Vanille comes from King’s College London and is in an exchange for a year at École Polytechnique. She is currently in her 3rd year of the Bachelor of Science and will have to finish her Bachelor in Pure Maths at King’s College for a year when she comes back. She is French but has lived in Washington DC for 4 years. Let’s discover about her exchange year at l’X!
Why did you choose to come to École Polytechnique?
Doing a year abroad in France allowed me to go back to my country after so many years abroad as I hadn’t lived in France for 6 years. It also extended my Bachelor’s for one year which gives me more time to choose a major for my Master’s degree. I also wanted to experience a campus life, and École Polytechnique, being outside of Paris yet only a train away, was the perfect set up. It allowed me to practice more sports – I’ve been doing horseback riding and volleyball every week – which is a great way to meet new people.
How did you find out about the Bachelor’s program? In your opinion, what are its main benefits?
As I went to a French lycée abroad, I had heard of the Bachelor Program. However, this year was the first year King’s College offered this exchange. At first, I did not want to go abroad. But after seeing this opportunity, I had to apply.
The Bachelor of Science allows you to meet an international community of students who are all deeply invested in the program, which makes it easier to feel welcome. With the classes being rather small, it is possible to meet most of the people in the Bachelor Program while finding people with the same interests. I was also able to discover many subjects in which I might want to deepen my knowledge in the future.
Would you recommend this program to someone interested in pursuing science studies?
This program gives you the opportunity to follow two main subjects in depth, while also offering extra classes such as sports or philosophy. Everyone has different interests and this is a chance to pursue them while following a rigorous scientific program. I would recommend this program especially if you are interested in two scientific subjects or if you do not want to only study one specific subject at once.
Could you please tell us more about your exchange year?
I am here for a whole year. I came as it adds a year to my degree which allows me to discover computer science here while also continuing to study maths. This will help me to have a better understanding of what I want to do for my Master’s degree. I also have been meeting people from all around the world that I wouldn’t have met if I had remained at my university throughout my studies.
hat are the main strengths of both institutions?
The international community at both institutions offers a wide variety of culture which I personally think is an essential asset that also helps students who come from abroad to feel more at home. The small tutorial classes are also an important advantage of both l’X and King’s College, as they allow students to ask more questions and put into practice what they’ve learned in lectures.
Due to the Covid-19 situation, how has your student life been impacted?
In my second semester, I’ve been doing a research thesis in pure mathematics so I’ve mostly been working on my own and haven’t really been impacted too much by the classes being online.
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