Bachelor of Arts in Political Science

I got involved in politics quite early on, particularly through videos and the climate strikes at secondary school, so when I found out about the political science course I decided to go for it. Today I'm very happy with my choice! What's really good about this course is that it offers a very broad background that opens up a wide range of horizons. Personally, I've long had an interest in addiction issues, and plan to continue my training with a Master's degree in criminology and security law. That gives you an idea of the variety of things you can do when you leave political science!

We're lucky to have lots of places and opportunities to meet people at university. Personally, I met my first friend at Zelig (the student bar on campus)! It was great, because he was already familiar with the academic world and was therefore able to help me understand Moodle, registering for seminars, etc. He was also a good friend to have around. My advice to new students is not to hesitate to ask more advanced peers or student associations for help. Having a group of friends also helps a lot when it comes to exams: it can help with discipline, and talking about the subject you're studying can give you a better understanding of it. On the other hand, you have to be careful not to get too distracted by all this stimulation: you have to stick with it from the start and study regularly. What's special about the atmosphere in political science is that most people are very politicised. In general, it's quite easy to work out who's on which side (laughs). I think it's important to be interested in politics and debate to have fun on this course, as well as being open-minded and non-judgemental. We're lucky to have lots of seminars with limited numbers of students, which means that we can have discussions in small groups. As long as the arguments behind the ideas are well-constructed, the teachers generally welcome any debates that may emerge!

In political science, there are a lot of seminars with a lot of reading, which is important to do. Basically, you need about an hour of homework for every hour of class. It's a rhythm you have to get into! You don't have to do any work for your Bachelor's degree because you've already done a lot of writing throughout the course. You shouldn't be too afraid of written work, because you're bound to include at least one correct element. What's more, because you have to read so much, your writing skills develop naturally. I don't think you should have any particular expectations when you come here, because we cover a lot of different subjects (but always from a political angle). We're lucky enough to have free credits in the second year, which allow us to refocus our choices. There are no compulsory internships, but you can use certain internships as free credits. For example, I worked in a mountain pasture and wanted to use this experience to validate my credits, but unfortunately I was too late with the administrative formalities. I'd really advise you to find out about all the administrative issues, because you can quickly miss out on some interesting opportunities. University is a great experience, I really think it's a place where you can be yourself!