@NYC2018nyc I would say the Dual BA Program is highly valued within Columbia overall and at General Studies. Non-traditional students often bring other things to the table (in the form of life experience or greater exposure to the world) that traditional students don’t necessarily have. Taking classes at Columbia, I have felt that we as Dual BA students were highly valued by professors. For instance, in my political science classes, there are often several Dual BA students who are all strong performers and contribute a lot to class discussions. As a cohort, we also do better than average in terms of grades! Dual BA is pretty diverse as well, so we also contribute to the diversity of the student body on campus - and Columbia is known for being a diverse, cosmopolitan university where open-minded people of many different backgrounds coalesce and learn from each other.
I would say the benefits are similar at Sciences Po as well! The campuses are extremely international (more so than Columbia, in proportional terms) and are enriched further by having students from all over the world and from different academic systems and political traditions. The campus director at Le Havre remarked that Columbia Dual BA students tend to be very involved in campus life at Sciences Po and contribute a lot outside of the classroom too.
I’m curious to know how well the students transition from Sciences Po to Columbia. Is it difficult for students to participate in organizations at Columbia because they come into the community two years later?
@curiouscholar Overall, students handle the transition between Sciences Po and Columbia well!
In terms of academics, students typically have strong studying and public speaking skills after two years at Sciences Po, which makes them strong students in the classes that they take at Columbia. Of course, it takes time to adjust to a new setting, so I think most of us would say that the first semester at Columbia was the hardest but that we all managed in the end. Many Dual BA students get inducted into various honor societies for their strong academic performance. As a cohort, we have a high average GPA compared to the rest of Columbia.
The social transition also takes time. It’s up to you how well you integrate into Columbia; some Dual BA students prefer to stick with their own friend group or to the Dual BA community, but others make the effort to make friends in GS or in the other undergraduate schools at Columbia. It does help a lot that we enter Columbia with a cohort from our Sciences Po campus, and we naturally integrate with the Dual BA students from the other Sciences Po campuses; we all go through the same transition process and help each other through it.
Extracurriculars are a great way to branch out and meet other CU students. At the beginning of every school year, there’s a huge club fair where all of the clubs recruit new members. Arriving at Columbia two years later doesn’t make it difficult to join clubs; plenty of Columbia students don’t join clubs until after their freshman year, so it is never too late. It can be competitive to join certain clubs on campus that are very popular, particularly the pre-professional clubs, and you have to apply to join. But all of my Dual BA peers who wanted to join a club were able to join at least one club that they were interested in. Many of us leverage our non-traditional backgrounds and experiences during Sciences Po to get into the more competitive clubs.
Hello! So I’m applying to this program, specifically Reims and right now it is my number one choice. Anybody else applying to Reims, and if not then which campuses? I think it would be interesting for people to post about themselves like where they live and maybe some stats. Also how far along in the application is everyone?
I also have a question: I’m taking the SAT again in December, but it will probably get sent to Columbia a few days after the deadline (January 4 I think). Will this score still be considered even if it is past the deadline? I won’t be able to self report it either because I will have already submitted my application. My first SAT was good (1420) but I’m sure I can do better in December.
@hellomynameiscollege December is the latest you can take the SAT and still have your scores arrive in time! So you won’t be late if you take it in December and have it sent to the admissions office
HI Everyone & @GSTourGuides
My daughter is very interested in this program and I am doing more research on it. I am a bit confused on the Civics Learning Program or the Capstone Program. May I consult with everyone on this forum, when is this supposed to take place within the degree? I thought maybe after the first year? or 2nd or is the student supposed to start & finish it off at Columbia?
I am just a bit confused on the timeline.
Thanks,
magtse
Essentially the civic engagement program is meant to be a comprehensive volunteering and community engagement program that is concurrent with one’s studies. It’s a multi-step program to introduce, engage, and provide solutions to community issues. This is still a new development from the recent academic reform at Sciences Po, and my understanding is that you choose/design your own community engagement program that you want to pursue, and it lasts throughout your first, second, and third years.
The civic engagement program begins during the summer between the first and second years, where you do a volunteering “internship”. Then during your second year, you also do part-time volunteering alongside your studies. Throughout the summer period and second year, you write reflection papers on your experience. And at the end, you complete the Capstone Program, writing an essay outlining your experiences, the problem you’ve been aiming to address, and discussing what you learned and what solutions you found.
Hi, I am currently living in India and am in my 12th grade. I am keen on applying for the dual ba program next year. I wanted to know whether the program is need-blind for international students. I also was confused about whether I wanted to apply to Le Havre or Reims. I was told that getting into the dual-ba program through Le Havre was a lot more difficult as the number of seats is lesser. To what extent is this true?
What are the other key differences in these two campuses (aside from the regional focus)?
The Dual BA Program is not need-blind for international students. Aid is awarded by Sciences Po while you are there and then by Columbia when you are there. https://sciencespo.gs.columbia.edu/financial-aid-applicants My understanding is that aid is merit-based and need-based, but I would urge you to contact the admissions office for better clarification.
The main differences between the Le Havre and Reims campus are, as you said, the regional focus. So at Le Havre, many of your classes will be taught in a Euro-Asian context, and in Reims they will be taught in a Euro-American or Euro-African context depending on which program in Reims you are in. The languages offered at each campus are also different and specific to the region of focus (e.g. you could take German classes in Reims or take Mandarin in Le Havre).
