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Should I study at the Paris-Sorbonne?

I'm English and about to take a gap year to live in France. After that I want to apply to study Art History and Archaeology at the Paris-Sorbonne. Is it worth applying?

Reply 1

Cerys Evans

Hello.

In order to find out whether it's worth applying, can I ask what made you choose Paris-Sorbonne? Knowing what you want to gain from your time at university might help you to decide whether it is the right place for you. Do you want to study at the top university for your subject or is it more important to know that many students move into relevant graduate jobs or postgraduate study? These are all things you can find out about your chosen university. It is also worth thinking about how you like to learn, any particular subject specialisms you are interested in and how much tutor contact time you expect. You can then start to find out how the university matches your needs.

If league tables are important to you, you'll find the university around the 200 mark on the QS Top University Rankings. The Faculty of Arts & Humanities is ranked at number 17 in the world. But the university doesn't appear on this year's Times Higher Education World University Ranking nor on the Shanghai Jiao Tong ARWU ranking.

Paris-Sorbonne has a famous name and it is considered to be a powerful university brand according to the published academics who decide on the Times Higher Education World Reputation Rankings; according to their measures it is ranked at number 72 in the world. If you'd rather consider the opinions of other students, try www.iagora.com and www.stexx.eu for student reviews. If you search around the Student Room, you'll probably find other threads with students commenting on their experiences at Paris-Sorbonne.

I realise that I've given more questions than answers, but I hope it will help you get started on your research.

Cerys Evans, Careers Adviser

Reply 2

fh95

Hi

Thanks so much for your reply. I think that it's partly the problem that I don't really know what I want from uni. The Sorbonne appealed to me partly because of the name (even though I know its not particularly high on the league tables) and partly because I like the idea of living in France and also improving my French. I currently hold offers from Bristol, York and Manchester but I don't really want to go to any of them even though they're all higher than the Sorbonne. I do of course want good teaching but it's not my only priority - mainly I just want to be happy at university and have a good experience, but I'm also quite set on doing a gap year, even if I don't go to a French university. Obviously I don't want ti study in France if the teaching is very inferior to English universities. I have almost a year to decide so maybe the impulse to study in France will subside because I don't want to make the wrong decision or a decision based on Romanticism!

I'm not really bothered about employability so much as two there factors: good student life and engaging teaching.

Flora

Reply 3

Cerys Evans

Hi Flora,

Perhaps you could spend some of your time during your gap year finding out about what's on offer. Getting the chance to visit Paris-Sorbonne and other French universities could help you get a better picture of what your student experience might be like. (It doesn't sound like your UK choices have overwhelmed you, but you could still hold your deferred place in the UK as a back-up in case you change your mind.) Like everywhere else, there will be pros and cons at Paris-Sorbonne, so getting the views of other students, talking to staff and getting a feel for the place could help you decide if it's right for you.

Good luck!