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Sciences Po PSIA Applications for 2017 Entry

Hey Guys!! I Decided to create this thread to see if anyone else is planning to apply (or already applied) for a master at PSIA.
I am currently applying for the International Security Master. I heard Sciences Po is very selective, so fingers crossed.

Cheers
(edited 7 years ago)

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I submitted my application this morning for the Masters in European Affairs, so not PSIA but still Sciences Po! I'm hoping they receive less applications so turn over is quicker, but we'll see...

Would love to hear from others to get an idea of how quickly they are sending offers/rejections out.
Reply 2
Hey! That's great, good luck!!
Yes I am wondering too, apparently we first get an "admissible" email and then couple of weeks later the decision. We should get the decision no later than first half of December I think! Not sure though
Reply 3
Hi guys! How long is your personal statement? I want to apply for MA in human rights and humanitarian action but don't know how long my personal statement should be. Also do you think a 63% is enough to apply??
Original post by mirupu
Hi guys! How long is your personal statement? I want to apply for MA in human rights and humanitarian action but don't know how long my personal statement should be. Also do you think a 63% is enough to apply??


If the rules remain the same compared to last year, no more than 1000 words. As for grade requirements, I think the minimum grade they require from UK grads is Upper Second Class honors, so yes it is enough. Sciences Po definitely prefers strong academic grades, but they do make exceptions where the applicant stands out from others with similar grades (i.e. adequate work/internship experience, good letters of recommendation, and of course a very good personal statement).

Good luck !
Reply 5
Hi there!

I am also applying for the MA International Security :smile: Will probably submit my application in the next few days. My grades are borderline, but I am hoping to make up for it by relevant work/internship/volunteering experience. Any experiences with this out there?
Reply 6
Original post by Idro
Hi there!

I am also applying for the MA International Security :smile: Will probably submit my application in the next few days. My grades are borderline, but I am hoping to make up for it by relevant work/internship/volunteering experience. Any experiences with this out there?


Heyy that's great. Yes same here, I am counting on the work experience etc. I think they really value it, hopefully it will be fine:h:
Reply 7
Original post by Dounib1
Heyy that's great. Yes same here, I am counting on the work experience etc. I think they really value it, hopefully it will be fine:h:


Cool, happy to hear I am not alone :smile: Best of luck!
Reply 8
Original post by Idro
Cool, happy to hear I am not alone :smile: Best of luck!


Haha, thank you, Good luck to you too !!
Reply 9
But that's the thing, I don't have adequate work/experience as unfortunately I had to work part time to fund my studies (not entitled to a student loan, no help from my family) so I only have one month volunteering experience (and participation at the Model United Nation, and IR and Politics society of my uni)... Will this + a stellar personal statement enough?

Thanks for your reply by the way!
Hi all! :smile:

I'm planning on applying the Masters in International Security also! I hope to send in my application in December. I need to finish my personal statement first. I have work experience through an internship I went on, my grades too are average
I have a question about references, I have to ask mine yet but I dont have any profs that I have a "personal" relationship with. Is it very common to have quite enthusiastic references??

Thx :biggrin:
Original post by mirupu
But that's the thing, I don't have adequate work/experience as unfortunately I had to work part time to fund my studies (not entitled to a student loan, no help from my family) so I only have one month volunteering experience (and participation at the Model United Nation, and IR and Politics society of my uni)... Will this + a stellar personal statement enough?

Thanks for your reply by the way!


Yes, more than enough. I'm a current student in the Human Rights and Humanitarian Action programme and when I submitted my application, my professional experience basically consisted of the following:

1. Admin member of the Alliance Française de Bangkok
2. Three-day English to French interpreting gig for a conference dealing with HIV and malaria.

I'll be happy to answer any questions you may have about the programme :smile:
Reply 12
Original post by prohairesis
Yes, more than enough. I'm a current student in the Human Rights and Humanitarian Action programme and when I submitted my application, my professional experience basically consisted of the following:

1. Admin member of the Alliance Française de Bangkok
2. Three-day English to French interpreting gig for a conference dealing with HIV and malaria.

