Module 1: Getting Involved in Your Dual Degree: A Path to Success

Sciences Po (and probably your partner university) is renowned for its vibrant community and culture of active engagement. When you’re at Sciences Po, you’ll find associations of all kinds—some serious, others delightfully quirky. These associations offer abundant opportunities to participate, meet new people, acquire new skills, and dive into exciting experiences. While involvement is not mandatory, it’s an integral part of life in your dual degree.

Exploring the World of Engagement

Before we delve further into this topic, take a moment to explore Sciences Po and your partner university’s student organization catalog.

Here are all Sciences Po’s associations by campus, with a link to each one of them.
 
Furthermore, extracurricular activities at Sciences Po don’t encompass solely its associations. Make sure to have a look at their cultural and physical activities, in which you will be able to enrol at the end of August before the programme starts.
 
The dual degree you are applying for has the chance of combining both Sciences Po’s unique associative network, and its partner university’s possibilities of engagement.
 
Student groups at partner uni:
 
Columbia
 
UC Berkeley
 
Freie Universität Berlin
 
LUISS
 
Hong Kong University
 
Keio University
 
National University of Singapore
 
University of British Columbia
 
University College London
 
University of Sydney
 

Engagement also plays a significant role in your application process. Let’s briefly discuss the concept of engagement, how to approach it, and practical steps you can take.

Understanding Engagement and Its Significance

So, what exactly do we mean by engagement, and why does it matter? Sciences Po provides official criteria to shed light on this:

“The admission process aims to ensure the quality and diversity of profiles, focusing on academic excellence, personal experiences, and commitments. Oral evaluations identify individuals who demonstrate persistence, motivation, and a strong sense of engagement. Sciences Po values qualities beyond academic knowledge.”

While the criteria for evaluating extracurricular activities may lack precision, the terms ‘engaged’ and ‘involvement’ appear twice in a paragraph summarizing the entire procedure. This suggests that engagement is something the admissions committee pays attention to. In most dual degree applications, there are dedicated sections for your extracurricular activities, including distinctions, associative involvement, specific interests, sports activities, and artistic pursuits – ranging, once again, from your chess training that had a lasting impact on you as a child, to your aspiring dream to be part of the rugby national league.

A Broad Perspective on Engagement

Your dual degree jury values engagement in a broad sense. Engagement isn’t limited to association involvement, although that’s commendable. It doesn’t solely refer to political engagement, although that can also be appreciated. Engagement can manifest in sports, the arts, or intellectual pursuits. Whether you’re involved in associations, such as volunteering with the Red Cross, politically engaged with organizations like the Young Europeans, an athlete, a participant in theater, or even active on an intellectual forum, your form of engagement matters. What matters most is that you’re actively involved in something rather than nothing.

Why Engagement Matters

Engagement, in all its forms, offers several benefits:

 

  • It provides talking points for discussion during the admissions process, allowing you to share your experiences and insights. Given that it will be a topic you will very much be familiar with, it will be easy for you to demonstrate your love and commitment to it, and engage the jury on a topic you are passionate about. 

 

  • It enriches your worldview, grounding it in real-life experiences rather than mere aspirations.

 

  • Your engagement demonstrates your proactive nature – you take initiative rather than passively waiting.

 

  • Engagement can compensate for average academic performance. While academic excellence is crucial, a record of active involvement can make up for less-than-perfect grades.

Module 2: How to Get Involved


For those unsure where to start, the path to engagement is straightforward: just get involved. Whether you’re already active or just beginning, here’s what you can do:

Engagement comes in various forms—associative, political, practical, intellectual, in large organizations, or small groups. It can be a year-round commitment or something you do during breaks.

Choose What You Love, Not What Looks Good

Importantly, don’t engage in activities solely for their perceived appeal. Avoid the trap of pursuing engagements because they might boost your resume. If you think that joining a political party in your hometown is what such a political school as Sciences Po would want you to do, first ask yourself if you would, without your application to Sciences Po, join this party. If the answer is no right away, then don’t even consider it. If the answer is yes or maybe, then it might spark an interest that you previously hadn’t thought of. In any case, you should never commit to something you wouldn’t even have thought of without the aim of getting into Sciences Po.
 
 
Instead, focus on activities that genuinely interest and fulfill you. Your engagements should reflect your passions and offer valuable experiences that resonate with you. Remember, these activities should allow you to take a break from your academic responsibilities. It is way more interesting for you and for the future dual degree jury that you advocate your love for football with stars in your eyes, rather than half-heartedly, without any spark, mention that you have joined your local town party.

Embrace Taking Risks

Some engagements may require you to step out of your comfort zone and take risks. For example, seeking a two-week internship at your local government may be a fantastic idea, but it involves reaching out and daring to apply. It takes courage, but you’ll be surprised how many doors can open when you take the initiative.

Don’t wait for opportunities to find you; actively seek them out. Your dual degree jury will value individuals who seize opportunities and pursue their goals. Be willing to apply for challenging opportunities or ones that seem exclusive. Whether it’s applying for a Model United Nations program, seeking an internship at a newspaper, or starting a new initiative with friends, don’t wait for approval or validation. The more out of reach it seems, the best it will look on your resume once you’ve been told yes. 

Conclusion

Don’t stress about pursuing specific engagements just for the sake of your application. Some might enjoy politics and economics before even starting Sciences Po, and yes, it will look good on their application to say they have actively campaigned for a party and taken part in meetings in the party’s youth wing. But don’t do it for the sake of it. 

Whether you enjoy theater, sports, or other activities, it’s all valid. As an illustration, I had put in my application my childhood years of chess training, explaining what it had brought me on an intellectual and emotional level. I also mentioned I really enjoyed the sense of community I felt, and how it had opened doors to people’s hearts that I would never have met otherwise. This aspect comes close to what Sciences Po advocates – the opportunity of meeting people from different backgrounds and lifestories. What matters to the jury is that the person whose application they are assessing is a rich, proactive and diverse person, prone to commitment and discovery.  

For those of you who can read French, consider reading Alexis’s blog post on why daring to apply can lead to exciting opportunities.