I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to spend the first semester of my third year of university participating in the Erasmus+ Program. During this time, I had the privilege of spending four months in Paris, studying at Sciences Po, one of the most prestigious universities worldwide for social studies.
This opportunity was made possible in part by the Collegio di Merito don Nicola Mazza G.Tovini, as I was awarded with the International Mobility Scholarship by Fondazione Mazza. I am immensely grateful for the support I was given throughout my whole exchange experience.
One of the most enriching parts of this experience was that I had the chance to meet people from all over the world. I met people from the US, Switzerland, Spain, Hungary, UK, Argentina… and many other places. We used to do “Cultural Exchange Dinner” evenings, once a week, where we all cooked the typical dishes from our home, exchanged recipes and had fun games nights. I listened about the educational systems in the countries that they come from, which was helpful to me regarding my choice for a Master’s degree program. I am still keeping in touch with the friends I made, and we plan on visiting each other during the following semester.
This experience particularly aligns with my future goals and aspirations. Indeed, Sciences Po is one of the most prestigious universities for political science and international affairs in the world, and I am honoured to have been immersed into its educational system. There, I have taken some very interesting and insightful courses, such as: The Politics of Images; From Maritime Security to Sea Studies: Oceans, Maritime Spaces & Islands new; Territories in International Security; Principles of Finance; European Integration and Its Challenges: The Euro, Migration and Populism; Introduction to Performance Studies: Performing Public Space and State-building and Political Thought in the Middle East (1923-2023).
I particularly enjoyed the opportunity to study such specific subjects in depth, taught by professors that are professionals and practitioners in the field they are lecturing.
I also took advantage of Paris’s excellent connections to other big European cities, as I travelled to Brussels, Normandy, Lyon, Geneva and Luxembourg during my stay.
Conclusively, this exchange has been transformative and beneficial to me on many levels. Regarding personal development, I had the chance to experience life in the new country, and in a huge chaotic city like Paris. On the professional level, I experienced a completely different way of learning compared to the Italian system, as classes in France are much smaller and the assessment method is typical of written exams. Finally, when it comes to networking and meeting new people, I have made connections with people from all parts of the world, that I wish to keep for a long time.
Tamara Ristic
