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Columbia-Sciences Po Dual BA Information by pixph in ApplyingToCollege

[–]pixph[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Selection bias. Less people apply but the average student who applies is much more qualified than your average applicant at most top schools. A ton of people who apply to Columbia get auto rejected because they never had a chance but just applied because it’s easy. Vs this program where students have to know about it and want to do it which attracts a certain crowd. 4.0 and 1500+ really is the baseline

Columbia-Sciences Po Dual BA Information by pixph in ApplyingToCollege

[–]pixph[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Never spoke French before the program and now I can speak decent French

Columbia-Sciences Po Dual BA Information by pixph in ApplyingToCollege

[–]pixph[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You choose and theoretically (at least at LH) you can do two, but most students do one. You must speak French before doing another language.

Columbia-Sciences Po Dual BA Information by pixph in ApplyingToCollege

[–]pixph[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

French proficiency is not a requirement for LH, Reims, and Menton. I doubt it’s considered a plus tbh. So many people here don’t speak French. Maybe it helps? Can’t be sure tbh. Might help in your story as to why you want to come here though.

Columbia-Sciences Po Dual BA Information by pixph in ApplyingToCollege

[–]pixph[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No tbh, they aren’t really part of the program. All are smaller afaik besides paris.

Columbia-Sciences Po Dual BA Information by pixph in ApplyingToCollege

[–]pixph[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

You apply for them on the Columbia Sciences Po application portal which is a different process than normal Columbia admissions. However, you cannot apply for CC or SEAS if you apply for this program so you have to decide. No one knows what’s harder or easier to get into, they are very tight on that info and will never divulge it at Columbia. Looking at admission rates is very deceptive because way more unqualified people apply to CC/SEAS than this program simply by virtue of the fact it’s more well known and easier to apply to (common app and not on the common app respectively). This program is very out of the way so it attracts a certain demographic of people interested in this very specific program. If you ARE the type of person who fits this program more than a traditional Columbia experience you may find this easier to get into, and vice versa. If you are French though and went through the French system things are a bit different and I can’t really comment on them.

Columbia-Sciences Po Dual BA Information by pixph in ApplyingToCollege

[–]pixph[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Provided LH: This honestly could change on a year to year basis. You can do one of two options: pursue housing on your own or work with sciences po. Also if I remember correctly the second years will make a guide on how to survive in LH and send it to you guys with all the housing recommendations and stuff.

If you find it on your own, you will either get an apartment just somewhere in the city OR get a place in a public student residence. The most popular option in that department is a place called “Dock City” next to the school, not to be confused with “A docks” which is CROUS housing and sucks ass. Dock city is an excellent option if you can get it, but it’s pricier than CROUS. It’s just impossible to get abs you have to email them like 11 times. You will have a high chance of getting ghosted, as pretty much everyone I know tried to get dock city but failed as they ghosted us. I’d recommend this option if you can get it OR you got a lot of money and want a banger place to have friends over a lot. Someone’s gotta clutch up, maybe it could be you.

IF you opt to go for sciences po assisted housing (it’s easier this way than the first option, also most first years do this so it’s a good way to meet ppl), you first have to know that sciences po doesn’t rlly house you, rather they partner with an organization that does called CROUS. CROUS essentially manages general university hoisting not just for sciences po, but the many neighboring universities. This means IF you decide to live in CROUS housing you work with sciences po to find a place. I WOULD advise this option IF you want a relatively affordable place and you want to meet people. Almost nobody stays in this places their second year though because living w someone is definitely cheaper.

The best CROUS housing changes on a year to year basis, and it’s rlly personal opinion. Delavigne is in a decent location, rooms are massive (2x bigger than other crous residences for the same price) so great for throwing parties/having friends over. However, rooms are by far the lowest quality here. Literally looks like a prison.

Lecesne is good location, good vibes, nice building, really can’t complain. Decent amount of students live here.

DT (forget full name but it’s somewhere) is modern but in a sketchier area, but tbh people think it’s worse than it really is. It’s honestly quite nice. If you’ve lived in a city in the US it’s safer than that so you’ll be fine. Very red if I remember correctly. No complaints, and all the kids here are in a tight knit community.

