<p>Is anyone else applying for the Sciences Po dual BA?</p>
<p>Hi! I’m applying! But I have no idea what my chances are like. What campus are you looking at?</p>
<p>Same
I’m thinking about Reims but I know that my chances of getting in are quite limited sadly!
Still trying anyway </p>
<p>Hi guys! I’m currently a freshman in this program at the Menton campus. If you have any questions about the application process/what to expect if you do indeed get accepted and choose to enroll, I’d be happy to answer them!</p>
<p>Hi everyone,</p>
<p>My name is Laetitia and I am a student ambassador for the Dual BA program and tour guide at Columbia. I am in my third year of the program and was at the Reims campus for the last two years. I will be happy to answer your questions on this messageboard.</p>
<p>Regards,
Laetitia</p>
<p>Hi! I’m a student who is applying to this program as well. I’m trying to get into the Reims campus, but I feel like it’s a long shot! Too excited about this opportunity to pass it up though. For any students enrolled right now, I’d love to know what your experience was in adjusting to life at two different schools and any information about the Reims campus in particular!</p>
<p>Hi @whitman33,</p>
<p>As a Dual BA student, you will learn to adapt to two different academic and social cultures in your experiences in France and the United States. The transition between the two schools occurs quite naturally, and the advisors are very good at ensuring a smooth transition; they are always available vie e-mail and Skype when your are in France. Additionally, they come to the campuses twice a year to meet with Dual BA students individually. They will help you choose your major, map out a plan for your years at Sciences Po and Columbia, and provide guidance on how to best use both schools’ resources.</p>
<p>In my transition I have noticed that the biggest difference between Sciences Po and Columbia is the class time to homework ratio. At Sciences Po, students typically enroll in 10 classes per semester (~20hrs class a week) and at Columbia, enrolling in 5 classes per semester is considered the maximum (~12hrs class a week). However, Columbia classes require more outside work than Sciences Po classes. </p>
<p>In terms of integrating within the Columbia community, there is no difference between GS and Columbia College/Barnard students in terms of academics because you share the same classes and professors. GS students are equally welcome to join the extra-curricular activities on campus.</p>
<p>As for the Reims campus, it is a very international community and you will have access to social science classes in both English and French (core classes are all in English). Because it is such a new campus, students are highly encouraged to start their own clubs and activities. Some of the most popular groups include sports (soccer, rugby, dance, cheerleading), acappella, the student newspaper and the guest lecture series, among others.</p>
<p>Hope this answers your question. Let me know if there is anything else I can help you with.</p>
<p>Best regards,</p>
<p>Laetitia</p>
<p>Is dual BA more expansive? What are the benefits of dual at Sci Po? Do profs at Sci Po teach really differently from Columbia? Do they mark harder? Thanks!</p>
<p>Hi @eddnyc,</p>
<p>Thank you for your question. The benefits of the Dual BA are that you are able to experience two different countries, academic styles and graduate with degrees from two leading institutions in 4 years. Additionally, each one offers a very different experience because of the location of the campuses and the diversity of the student body at each school.</p>
<p>At Sciences Po, many professors are adjuncts- they are professionals that work in the field they are teaching. This is great because it helps you see how the academic world translates into the professional world. Additionally, each core lecture course will have a discussion section that is usually taught by a PhD student from Sciences Po (common at Columbia, as well). Teachers at Sciences Po use the French 1-20 grading scale, which is vastly different from the letter-based American grading scale. At Sciences Po (as in the rest of the French education system), a 20/20 is extremely rare and almost never given, and a 15 or 16 is considered very good work. To give you an idea of the grade conversions in relation to the American system, check out this scale from the Fulbright Foundation: <a href=“http://www.fulbright-france.org/docs/2010163656_NoticeN3.pdf”>http://www.fulbright-france.org/docs/2010163656_NoticeN3.pdf</a>. </p>
<p>Comparatively, Columbia professors use the A-F letter grading scale. It is possible to receive As and A+ with the right amount of work and dedication. Additionally students may elect to take non-core and non-major classes as Pass/Fail. The majority of professors here are academics, which offers a different approach to the content (compared to the adjuncts of Sciences Po). The professors at Columbia use their research to inform their course whereas many Sciences Po professors will use their career experiences to help steer the course.</p>
<p>Hope this helps. Please let me know if you have any further questions.</p>
<p>Regards,</p>
<p>Laetitia</p>
<p>@laetitia Thanks! I’m impressed by the clear answer! </p>
<p>I’m applying to the Menton campus, I submitted my application about two weeks ago, I have no idea what my chances are. For students currently enrolled, could you describe the french proficiency test, if you took it? Was it difficult? What level of french is considered proficient? Thanks!</p>
<p>Hi @dontworrynow,</p>
<p>My name is Laetitia and I am student ambassador for the program. Congrats on finishing your application!</p>
<p>The French proficiency exam tests reading, listening comprehenshion, and writing skills. It is a computer-administered test that you will take during orientation week at Sciences Po; it lasts about 30 minutes to an hour, depending on your proficiency. </p>
<p>If you are taking this test and are not a native speaker, you will almost certainly be considered for a French language course. Alternatively, if you display a strong knowledge of French in the test you can opt to take a social science elective in French (B2/C1/C2 level of French recommmended). </p>
<p>Let me know if you have any further questions.</p>
<p>Best,</p>
<p>Laetitia</p>
<p>I just submitted my application for the Le Havre campus!! I really hope I get in , it’s my top choice</p>
Hey Guys
I’m Louisa and I’m from China
I applied to Le Havre
Just out of curiosity, what other schools did you all apply to?
@binatang I guess you are also from China?
Good luck to everyone
I am so eager to find out the results… I hope I can make it :’(
Hey I’m applying too, anyone heard back from the universities? Or is it yet too soon?
Good luck to everyone !!!
I applied! Did anyone else have major technical difficulties with the site? They lost my transcripts, SAT results, and rec letters. Am I the only one?
Me too! Not so much with electronic submissions, but with mailed materials. My counselor mailed my transcripts, and one of my teachers mailed a rec, but the information is still missing on its tracking site! I tried contacting them several times about my official transcript, but they never responded.
I had similar difficulties with the tracking site. I sent all of my scores, recs, transcripts, etc. and some of them are still missing supposedly. Hope this doesn’t impact my chances.
Who is applying to the Reims campus?