“Go for it and remember to enjoy every minute!”

Jessica Kelly spent the 2014-2015 academic year on exchange at the Sciences Po Undergraduate College. Now back at Dublin City University for her Master’s degree, she reflects on what she got out of her experience on the Reims campus, both academically and personally.

What was life like in Reims, both on the Sciences Po campus and off-campus?

Life in Reims certainly took some time adjusting to, but once I got into the swing of things I absolutely loved it! I don't know if it’s a French thing or a Reims thing but the people were extremely friendly and went out of their way to help me. I loved my daily trips to the boulangerie where the staff would strike up conversation with me. It was a feeling of familiarity, although I was in a whole new set of surroundings.

The Sciences Po campus itself really felt like a family. I loved how the student numbers were small enough for everybody to get to know each other. The lecturers knew your name and were friendly and easy to talk to when it came to discussion of the course content or just general conversation. This was very different from my university, where there are so many students that they don’t know who you are and you definitely never meet everybody you study with! At Sciences Po, the classes were small enough and long enough in duration to allow for lengthy, fleshed-out debates, yet large enough to allow for a diverse group and, therefore, a variety of opinions and different perspectives to surface through discussion.

Did anything surprise you about the course or about life in France?

Honestly, I was amazed at how friendly and patient the French are! Everyone in the city of Reims was extremely helpful with my initial (very poor) level of French and tried as best they could to help me out and make conversation. The level of engagement of the students was inspiring to say the least. Everyone is very dedicated to their study and displays that passion on a daily basis in a non-competitive way. It really does motivate you as an individual to participate and engage with other students as you learn. This becomes most rewarding when you come to see and welcome your perspective being challenged in a friendly environment.
In terms of the courses themselves, the timetable was a shock. I had close to 20 hours of lectures per week, and then all the reading you have to do independently on top of that. Of course, that's not counting the time that needs to be spent writing assignments, preparing for presentations and then studying for exams (which include midterms, which was also new to me). The variety of classes means you are spoiled for choice and the teaching methods let you apply your knowledge in a practical way.

Is there anything you found more difficult to adapt to?

The 8 o'clock lectures were definitely something different to get used to! I found the presentations difficult, as I had always hated speaking in front of a group of people! The problematique and Sciences Po method was also hard to adapt to. After the first few presentations though, I got the hang of things and now I have no problem with speaking in front of my peers and academics. That was one of the most valuable skills I picked up at Sciences Po. Public speaking is central to almost every career path but there is more to it than that; it is also a confidence issue. Developing the confidence to speak French was a challenge for me. Although I studied it for five years prior to moving to France, I believe that the way languages are taught in Ireland is quite poor and so I hesitated to speak openly. I came a long way over the intensive language classes though, and my confidence grew as I made improvements.

What did you get out of your exchange programme in Reims, both personally and academically?

The year I spent on exchange on the Sciences Po campus in Reims was worth its weight in gold both personally and academically. It helped me find out a lot about myself as a person. It was also make or break time for me to find out if I really am the type of person who is able to make it living in another country (living in a place is very different from merely visiting). I also got a few more stamps on my passport, which was great as I do love to travel to new countries. A friend and I travelled to the Sciences Po campus in Dijon. There, we met other students and went on to travel to the Balkans for a week. Most importantly, my exchange challenged the way I thought about things and developed my critical reasoning skills. I was able to mix with intelligent, focused and thought-provoking young students who really helped shape my experience in France and make it extremely rewarding. It is also worth mentioning that through diversity, a significant number of bright minds from different walks of life and geographical locations are present on a single campus. The Sciences Po campus in Reims is representative of exactly that–diversity. On my campus, I met people from all over the world. Which is not only useful in terms of extending your contact list should you ever make a trip to that place, but also because of what they can teach you about where they come from. This in turn helps you appreciate how their perspective on an issue was shaped.

Do you have any advice for other students considering studying abroad in France?

My advice for any students who are considering studying abroad in France is short and sweet: go for it and remember to enjoy every minute! However, I wouldn’t describe it as a cake-walk; sometimes it can be difficult and most certainly challenging. I found it particularly hard when I first moved over and missed my friends and family (and dogs!) a great deal. I would say that you need to be driven and have focus in order to adapt to the Sciences Po methods and the lengthy hours of work that you have to put in. It does get a lot easier once you allow yourself some time for it to level out and just adjust to the new–everything essentially! You need to get your head around a new language, new people, new food, new culture and a new university. It's a lot to take in at first so you must give yourself a chance! It's extremely rewarding and there is definitely a strong sense of achievement once you have gone through the entire experience, both personally and academically.

Learn more about the exchange programme on the Reims campus