Discover what a semester abroad looks like through the eyes of our students.
Louis-Maël has joined the first promotion of the Bachelor program in 2017. He is currently at Berkeley University in California for an exchange semester. He told us about his motivations for joining Ecole Polytechnique and his experience within a prestigious American university.
Why did you choose to study at École Polytechnique?
Even if I was interested in several programs worldwide, I chose to study at École Polytechnique for its undeniable excellence regarding the scientific education, the small number of students ensuring the quality in teaching and the “class spirit” that is more difficult to find abroad.
What motivated you to apply to the Bachelor program?
The Bachelor program met all my expectations: an international program taught in English and offered by a French prestigious institution. It was the perfect occasion to combine what attracted me the most abroad and what a preparatory class could offer. Moreover, the opportunity to study economics within a scientific institution seemed very interesting and unique.
Could you tell us more about your experience at Berkeley University?
Berkeley is at the heart of a leading intellectual community which creates an important learning dynamic. An exchange semester at Berkeley University is both a campus with some twenty libraries and about 14 million of books, a football stadium that can welcome the 42.000 students and the opportunity to go to San Francisco or to Yosemite National Park for a long weekend. In addition, the range of students’ associations is endless from regular ones (sports, arts, etc) to the specific ones proposed by Berkeley such as the “DeCal Carillon”, classes that aim to teach basic carillon playing technique. I also joined the UC Berkeley Orchestra as a cellist. As I play seven hours a week it is without doubt the best orchestral experience of my life. On the program for the next concert: Symphony No.4 of Brahms and Petrouchka of Stravinsky!
In your opinion what are the main differences between École Polytechnique and Berkeley University? What are their strengths?
It is obviously difficult to compare both institutions mainly because of their respective size. Berkeley University, with 42.000 students, has facilities which are adapted to the size of its campus. Regarding École Polytechnique its human-size campus allows a better follow-up for each student. It really makes easier for the students to have one-to-one meetings with professors. Therefore, the class spirit and the cohesion are really present.
Do you have a professional career goal?
In high school, I was told “You have a very interesting academic background… but you do not have a career goal.” It is probably because I love learning and that I have chosen my studies in the last few years according to what I was interested in and not because of a career goal. But after 3 years some perspectives are emerging: I would like to be where big challenges are in the best interests of the people. Maybe a career at the United Nations!
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