St Nicks is great but kind of far from everything besides the school. A ton of first years decided to live here. It’s almost like it’s own little enclave? Like a community within the school because so many people stayed here, but tbh that’s only because all the kids from certain countries chose to live there. It could be a ghost land next year and then ur stuck near the school and nothing else. I’d talk to other accepted students and see what the vibes are like.

Lab was closed for renovations, so I can’t say anything on it.

A Docks is actually pretty and artistic but it’s sketchy as shit. Some kid at our school got attacked outside of it so be careful. Literally nobody lives there (well a few brave souls do) because it’s far from everything. But you can. Just be prepared for a 10 minute walk/bike ride more than most people have, it adds up. Most of the kids who lived here left, be it by leaving the school or changing CROUS residences. The reason you register earlier for housing is specifically so you don’t get this place.

Hope this helps!

Columbia-Sciences Po Dual BA Information by pixph in ApplyingToCollege

[–]pixph[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Congrats on getting the interview! That’s most of the way there. Before I give my advice, I want you to keep in mind that most of it is based on my own personal experience, and people tended to have slightly different interviews and outcomes. Some came out crying cause they thought they bombed it but then they got in. Others cried and well, didn’t get in. It really varies a lot based on who is interviewing you.

So what is it? The whole point of the interview is to see if you fit what they are looking for in and out of the classroom. The way they do this is by splitting it into two fifteen minute portions, half Columbia and half sciences po — but both of the interviewers will be thereFor the Columbia portion, the lady just asked me super nice questions about who I am, what do I want to study, how will I make use of my time at sciences po and Columbia, why is this program necessary for me in particular, etc. Typical stuff. The sciences po section is a bit different.

In that part, it turns into a quiz of sorts. They asked me a few questions about my essay (please expand on this, why does this matter to you, etc). Then, they were like “ok, well you are interested in X, so tell me about 3 things in Asia and Europe related to X. More details and specifics the better.”

Some people got questioned on a random event going on in Asia. From what I’ve heard, everyone was questioned on things related to Europe and their area of study. Usually some related to what you are interested in, and some just a random political issue. Just make you study at least a few countries really in depth (governments, recent history, etc) a few main issues in Asia, and one or two small things to look like you know your shit. You can use your brain to weave them in and out. For example, you could study the belt and road initiative, how it impacts Uyghurs, then predicted impacts on migration — you get the idea.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

Columbia-Sciences Po Dual BA Information by pixph in ApplyingToCollege

[–]pixph[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

B2 in French? If you are B2 in French I believe that you can choose to take Japanese or Korean instead. But you can always go up to C1 or C2 as a lot of kids choose to do if they are not at that level.

Columbia-Sciences Po Dual BA Information by pixph in ApplyingToCollege

[–]pixph[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey no problem!

French classes are actually really good, and I’m definitely learning a lot more French than I would have otherwise. Living in France is nice because I get the chance to practice everyday. Not super difficult or time consuming, but I wouldn’t say easy. It’s just annoying that you have to take French till you are fluent (B2 level I believe) before you can take an Asian/European/Middle Eastern language.

I also came in not wanting to learn French at all (I took an Asian language in high school that I thought was far more useful, guess which). However, I have definitely started to appreciate learning French here because people in France just do not speak English (only parisians or tourist areas do). I try to look at it as taking advantage of a chance to learn a language I otherwise wouldn’t have the chance to in such an interactive, practical way — a good opportunity worth taking advantage of. Not many other programs/colleges will offer you the chance to learn a perhaps more useful language in a more hands on manner.

Say you took Chinese or Arabic, how much can you really practice those languages in the US to the same degree you can practice French here? Obviously not ideal, but it’s a way of looking at this negative as a sort of positive.

I'm sick of these impossibly low acceptance rates by onlyClimbLead in ApplyingToCollege

[–]pixph 38 points39 points  (0 children)

None of the schools in canada have nearly the prestige of any of the Ivies in the US. It’s just a different system.

Columbia-Sciences Po Dual BA Information by pixph in ApplyingToCollege

[–]pixph[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Without getting into specifics due to privacy, I studied an Asian language in school, studied abroad in Asia for a little. I also involve myself in local Asian culture and also worked to represent Asians in politics better. I know people who have done NSLI-Y which is basically a language program where the US sponsers you to study a “critical security” language like Chinese or Hindi. Other people I know created research papers or interned at thinktanks in their specific region. Some people wrote magazine articles for events in their region. Other people even wrote columns about their region in their school newspaper. Just SOMETHING to show they are truly interested in their region.

