Could you please introduce yourself?
Hi, my name is Wojtek and I am a second-year student in the Bachelor of Science at Polytechnique. I am 21 and I am from Poland, finishing IB Programme there. I have always enjoyed Mathematics and Physics and that is why I chose it as my major. Besides that, I am interested in fashion and make-up and I am the president of LGBTQX – LGBTQ organization in Bachelor.
Why did you choose the Bachelor of Science of Ecole Polytechnique?
I’ve always wanted to study Physics and was looking for a European university with Physics as a major and École seemed like a school with a great reputation. The Bachelor offered the double major in Physics and Mathematics which seemed like a great choice (I do not recall many programmes offering that alongside being in English). Moreover, I always was interested in the French language and culture, so this is a perfect place to immerse myself in it.
Could you tell us how the first year is going?
The first year is great. I made a lot of friends that I spend a lot of time with – mainly because we live in the same building. We have many possibilities to spend time together, even when studying. Many courses are hard, yet very interesting and give a lot of insight. Even though the workload is big, there is plenty of free time to participate in the events organized by other students.
Do you have a favourite course?
Yes, I really enjoyed the two courses. The first of them was Introduction to Analysis – which is a mathematical course that deals with analysis. Even though I have never done anything similar in my life and struggled at the beginning I was able to learn a lot and succeed in the course. Another course is a second-semester course in Physics – Electromagnetism and Light. The course was extremely interesting and very well made with many teaching resources such as textbooks and exercise books. Both of these courses had great professors.
What would be a great memory of your first year in the Program that you would like to share with future students?
Surely the first one was integration. The integration team has prepared numerous activities for us to enjoy in order to meet each other and I had a lot of fun. Moreover, we also went on a trip to Vichy – it was great to go somewhere else outside of campus. The second memory is campaign week – a week during which the first year create their own student boards to be elected. Then they host many different events in order to convince others to vote for them. The week is extremely intense and difficult but also rewarding and fun.
What are your ambitions for the future?
After the Bachelor, I would like to continue my education in Physics. After finishing the Master’s degree, I would continue with a PhD, preferably in Theoretical Physics. After that, I would like to work on research in the same subject. Nonetheless, even if I changed my mind, I will have many different opportunities in different subjects as well.
Any piece of advice to future Bachelor students that you would like to share?
First of all – enjoy it. The Bachelor programme is very unique as it offers great courses while living in the same building allows everyone to enjoy student life. It is extremely important to find the balance between both in order to make the experience as great as possible. Secondly – do not stress out too much. Sometimes you might not understand something or get a bad great – trust me, everyone was there. Do not allow that to stress you out too much and do not be scared to ask others for help.