Student review [#9739] for International Development
at Sciences Po

While Sciences Po markets itself as an “elite” institution attracting the best and the brightest from within France and around the world, the university’s reputation (particularly in Anglophone countries) remains somewhat obscure. As an American, I have often had to explain to people in the U.S. what Sciences Po is and why I chose to study here.____Overall, I have had some fantastic professors; the professional networks available to students (and opportunities to see interesting, accomplished people speak at events) parallel those at similar and peer academic institutions (i.e., LSE, Columbia). My classmates both in development and from other programs (international public management, security, human rights and humanitarian action) are wonderful, inquisitive, globally-minded students.____That being said, the quality of the teaching is extremely inconsistent; some classes seem to rely more on the prestige of the professor, rather than the actual ability to teach, to draw students in; others are merely a series of in-class presentations by students themselves with very little guidance or contribution made by the professor at all.____Additionally, the programs at PSIA, the school of international affairs, are structured more like a condensed Bachelors (7-8 classes per semester) than a focused Masters. This makes it difficult to feel as if you have “mastered’ anything.____Similarly, grading can be an absolute joke; everything is on a curve and then the administration “adjusts” (deflates) grades further, ostensibly to maintain the university’s reputation as an elite institution. Professors do not always provide detailed feedback (or even rubrics) as to how or why they graded assignments (papers, presentations) in a certain way; students are often left with a feeling that grading is highly arbitrary, unstructured, and unproductive for learning from their mistakes.____In order to truly compete with institutions like LSE, Columbia, and other universities with whom Sciences Po has partnerships or wishes to, the administration should update its services (libraries, international student affairs, careers resources), work to generate consistent quality across classes and professors, and institute mechanisms to professionalize communications with students and promote better learning (more transparent grading, enhanced feedback).