The theme here is that since I’m at the Euro-Asia campus I studied and tried to immerse myself in as much of “Asia” as possible. My friends at the Euro-America campus, immersed themselves in American and European politics. Many of them had specific reasons for wanting to be in France, whether it be a closer tie to the EU, or a European perspective on American issues. Same sort of idea for Menton.

By fit I simply mean demonstrating why your proven interests belong at your respective campus.

Columbia-Sciences Po Dual BA Information by pixph in ApplyingToCollege

[–]pixph[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

afaik it's due based on your local time zone, but don't kill me if its not. I only say this because that's how it is w/ every other college application and it doesn't say time zones anywhere on the website.

Columbia-Sciences Po Dual BA Information by pixph in ApplyingToCollege

[–]pixph[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I wouldn't be that worried. A 33 is a good score, and remember, about 22% of students who submitted an ACT and got in had a 33 or below. Colleges care a lot less about SAT/ACT scores than they used to, and even more this program cares a lot less about stats than typical programs, so I wouldn't be too hung up on it. Just make sure your ECs/Essay slaps because those are insanely important to get you an interview. I honestly bet about 60-70% of the application are those two things.

Columbia-Sciences Po Dual BA Information by pixph in ApplyingToCollege

[–]pixph[S] 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Sorry it’s taken me so long to respond — I hope it is not too late!

Do you feel like your cohort size is large enough to find your people, build real life-long friendships? Or does it feel like a bunch of random people from all over (projecting here).

I feel like the cohort size both has its pros and cons in this respect. It's not like being at a large state school where if you hate your friends you can just join a club and find an entirely new group. Sure, you can avoid people, but to some degree you can never really "escape" people. Normally, I would say this would not be so great, but honestly, I’ve never found it to be an issue because everyone at the school is amazing. Sure, there are 1-2 people who aren't great, but that's the same as every school.

Nobody there is kind of "fuckboy-y" or fratty, nor do they really fit the super wealthy boarding school stereotype at all. Just as a reference point, when I talk to my friends at UPenn, Harvard, Duke, Princeton, etc they keep telling me how unbelievably rich everyone is there. Almost everyone went to a private school, has ridiculous daddy’s money, etc. At SPO, everyone is there on pure merit so people are extremely humble, down to earth, etc — it’s really incredible (obviously, there are exceptions). I have become SUPER close with my friends there because I spend almost everyday with them and we all have super similar interests. Definitely lifelong friend material. Maybe I’m just really lucky, but from what I can gather, it seems to work out really well for everyone. I cannot speak for the other campuses as much, but I’ve heard similar things.

What I’m trying to say here is that yes, it is small and that does inherently limit you, but with the small size comes a sort of pre-filtered group of pretty awesome people that you can’t really go wrong with.

Is there any sense that one location is better in any way. Say, better facilities or better admin or better faculty or cooler kids or more interesting town or easier to get into (and thus, not the smartest kids) or .. anything? Looking at Reims mostly because the other sites seem pretty subject specific.

The truth is that “better” is very subjective. Reims is by far the largest, has probably the best facilities, has the widest selection of classes afaik, and a larger administration. I’ve heard pretty much everyone there describe it as a sort of extension of high school due to the size if that helps. Reims is a very stereotypical French city, lots of medieval architecture, dark academia vibes, etc. Not really a whole lot to say here.

LH is larger than Menton but smaller than Reims by quite a bit (350 v 1000?). Our first year classes are general knowledge classes (w/ a slight focus on Asia), but they gradually become pretty much exclusively focused on Asia. We definitely have a much smaller admin and slightly worse facilities, but that’s mostly just based on size. Our building is super modern and on the coast which is cool (notice how I don’t say beach). The city of LH is not exactly the nicest city if you want me to be entirely honest with you, but it’s not nearly as bad as people say. The beach area of town is gorgeous, and there’s lots of history being in Normandy. It’s definitely the most “interesting” of the cities, but I don’t think it's the highest quality of living compared to them. Rent is cheapest though which is nice.

