@hlee77 I would say that the role of the interview isn’t that important because like I said, it’s a final screening. Honestly, they accept about 95% of the people who get interviews, and those who are not accepted REALLY mess up. So just take it as seriously as possible, but remember that these interviews are more of a way for them to just know who they are accepting
@SickofApps Thank you so much for answering our queries! 
I was wondering if the interviewers will try to test our french (I’m proficient, but not fluent), or will they keep it strictly english?
@Zephyranth, the interviewers will not test you on any language skills. You do not need to speak French in order to gain admission to the Dual BA, so the interview will be conducted in English.
Best,
Laetitia
@SickofApps sorry just to confirm again… if you have an interview, that basically means you’re in and they just want to make sure you’re not a psycho or something?
My name is Laetitia and I am a student ambassador for the Dual BA program and current junior at Columbia. The interview is the second phase of the admissions process, and it does not mean the applicant has been admitted yet. The interview is another component of the application that the admissions team will take into consideration as they make the final decisions. It is thus important to take this part of the admissions process very seriously because you will be meeting a representative from both schools, you will be able to give a personal dimension to your application.
Please do not hesitate to post if you have any more questions.
Best,
Laetita
@GsTourGuides Of course, I intend to take the interview seriously. But is the 95% acceptance rate of those offered an interview that @SickofApps mentioned true?
@GSTourGuides @SickofApps Thanks again for your advice! I was hoping you could tell us more specifically about the current events part of the interview… will we be expected to present on a current event from the region we chose to study? How long should this presentation be and will they ask questions about it? What kind of questions? Sorry for my bombardment
@Zephyranth as for current events, they ask about both Europe (France in particular) and your region of study (so for me it was more questions about Europe because I’m American). Basically the question is whether you know anythign about the current events in the regions. It’s really broad. The interview lasts 30 minutes (basically on the dot as there is usually someone behind you as well), with about 20-23 minutes on interviewing you and the last 7-10 minutes on questions that you have for the committee. Thus prepare questions.
Just to clarify, the interview for the Dual BA is based on the student’s experiences, goals and academic/professional history. While an interviewer may ask the candidate to speak on the region of the world related to the applicant’s top choice campus, this interview does not require a presentation on a country or current event (which is the traditional Sciences Po method). That being said, it doesn’t hurt to be knowledgeable on what is happening in your region of interest. And as @SickofApps explained, there will be time at the end for the applicant to ask questions to the interviewers.
Laetitia
The admissions team does not have a publicly available acceptance rate for the interview phase. I would just reiterate the fact that the interview does not guarantee admission, and that it should be considered as another component of the application. Please let me know if you have any other questions about the interview process.
Best,
Laetitia
i just had my interview and it was really short… just less than 20 minutes… They called me a few minutes late and then we didn’t really talk for very long at all… Did anyone else have their interview yet? I don’t think they were very satisfied to the answers I gave to their questions. I’m not sure if it was short because I didn’t elaborate enough or that they just didn’t talk or ask as much as they usually do…?
I asked four questions at the end (which I thought was a lot) but it was still a very short interview. …
I had my interview as well. Mine was just under 30 minutes, more like 25. They were a couple minutes late in calling. Questions were not too bad. I thought I did alright but I was very nervous and I felt like I said “Um” way too much. I asked a couple questions at the end. It really was not very stressful and little did I know that my Dad was eavesdropping from the staircase in my house. He said that I did well. Best of luck to all!
They also told me that interviews are taking place this week and next, and that then the committee will meet to make final decisions which should be released by April 1st.
hey all!
I have also applied to this program, the le havre campus. My interview was today and was also pretty short. my mom was eavesdropping from outside the door 
I was told the same thing about interviews, but was told descisions would come by mid-march. I also asked how many people they would admit, and they said a few dozen, but there was no fixed number but it would vary based on what they thought of the applications and interviews. They also said that it would intentionally remain a small program -_-
@n1ghtsh4d3 in response to the fact that they are maintaining a small program, that is mainly because the institutions in France are not yet large enough to hold that many students. As a current students in Reims, they recently just opened up a new campus which is larger than the old campus, but because the old campus is being torn down and rebuilt, there is still barely enough space. Add on to the fact that the Dual BA is now accepting Dual BA students in the Euro-African program alongside the Euro-American, -Asian, and -Middle Eastern programs, you see the size difficulties. By 2018 (or 2019 as the French are habitually late), the new Reims campus is supposed to be completed where all undergraduate students will study, which will allow the Dual BA to expand in size. Until then, both for selectivity/prestige and physical structuring reasonings, the program has to remain small.
Hi guys!
I’ve never posted on here before, but I applied to Reims and had an interview a few days ago. I went to Columbia’s campus and I think it went really well. I sat at a conference table with a man from sciences po and a woman from Columbia, both of whom were very nice and approachable. They mostly asked me about how I found the program, why I was interested, and current events. They basically just asked me to talk about anything I wanted and seemed pretty interested in what I was saying (I hope!). At the end I asked them questions mostly about transitioning to France since I don’t know any! They told me ~25 people come to Reims every year without knowing any French, but that they recommend a summer program for anyone with no experience. The interview was definitely more formal than other ones I’ve gone to (both on and off campus).
They told me that after a few weeks of interviews the committee would reconvene and figure out who would be getting in. They said decisions would come by early April.
If anyone is on the fence about going to campus for the interview, I’d definitely recommend it because they seemed really glad that I had made the trip.
We will be finding out in nearly a month and the suspense is driving me nuts… I guess there’s nothing left to do but to wait patiently
Just had my interview; it was really short too (17 minutes). I did try to elaborate my answers though, and I didn’t think it had lasted so short. 
Hopefully it was because the interview started late and the allotted time was running out so they had to make time for another interviewee, and not because I sucked so bad that they decided to end it quick!
Their questions were straightforward enough: why you applied to the program, what you planned to major in, what current events you were aware of, what book you read at school and that you didn’t like. They do ask one or two more specific questions based on the answer you gave, so be sure /not/ to answer with something you don’t know that much about!
I prepared lots of questions to ask them at the end of the interview but then my brain glitched and I forgot all my more interesting questions. 
Hopefully, it won’t hurt my chances too badly… That, and the several connection problems with my Internet line that interrupted the call twice. Damn you, stupid glitchy internet!!!
3-4 weeks guys! We’re almost there! I’m proud that we’ve gotten this far. Fingers crossed!!
Not sure if anyone’s still hanging around this thread, but if anyone is, I really wonder about how “international” the international campus really is. If any current students are around it’ll be nice to know what is the breakdown of the students from different continents. And prospective students, where are you from? (:
I’m an international student applying from Singapore, and the interview was nerve-wracking. >.<