Discover what a semester abroad looks like through the eyes of our students.
Camille Obeid is a 3rd year student in Mathematics and Physics within the Bachelor Program. He just spent a semester at Georgia Tech University, in the city of Atlanta in the United States. He accepted to talk about his experience abroad.
Could you please introduce yourself?
My name is Camille Obeid and I am a student at the Bachelor of École Polytechnique. I was born in Lebanon; I grew up in South Africa and Lebanon before heading to France for my undergraduate studies. I have a passion for the automotive, energy and management domains.
Why did you choose to study at Ecole Polytechnique?
I chose to study at École Polytechnique for multiple reasons. First, the school provides a very theoretical and multidisciplinary knowledge base, which, in my opinion, greatly improves problem solving and versatility. Second, École Polytechnique is a world-renowned institution with an outstanding community, which provides excellent exposure to greater opportunities.
How did you get to know the Bachelor program? What are its main benefits?
My father found the program on the Internet and asked me to check it out. All the advantages of École Polytechnique can be found in its Bachelor Program. Moreover, when I applied the program was still brand new, which meant I could become one of its pioneering students.
Indeed, I took part in the creation of the program’s traditions and its student organisation; the L’ORE. The organisation promotes a wholesome campus life for all of the program’s students. I am glad to see that it is now growing and its impact is increasingly prominent.
In addition, the program offers the possibility to go on exchange during the fifth semester to discover a new environment, enroll in courses that aren’t offered in the program, and maybe help one make a decision regarding one’s master studies.
Finally, the student cohorts are pretty small. In fact, my class was composed of 70 students who were all living on campus in the same buildings sharing many memorable moments in the course of the past two years.
Would you recommend this program to someone interested in pursuing science studies?
Definitely, yes. I believe that the program provides most skills I wanted to acquire during my undergraduate studies as well as a great entourage. Indeed, the program improved my problem-solving skills, which is of major importance for any challenge that life brings on. I had the opportunity to meet exceptional professors, students and alumni. Finally, I travelled to the USA for an exchange semester at Georgia Tech, which was an exceptional experience from the cultural, academic and entertainment points of view.
Why did you choose this university abroad?
I wanted to take as many engineering courses as possible as I am planning to pursue a Master in mechanical engineering. Moreover, I wanted to discover the US educational system in order to make a more informed decision regarding my Master’s program.
Could you please tell us more about your experience at Georgia Tech?
It was a great experience during which I had the opportunity to take courses that weren’t offered in the Bachelor. Indeed, I enrolled in multiple engineering courses as well as a graduate mathematics course and ended up with a pretty heavy workload. However, I was able to overcome the heavy workload thanks to the critical thinking and versatility I developed at the Bachelor and I ended up having a 4.0 GPA. It was also my first trip to the USA, I hence discovered a whole new world, culture, and way of life, which is always a great experience. Finally, I met exceptional people there with whom I will surely stay in touch for a long time!
What are the main strengths of both institutions (l’X and the exchange university)?
Georgia Tech has a great campus, in the heart of Atlanta, and a very large number of students, with many events on daily basis and students’ clubs. From the education point of view, an applied approach is prominent, which can be very useful as it gives students the ability to directly apply what they learnt when entering the industry.
L’X is close to Paris, a very vibrant city where students can also enjoy cultural activities. L’X has a theoretical and fundamental approach to its course material. Understanding what the concepts taught mean and how they intertwine hence is very important for one’s success in the program.
What would you like to do after the Bachelor of Science? Do you have any professional career goal?
From a very young age, I developed a passion for new technologies and their inner workings. As I grew up, the automotive and energy management industries stood out from the rest and motivated me the most. This dual interest sets a clear goal for my future: strive to steer our planet towards a more sustainable future through innovation and technology. After completing my graduate education, namely mechanical engineering, I would like to start my career as an engineer or consultant in a technical position in order to apply my knowledge in the real world. After gaining some experience in the field, I’d love to take up management courses through an MBA, which will allow me to move up the corporate ladder and gain more responsibilities and financial literacy. On a longer term, I am looking forward to combine management skills with my scientific background in order to lead or create a world-renowned company that could use pioneering technology and to improve the world.