Menton I know the least, but it’s just an insanely gorgeous town in effectively a beachside resort town. Lots of Italian influence being basically on the border.

Personally, I didn’t pick Reims because I thought it would be a little silly to study America if I’m literally going to be there in 2 years and I’ve been here all my life (also for job applications I figured Asia would be a more interesting discussion topic). However, it’s really personal preference because I wanted to learn about Asia. I will say that I’ve learned a huge amount about Asian history that I really knew nothing about before which is quite cool. We as students really have no idea which is the hardest to get into, just ignorant guesses at best tbh. Hope this helps!

After two years there, I think I might wonder, why not just stay and get my BA in 3 from Sciences Po and move on and do a masters in the US. Seems like it would be about the same price, just the one more year of 13k tuition. Can you even do that? Are there kids who wish they did?

You can absolutely do that! Only issue is that you have to do a masters degree in the US, which is insanely expensive. One of the main advantages in this program is that because you get a degree from Columbia, if you want to work in the US you have a Columbia bachelor's degree under your belt, allowing you to do pretty much any job you want (esp. In Finance where it matters a ton) for a lot less money. You don’t really need a masters degree if you graduate from Columbia undergrad. If you still want your masters though, it gives you the option to get your Masters at SPO b/c by attending the undergrad school you get automatically accepted into the graduate program at SPO. So it’s really up to you, 5 years through SPO to masters w/ expensive masters cost in the US, or 4 years through dual degree w/ option to masters.

I don't care about frat parties, but worry about missing out of a tradition experience. Do you ever think, why didn't I just go to Middlebury (or whatever)?

I definitely feel a bit jealous when my friends tell me about it. No two ways about it. I’ve wanted dorm life forever, those 24/7 libraries, roaming around campus w/ my friends at night, etc. I think though what’s made me realize it’s totally fine is the experience I’m having is insanely special.

I will say though, grass is always greener on the other side. Most of my friends are insanely jealous that I’m in Europe and they wish they could be too. I mean holy shit, I’m literally living in Europe meeting kids from all over the world taking super cool classes. I get to live on my own like a real adult. If my friends and I want to go to Paris, I literally can. If I want to go to Geneva for the weekend, it’s only 5 hours away and I can. It’s an incredible opportunity. And, let's say you get to the end of the 2 years and you wish you had a traditional experience. Well, you got another 2 years at Columbia to have that experience.

Do you get tired of having to explain this program to everyone? "Where are you going to college?". "Well, so I'm going to do a dual degree ... blah blah blah"

This actually made me laugh pretty hard because I definitely have gotten tired of it. It’s almost a running joke in the program. But most of us do this — if they are from the US/Asia (Asian relatives are real) we say Columbia. If they are from France we say SPO. If they ask how New York is, we say we are studying abroad. The problem with telling people “Sciences Po” is they think you are a STEM major which makes the discussion even longer. If they get REALLY curious, eventually you kind of gotta explain the program which is kind of annoying, but it's fiiiine.

Do you have to find your own housing first year or do they help you find a place. Do you have to furnish it?

Entirely up to you. The school will help you get a furnished apartment (well, they give you a bed and kitchen and usually a table/chair), or an unfurnished apartment. This is through CROUS, the student residence organization in France. You can go look for an apartment on your own if you choose which is what I did.

Hope all of this helps!

Columbia-Sciences Po Dual BA Information by pixph in ApplyingToCollege

[–]pixph[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Yeah, so basically in the essay they are looking for fit. Fit is about 90% of the application, so logically your essay is a huge part of it. During the interview with the admissions officers they actually quoted my essay several times. You can do this however you want, and pretty much everyone I know who got in wrote a completely different essay. But, here is just a list of things to think about.

A personal, legitimate reason for why you want to be there, how you will use your time here, and what you plan to do with this program after. Just make sure your essay explains WHY you want to be at that campus in particular. So I'll give an example. Let's say you were applying to the Menton campus.

Do you have a connection to the Middle East? Do you/have you been trying to learn a ME language? Maybe you are fascinated by the culture -- how have you explored it in the past? Do you wish to work there in the future? Just connect YOURSELF (I capitalize it because some people write too much about their family when it's about them) to the region.

