Source: Universities – Science Po in English
In 1999, Sciences Po launched a pioneer year abroad programme for all its students, drawing on its extensive network of university partnerships.
A key milestone in the academic journey at Sciences Po, the third year abroad, or “3A” is compulsory for all students of Sciences Po Undergraduate College. This study abroad experience takes the form of a full year at a partner university or a mixed year combining one semester of study and one semester of full-time internship.
This summer, students returning from their year abroad are sharing their experiences. Meet Mathilde Rinchet, a Bachelor’s student at Sciences Po Poitiers campus, minor Latin America and the Caribbean, who studied at the National Law School of India in Bangalore.
Why did you choose this university and this part of the world for your third year abroad?
I wanted to discover a country that was still largely unknown to me, of which I had only a partial understanding through my reading on women’s rights, the caste system and the conflicts in Kashmir. I was convinced that these issues could only be understood by approaching them on the field, by talking to those who experience them on a daily basis.
More broadly, I felt the need to confront my thinking with a different way of seeing the world. India, a country of remarkable cultural, religious, and philosophical richness, difficult to understand from the outside, represented an invaluable intellectual and human opportunity for me.
On a personal level, as a mountain enthusiast, I saw the proximity of the Himalayas and Nepal as the ideal opportunity to explore natural spaces that had long attracted me.
What were the unique characteristics of your host institution?
The National Law School of India is considered as India’s top law school. Courses range from the equivalent of the first year of a bachelor’s degree to a doctorate. Like at Sciences Po, first- and second-year students are required to take courses in economics, sociology, and history, in addition to law courses.
As an exchange student, I enjoyed a great deal of flexibility in choosing my courses. I was able to choose courses from the entire syllabus, at all levels, which I greatly appreciated.
Which courses would you recommend?
My favourite courses were sociology and political science, which focused on political parties in India.
The first was very similar to courses at Sciences Po, with similar themes (socialisation, inequality, etc.), while incorporating specific Indian characteristics such as the caste system and the concept of tribes. Each concept was explored through Western and Indian authors, which I found particularly interesting.
The second gave me a better understanding of the political party system in India by studying its history and functioning and looking at both national and regional parties.
What did you learn about yourself and your place in the world during this experience?
I would say that this year in India has developed my ability to adapt and find resources. While travelling alone in India and throughout Asia, I found myself in some unlikely situations (a dam broken due to flooding during a trek, hospitalisation, arriving alone at a police station in India, etc.).
Being in contact with people from all over the world, I practised my English with English-speaking and non-English-speaking people and opened my mind to different cultures.
How will this year abroad influence your future?
I went to India with the ambition of developing my career as a journalist. I hoped to film and produce documentaries there, but this project ran into certain limitations due to the local context. Nevertheless, I was able to create and host a podcast on Indian current affairs at the Alliance Française in Bangalore.
Having dreamed of attending the Sciences Po School of Journalism since I was a child, I had time during this year to prepare for the graduate school’s written and oral entrance exams, which I will take in autumn.
In the future, I would like to continue travelling, particularly in South and Central Asia, to make documentaries and become a press correspondent, especially in India!