Experience report
Name: Freek Haarmans
E-mail: f.c.g.haarmans@tilburguniversity.edu
Exchange semester: Fall
Academic year: 2014/2015
Host University: SciencesPo Paris
Country:France
TOPIC: Admission, arrival, housing
My arrival was not organized, but that was not a bad thing since SciencesPo provided me with more
than enough information on beforehand. I had organized an apartment myself with three other guys I
had met through facebook groups of SciencesPo and I participated in the welcome week. Even
though it might be hard to find accommodation, it is definitely not impossible (though quite some bit
more expensive than Tilburg as you can imagine…..
TOPIC: Location of university/city
SciencesPo is right in the middle of the city, close to the river Seine and in one the most fancy streets
of France. Since room in Paris is quite expensive, everything can seem a little bit packed, but you get
used to that real easily. There are plenty of places to hang out close to uni and ofcourse Paris offers
you over a zillion beautiful spots to fill up your time with. Paris is definitely a touristy city, but after a
while you will be able to see through the crowd and learn to appreciate the beauty of all the different
kinds of neighbourhoods, monuments, museums etc.
TOPIC: Academics
I mainly took courses in international relations, mainly focusing on conflict situations and antiterrorism. SciencesPo is known to be one of the best universities in the world in this matter and this is
for a reason. The professors are top of the bill and the alumni form almost the entire French
government (not sure if that is really a good thing though….). Sciencespo was challenging but it was
definitely not impossible. Hard work pays off.
TOPIC: Social life
Since Sciencespo has so many international students, the entire student community is from a wide
variety of regions in the world which makes interactions very interesting. The community is also really
tight, also since SciencesPo is not that big. I had a lot of interaction with other international students
from all over the world. Together with friends I met in Paris I travelled to many different places, both in
France and outside of the country.
TOPIC: Living costs
It surely was a pricy experience. I received an Erasmus grant but furthermore I paid everything
myself, both with money I had saved and with some help from DUO. The expenses are way higher
than in Holland, both for housing and for day to day costs. I spend most of my money on travelling.
However, going out is also a lot more expensive than in Holland, although after a couple of weeks you
get to know the better and cheap places and pre-drinks help a lot;). Make sure you take your time
looking for apartments, they are expensive but it is definitely possible to find cheaper options after a
good search. Together with rent I most probably spent at least 1200 euros every month, which is
definitely a lot, but given the fact that twothirds of that was rent it makes the calculation a little more
acceptable
TOPIC: Culture
I did not experience any kind of culture shock whatsoever. The French are more closed than the
Dutch but mostly you will be hanging around in international environments anyways, although I would
surely recommend to try to mingle in the real French life as much as possible! Speaking French helps
a lot in getting accepted by the Parisians, but starting your question with ‘bonjour’ instead of ‘hello’
can also do the trick!
TOPIC: Personal development
International atmospheres and people coming from all over the world teach you incredibly valuable life
skills. Dealing with different cultures, trying to understand how others view specific situations, it all
seems so obvious but you will always encounter specific moments that make you realize that not
everyone is like you or was raised in the same way as we are in Holland. This might get tricky
sometimes, but in the end it only opens your eyes towards the world.
TOPIC: Tips for future students
Surely an experience you will never regret, the only thing you will regret is that you didn’t do it before.