I'll be happy to answer any questions you may have about the programme :smile:


Thanks! How do you find the program, is it hard- is there a lot of contact hours?
Alos I have a feeling less people apply for our maser, do you think it's slightly less competitive?

Can I ask you what you put in your personal statement (roughly, I am so bad at them, I never made one) ?

Thank you so much!
Reply 13
Original post by serenacoolbeans
Hi all! :smile:

I'm planning on applying the Masters in International Security also! I hope to send in my application in December. I need to finish my personal statement first. I have work experience through an internship I went on, my grades too are average
I have a question about references, I have to ask mine yet but I dont have any profs that I have a "personal" relationship with. Is it very common to have quite enthusiastic references??

Thx :biggrin:


I think they wouldn't mind writing you a nice reference, and if they think they are not qualified to do so they will tell you instead of writing a bad reference. I did not have a personal relationship with some of my referees but they nonetheless agreed to write me one on the basis of what I did in class, the papers i wrote etc. So just ask!! :tongue:
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by mirupu
Thanks! How do you find the program, is it hard- is there a lot of contact hours?
Alos I have a feeling less people apply for our maser, do you think it's slightly less competitive?

Can I ask you what you put in your personal statement (roughly, I am so bad at them, I never made one) ?

Thank you so much!


Workload-wise, there's no doubt about it. It's very intense and I find myself having at least one or two assignments/essays/presentations to hand in every week plus weekly readings. Courses are also fast paced, and if you know French, I highly recommend you take some of the French modules. The grading is generally harsher for the French courses, but they have a very particular way of teaching that I find intriguing. PM me for more info about this.

Content-wise, whether you find the programme to be hard will depend on your prior work experience and knowledge of human rights. If you've done a degree in IR, law, or a human-rights-related field, then yes it will probably be easier for you, at least in the beginning. I came from a French literature background so it was a substantial learning curve for me.

All programmes within PSIA combined, I think there's around 700 students for the class of 2016-18. From what the School's deputy director said at the inaugural speech, around 3000 people applied last year. Not taking into account the people who turned down their offers, that would put the acceptance rate at around 24% with a +5% margin. Of the 700 students attending PSIA this year, a little over 100 students are doing the Human Rights programme.

As for my personal statement, I wrote about how my French Lit degree taught me a lot about humanism. France has a long and turbulent history with human and civil rights (e.g. the French declaration of human rights). Concretely speaking, I took a class about the Jewish Genocide and survivors' testimonies and secondary literature/art surrounding the topic, and the difficulty I had having to sustain myself for over 10 weeks throughout the course - then talking about how it was nevertheless rewarding and made me become more interested in what has been done since then to prevent such atrocities.

I think the important with personal statements, and what a number of people do not realize with them, is that:

1. You have to give them a good, concrete (and possibly short but precise) answer as to why you want to study the course you've applied for.
2. Show them what you've DONE (and not what you've wanted to do but not have done) to demonstrate your interest in the field (internships, work experience, student associations, articles, blogs, etc.) In a way, personal statements are an extension to your CV, so choose your activities carefully and make sure they're adequate to your personal project.
3. Explain i) what these activities have taught you and ii) how they have contributed to your desire/conviction to pursue the course.
4. Show them you've done research about the school and course. How does the school and course match your needs/interest? Cite a concrete example of a course/teacher you want to work with and why.

This link may help you in structuring your personal statement:

http://www.sciencespo.fr/admissions/en/content/graduate-international-criteria

I hope I've answered your questions. Don't hesitate if you need any further advice.
Reply 15
Original post by prohairesis
Workload-wise, there's no doubt about it. It's very intense and I find myself having at least one or two assignments/essays/presentations to hand in every week plus weekly readings. Courses are also fast paced, and if you know French, I highly recommend you take some of the French modules. The grading is generally harsher for the French courses, but they have a very particular way of teaching that I find intriguing. PM me for more info about this.


