joshc618

@culturalpolicy It's definitely a great start for an international career. Most of my peers ended up at the OECD, UN, World Bank, and large multinationals. Although the alumni network has historically been very French, the creation of PSIA and its alumni have diversified the network.

Hi culturalpolicy, My experience has been fine since graduating. Within the circles of large int'l orgs and very international companies (if you go to SP you'll end up working in either) people know Sciences Po. But honestly after 2 years people aren't asking what graduate school you went to in interviews.. Good luck!

@oh chai oi, I submitted my paystubs.

Hi, I graduated from Sciences Po and PSIA in 2013 and was awarded a Boutmy scholarship. I'm an American and I don't believe your nationality matters that much. Sciences Po takes your financial situation into serious consideration. One thing I do know is that applying at the very beginning of the application cycle significantly raises your probability of receiving a scholarship. Applying late could work against you, but you seem to have a good profile. Best of luck.

I have heard that political science departments at top universities have difference research focuses. For example, school A may be strong in development while another may be strong in international security. Is this true? I'm interested in political economy, corruption, aid, etc. and I am trying to find programs that would fit my interests. Thanks!

I wish I had seen this earlier. I'll chime in with my experiences. I applied in November (of 2011) and received my an offer AND the Emile Boutmy Scholarship at the same time at the end of December. I must say it doesn't surprise me that they are giving everyone such a hard time with admissions.. This is just how French administration is. I will say that deciding where you go to graduate school based on lazy admissions is a mistake. I am in my first year in the Master in International Economy Policy and have had an amazing experience academically even though dealing with the administration is a pain. If you can look past ignored emails and them not answering your calls, the program is excellent. PS my cohort started an "OccupyPipo" movement this year to show the admin that we expect international standards, not French standards. I think they recognized a lot of problems and are in the process of fixing them. That's my two cents.

Thanks for the info, guys. I'll check around the forums.

Hey everyone, I have decided to apply to PhD programs during the next admissions cycle and I just wanted to know if anyone has advice for me. Just a little about me: I graduated from a pretty good state school with a double major in International Studies and French with a minor in Public Policy. I had a 3.85 and was in the top 2 or 3 percent. I wrote a senior thesis on fundamentalist groups in France and how socioeconomic factors affect their growth. Now I am in the middle of a master's program at Sciences Po Paris (was also admitted to LSE) in International Economic Policy which I will finish in May 2013. I decided to go abroad during my master's to have an "international" experience before my PhD. In my program I am required to choose two concentrations, so I took on a "research methods" concentration to show PhD admissions committees that I have a strong interest in research. I am also going to write a master's thesis that is optional here at SP. I will most likely write about the relationship between ICTs and social movements or economic inequality. This summer and for my third semester (fall 2013) I will be in DC working as a research assistant at a major think tank. Luckily I won't be making copies and getting coffee--I will actually be doing research. I guess I am wondering what to do to improve my application. I haven't taken the GRE, so I need to really work on that. I have heard that it's smart to reach out to professors in the programs you want to apply to. Is that smart? I plan to shoot for the stars and go for the best programs so I'm in need of as much advice as I can get. Thanks a lot!

Thanks for the help! How would you suggest I write my SoP? I wasn't planning on bragging a lot, but I would like to know what you think.

Hello everyone, My dream is to go Sciences Po to study International Affairs, and with the recent opening of the Paris School of International Affairs I am now even more attracted. I'm asking for people to help me figure out what my chances are for getting in. I went to a state school in the southeast, majoring in International Studies and French and minoring in Public Policy. I was a student in a small, selective international studies institute on campus that is structured much like PSIA. My thematic concentration was International Governance and my regional concentration was Europe. In the int'l studies institute I wrote a 70 page masters-style thesis on an extreme Islamic group in France and its ties to nations in North Africa. I finished with a 3.85, graduating from the school's honors college as well. I was in a few organizations like Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi, a fraternity, and I have some campus leadership experience. I also studied abroad three times: once in China, a month Parism and a semester in Angers, France (so I speak French pretty well). Right now I am working in a law firm ( I thought I wanted to go to law school, but now I have decided otherwise!) to get some professional experience. What are my chances? Does anyone have any advice for the personal statement? Thanks!

Hi Everyone, I'm taking the LSAT and planning to apply to law schools here in the United States. However, I studied International Relations and French in college, so I am also thinking about studying law in France. I do speak French pretty well (scored an Advanced-Low on the Oral Proficiency Interview), but I'm not sure if I speak French well enough to join law schools like Paris 1 or 2. Sciences Po, on the other hand, has an English track "Master in Economic Law", which would allow me to study in France (which I would love), give me the opportunity to become completely fluent in French, and I have heard that Sciences Po has an incredible reputation in France. My ultimate goal is to end up working in France in consulting or the legal field. This being said, does anyone know about any other good law schools in France that I could apply for even though my French skills aren't completely fluent? Should I just go for the Sciences Po English Track program? I would like any advice that anyone has! As for my profile, I graduated with a 3.85 (top 5%), majored in International Studies and French with a minor in Public Policy, I have studied abroad twice in France (one month, one semester) and once in China (two week leadership exchange), and I am working at a law firm for the next year until I go back off to school. I hope someone has some advice!