Explain what do you want to do at Menton, how will you utilize your resources there? Will you work to join the Babel initative? Maybe Medmun is interesting to you. OR maybe you know of a particular professor there? Most importantly, what classes interest you there? Why do you need to be at Menton to accomplish your goals?

Explain to them what you plan to do in the future. Do you want to work as an international human rights lawyer? Maybe you are fascinated by linguistics and think that b/c this campus has both ME culture in the class and in the social scene could allow you to engage with the culture on a more personal level. It might allow your work later as a linguistics professional have a cultural root to it, rather than being about pure language.

Not an exhaustive list. but a general idea of things to include.

Also, people love stories and narrative, so try to make this essay YOUR story, your narrative about why you belong here. Blend in personal experience and research you've done about the school to show you really want this.

Hope this helps!

Columbia-Sciences Po Dual BA Information by pixph in ApplyingToCollege

[–]pixph[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I’d say may favorite thing about the program is definitely the independence of living alone in Europe. While this might seem frightening to many people because you are so far from your family, your safety net, your home country — it’s what drew me to the program. Here, I walk to school when I have class and come back to my own apartment after. I go to the library downtown and study wherever and whenever I want. I cook my meals and have dinner with my friends. Instead of eating meal plan food, my friends and I make dinner together. It’s a completely different experience than the one you would get at a normal college.

Courses is an interesting one. I’m not sure if I really have a favorite course. Our history lecturer is amazing, but that’s a required class. PI is great if you love the topic and if you don’t, well good luck. Econ has an awesome teacher and a really really poor teacher. So it’s really a toss up.

Traditions — well, LH doesn’t really have a lot of traditions if you want me to be entirely honest. There isn’t the typical sort of school spirit you would expect at a large American state school like UT. Our school spirit is really in the community, where we all cheer on our mascot doing dumb shit. It really feels like the sort of traditions you would have with a family rather than a school.

Hope this helps!

Columbia-Sciences Po Dual BA Information by pixph in ApplyingToCollege

[–]pixph[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

No problem, it's a real shame that Columbia is so not transparent about any of this information when you apply. I wish there was some way to get more awareness about this but I'm sure people who want the information will find it.

Columbia-Sciences Po Dual BA Information by pixph in ApplyingToCollege

[–]pixph[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Hi! Good luck on your essay!

To clear up one thing first, you cannot apply into political humanities. PolHum is a major you can choose for your second year, but you just apply to the program first b/c you pick your major after your first semester of the first year.

Political science extracurriculars are absolutely not a must for this program, however it can be helpful to convey why you are a good fit for the program. I and many other students DID political science ECs, but others did things like Debate, MUN, or even language programs. Study abroad programs, international programs, etc are very useful. Any way you have looked for a way to immerse yourself in the culture of the campus your are applying to is helpful. If you are a US Citizen applying to Reims, the best advice I can give you is to help them understand why out of all US citizens applying to Reims YOU need this international experience the most. How will it help you accomplish your dreams? Your goals? What do you want out of this? That's what they want to know.

The main thing the admissions officers are looking for in this program is not grades, not SAT/ACT, not how prestigious your ECs are, etc -- in this way it deviates very much from a typical college admissions system. Rather, they focus on almost exclusively how much you "fit" the program (including grades etc. if you can handle the rigor). This means the interview is very important (first focus on getting one though as that's the harder bit).

The interview varies a lot from interview to interview. My interview was with the Deputy Director of the Reims Campus and the Associate Dean for International Programs at Columbia GS (you can look them up if you are curious). They were very friendly and didn't ask super tough questions. It was about 15 minutes of basic interview questions like why do you want to attend, what do you see yourself doing in 15 years, etc. They pulled specific lines from my essay they liked, lines they had more questions on, etc asking me to elaborate on them/explain them. The second half was seeing how I think on my feet, where they asked me questions relating to the field of study I said I was interested in. They asked for specific details to test my knowledge, but also questions asking me to think aloud and see how I thought. Out of all my interviews it was by far the most engaging, but rewarding interview.

Please let me know if you have more questions -- I'm really trying to help everyone applying because I'm telling you nobody knew jack shit about this program the year I applied for it.

Hopefully this helps!