I am a native French speaker, and I passed my french baccalaureat, as well as some experience in the french undergraduate system - I am unsure if I really want to go back to thi (especially if the grading is harsher), could you expand please? Or do you rather I go in PM?

Thank you for such a detailed answer! I do have a degree in IR and previous knowledge of the human rights issues so hopefully it will help!

As for the stats, it is a bit more reassuring. Thank you for the guidance on your personal statement as well, it is really helpful - it is very different from what LSE is asking for example. Furthermore, did you upload any extra document/essays or not? I feel I have none to really show that are relevant unfortunately.
Original post by mirupu
I am a native French speaker, and I passed my french baccalaureat, as well as some experience in the french undergraduate system - I am unsure if I really want to go back to thi (especially if the grading is harsher), could you expand please? Or do you rather I go in PM?

Thank you for such a detailed answer! I do have a degree in IR and previous knowledge of the human rights issues so hopefully it will help!

As for the stats, it is a bit more reassuring. Thank you for the guidance on your personal statement as well, it is really helpful - it is very different from what LSE is asking for example. Furthermore, did you upload any extra document/essays or not? I feel I have none to really show that are relevant unfortunately.


You are definitely right to say that any extra document you upload has to be relevant to your application. So for instance, I uploaded an essay in which I had scored well and which discussed about traumatic experiences in concentration camps through written testimonies and the imperative of never forgetting the Holocaust. In my personal statement, I discuss about how the course on the Jewish Genocide helped me want to learn more about human rights and what has been done (legal framework, treaties, conventions, laws, etc.) since then to prevent further atrocities. So in uploading this essay, I hoped it would not only help elaborate on this desire to learn more, which I mentioned in my personal statement but could not go into detail, but overall to show them that the essay is as such, something I've done to demonstrate my interest for human rights.

I also did upload an article I wrote about how one time I was accidentally locked in the library and spent the entire night there. Although not directly relevant, the document was meant to be something "fun" for the jury to read, but also I had mentioned in my personal statement that my future plan was to become a writer in human rights. So the article was meant to demonstrate my interest for writing.

All this to say that don't overdo it. Only add documents that complement your CV and personal statement. Admissions officers at SciencesPo receive thousands of applications each year, so make your application as "light" for them as possible (but also selecting your best achievements/features).

About the grading system in the French modules, it's just a personal opinion but I feel the professors expect more from you.
Keep in mind that SciencesPo has two application procedures: the first one is for international students (sur dossier) and the second one is for French students or those who have completed their studies in a French university. For the second procedure, you have to take exams and pass an interview (in addition to the dossier) before they give you their decision. So some say it's more selective for the locals. One might say there's no correlation between this and strictness of grading in French classes, but this is just my opinion from the perspective of someone who's taking classes in both French and English.

Oh btw, you do know that SciencesPo has dual degrees with two UK universities right? One with LSE and the other with KCL. The dual degree with KCL is new this year.
Reply 17
I submitted my International Security application a few days ago and the final reference came through this morning. Best of luck!



Original post by Dounib1
Hey Guys!! I Decided to create this thread to see if anyone else is planning to apply (or already applied) for a master at PSIA.
I am currently applying for the International Security Master. I heard Sciences Po is very selective, so fingers crossed.

Cheers
Reply 18
Original post by hgbb
I submitted my International Security application a few days ago and the final reference came through this morning. Best of luck!


Great! Thank you, good luck to you too! What's your background if i may ask?
Reply 19
Original post by serenacoolbeans
Hi all! :smile:

I'm planning on applying the Masters in International Security also! I hope to send in my application in December. I need to finish my personal statement first. I have work experience through an internship I went on, my grades too are average
I have a question about references, I have to ask mine yet but I dont have any profs that I have a "personal" relationship with. Is it very common to have quite enthusiastic references??

Thx :biggrin:


Hi! I had exactly the same problem, and contacted the program contact person. She said it was fine to use another reference, such as professional or from an internship. So I asked my previous boss and the supervisor for my bachelor thesis (who really does not know me well at all). Hope that's fine :biggrin:

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