those qualities are for me.
Sciences Po is extremely selective for their French candidates, and everyone who is anyone in the French public sector is an alum. More or less.
A lot of influence in the EU, but limited to the French parts.
If that’s not your destination, I am not sure how much value it really adds to your education, to be honest.
You will learn a very precise, Cartesian way of syllogistic thinking. And might be great candidate to for EU civil service career in Brussels or Strasbourg. (You sound as if you are not that keen on going back to Croatia).
I’m not sure it opens any doors in the US.
Amherst, of course, opens lots of doors in the US, with the exception of immigration and citizenship. You may have to go back to the EU at some point in order to be able to work. Universities like Oxford or LSE will be familiar with Amherst and its reputation in the US, but the UK, of course, isn’t a good option for EU citizens any more either.
I have a hunch you will probably be happier at Amherst than at Reims. You can always just go and enjoy your 4 years there, make the most of your opportunities to intern and research, apply to grad schools all over the world and let the chips fall where they may.
Sciences Po has two levels and the Master’s level will LOVE an Amherst grad. So, you can have the best of both worlds: a US residential college experience then Sciences Po, if that’s what you want.
In terms of undergraduate experience, Amherst wins hands down. First, Science Po Reims only has a few hundred students and a few buildings. Its very very nice by French standards but it’s a far cry from the Amherst campus. Second, the faculty at Amherst have been chosen because they love teaching undergrads and can integrate them into their research. Sciences Po faculty dont live in Reims for the most part, they take the TGV there for one or two days a week, deliver their classes, and leave. Finally, there’s little flexibility: all your first year courses are prescribed (zero choice) then for your second year you choose a major and take the relevant classes with a few choices (like, A or B, not from a catalog with 800 courses like at Amherst).
You’ll need to find internships, and Amherst’s career center is superlative.
If your major is recognized as quantitative, you’ll get a 27 mont OPT (24 if you had summer internships), if it’s not then your OPT is 12 months, to work in the US.
It is incredibly hard to get a tenure-track job at any college, let alone at a top college in the US.
If you wish to conduct a personal empirical study, you can look at faculty search criteria in several fields.
After you filter through several searches at different types of institutions, you’ll conclude that, all in all, the criteria are pretty clear.
Standards are the same whether you aim for R1 or SLACs but the focus for SLACs is that specific interest in teaching and mentoring undergrads (v. grads). Demonstrated excellence in teaching undergrads is a pre-req (that would include teaching prizes, postdocs, participation in innovation seminars or even designing them, grants, fellowships…) as well as having plans you can clearly present, articulating your research in that specific context. You don’t get near the interview stage at a LAC if you don’t have that.
To get back to Op’s question: instructors and professors at Sciences Po are mostly adjuncts. Those who are tenured or tenure-track live in Paris. Both types are “TGV profs”.
