One of our first-year students recently arrived in France to take her spring-semester classes at Sciences-Po Grenoble. Here is what she tells us about her experiences there so far. Please keep reading to hear from another TAM student. He is in his second year and also shares his perspectives from France.
Having graduated from UNC-CH with a major in Global Studies, the Transatlantic Masters Program attracted me as it combined my passions of international affairs, politics, and cultural exploration. Choosing TAM was quite easy for me as the program offers such a unique degree and allows me to complete semesters abroad at a partner university. For my semesters abroad I chose to study in Grenoble, France. Having been in Grenoble for a little over one month, I wanted to write about my experience.
Grenoble is a beautiful French town located in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. The city is surrounded by mountains, so my friends and I go skiing almost every weekend. The school has great student discounts on everything from rentals to buses to ski passes, so even if you have never skied or snowboarded before, weekend trips in the mountains are a must… and who knows, you may pick up a new hobby! Once summer arrives, I look forward to hiking in the same mountains.
Grenoble is also classified as a student town. There are a few different universities in close proximity to one another; so, during the evenings and on the weekends, the city is filled with life. Not only is the town filled with French students, but it is also a hub for international students. I was surprised by how easy it was to make friends here as everyone seems to come from the same current circumstances that study abroad brings. I am sure anyone can find something they enjoy doing in this city as the town offers great night life, a pretty substantial shopping scene, and a few live theaters and orchestras.
Another highlight of Grenoble, which I have not yet been able to take advantage of, is its proximity to the Swiss and Italian borders. I plan to take weekend trips to visit friends in Switzerland and relax on beaches in Italy. Both are accessible by the Grenoble Train Station and often less than a three-hour train-ride away.
Classes at Sciences-Po have been equally as interesting as my time in the city. Sciences Po – Grenoble gives you a range of classes to choose from. In my EU Security class, I am currently learning how to map violent events on software called QGIS. This is a new skill in which I had no previous experience. Furthermore, Sciences Po offers classes that may be out of your comfort zone in order expand your horizons. One such example is my class on Economic Governance where we focus on what is at the heart of the monetary union and economic convergences within the EU.
Grenoble has been a very engaging city within which to do a Master’s degree. I would recommend it to anyone who feels like France is where they would like to do all or part of their TAM time abroad.
From a second-year TAM student in France:
After completing undergraduate studies at UNC-CH (major: Global Studies; minors: French & Arabic) and Peace Corps in Morocco, I gravitated towards the Transatlantic Master’s Program as it allowed me to bridge the gap between my interests across various world regions. Through the TAM program, I have been able to focus on US-EU relations through the Transatlantic Studies track while also obtaining the graduate certificate in Middle East studies. For my second year of the program, I studied in France in the European Governance master’s program at Sciences Po Grenoble.
As the coursework at Sciences Po Grenoble revolves around European Governance, the school sponsored a trip for second year master’s students to one of the capitals of the EU: Brussels, Belgium. We were accompanied by one of our professors and were able to tour various EU institutions and other attractions in Brussels throughout our weekend in the Belgian capital. Students were able to take part in visiting the European Parliament and the European Commission as well as either the House of European History or the European External Action Service. Aside from the organized visits, students had ample free time to spend with each other in the hostel we stayed in and while being tourists throughout the city of Brussels.
During the final semester of the TAM program, I was able to move from Grenoble to Paris where I am working on my thesis and preparing to intern and work with various study abroad organizations for the summer.