The other major differences between the two campuses are the size. The Le Havre campus is much smaller (about 200+ students) than Reims (over 1,000 students). The size of each campus has its ups and downs. Dual BA students often say that Reims is closer to a typical American campus because of the number of students on campus, whereas Le Havre is more tight-knit. However, both campuses offer a wealth of extracurriculars, so you wouldn’t necessarily be missing out by going to a smaller campus. The number of students also affects course availability; in Reims, for instance, it is more competitive to get the courses that you want, since more students are competing for a few spots in certain classes which are more popular. And of course the locations of each campus are different, with Reims being a more typical, antique-looking French city in the champagne region and Le Havre being more a more modern city on the Norman coastline.
You are right that Le Havre offers fewer spots for Dual BA, since it is a smaller campus. However, I would discourage you from thinking about your campus choice “strategically.” It’s best to apply to the campus with the region of focus that you are the most interested in; if you have more demonstrated interest and passion for a certain region, that will naturally give you a stronger chance in the admissions process. Since you can only apply to one campus, I would strongly recommend that you think carefully about what you are hoping to get out of your time at Sciences Po and what you want to learn about. Your best bet would be to apply to the program that most interests you rather than the one with the most spots.
@GSTourGuides
Thank you so much for your clarifications. You mentioned that the Civic Engagement Program last from 1st through 3rd year so does that mean the paper is due sometime during their 3rd year at Columbia?
Hi @GSTourGuides , thanks so much for your helpful replies! I’m a prospective applicant to the Reims campus and wanted to ask specifically about the admission process and some nitty-gritty details about financial aid. I’m a student from a large American public high school to give some context. I’ll (precariously) assume I make it past the initial review and am offered the opportunity for an interview… how can I best prepare for this interview, which I’ve heard is rather unique? How can students show their capability for the program through the interview in ways they couldn’t from their activities, grades, or essay? What are some things to stay away from in an interview for SciencesPo-Columbia?
Secondly, I’m a dual citizen of the US and Romania (which is a member of the EU). This is kind of specific, but I was wondering if you know whether dual citizens of the EU can apply for any of the scholarships or housing grants available for the two years at SciencesPo traditionally for citizens of the EU?
We like to describe the Dual BA interview as half typical American college interview, where they ask about yourself and why you’re interested in the school, and half French/Sciences Po style critical thinking interview. I don’t know that there’s a specific thing one should do to prepare aside from being ready to show that they are interested and have some knowledge on the region of focus (so for Reims, this would be on current affairs in Europe and Africa or in Europe and the United States).
There aren’t specific scholarships or housing grants for EU citizens, but you could pay a different tuition at Sciences Po. My understanding is that for students with EU citizenship AND who have their tax base within the EU, they will pay Sciences Po tuition based on a sliding scale for their income level (so students with higher income will pay a higher tuition). For all other students, they will pay the full Sciences Po tuition. But there are some outside scholarships you can look at which can help finance your time at Sciences Po.
@GSTourGuides Although this program doesn’t require SAT subject tests, is it recommended that you take them? And if so, on average, how many subject tests would a GS Dual BA student take? Thanks!!
According to the website (https://sciencespo.gs.columbia.edu/standardized-testing-language-proficiency), “Subject Tests are not required for admission and will not affect admissions decisions.” You may submit subject tests if you have taken them, but you certainly don’t have to take any for this program.
Some of us had taken subject tests by the time we applied and did submit them, but plenty of Dual BA students only took the SAT/ACT and no subject tests. As stated, they are not required and won’t affect decisions. So don’t feel the need to take subject tests just to add to your Dual BA application! And even if you have taken them, you don’t have to submit your scores if you don’t want to (just your general SAT/ACT scores)!
Hello guys I just had a question. Can I still apply for this program even if I want to major in physics? I am from the united states but I have North African Origin so I am both fluent in french and arabic and I find this program very interesting.
In theory, it is possible to enter this program and major in Physics. However, this program has a strong emphasis on the social sciences; for your first two years at Sciences Po, you will only be taking social science courses and language courses for the most part. Only once you get to Columbia will you be able to take any courses that would count towards the Physics major, and this will most likely take you more than the two years (four semesters) that is standard for Dual BA students once they are at Columbia.
Given the strong emphasis of this program on the social sciences, one should apply to the program if they are strongly interested in those fields. If you aren’t interested in the social sciences at all, then you probably would feel restricted only taking courses in history, economics, political science, etc. for two whole years.
It’s not unheard of for Dual BA students to major in something more in the STEM field once they arrive at Columbia. For instance, Sustainable Development, Neuroscience, Mathematics, and Statistics are all majors that Dual BAs have elected to pursue at Columbia. However, it would be difficult to graduate in four years in the Dual BA Program for most STEM majors, and thus you would have to plan far in advance if you wanted to major in something like Physics and still be able to graduate on time.
TL;DR You CAN major in Physics in this program, but you may not be able to finish the program in four years. This program is a good fit for those with a strong interest in social sciences.
Hey everyone,
I’m a current first year in the Columbia Dual BA (on the Menton campus), and as our first semester comes to a close I was just thinking back to how stressed I was with college applications at this time last year. If you’re like I was, and you have a lot of questions about the program, feel free to message me, about anything from the application process to student life here. Good luck!
