The main reason why I came to AUP was the American system. I
very much liked the idea of a liberal arts system in which a
student is allowed to ‘try out’ different majors before
making up his or her mind. This multidisciplinary approach
contrasts greatly with the French system where you not only
study one single specialty (what happens if, like me, you
were not sure what it should be), but are oriented to the
Sciences, Economics, Literature, or Philosophy when you are
16! This rigid educational system differs notably with the
flexible approach of the American system.
What I found at AUP was a very unique international and
multicultural student body. Being in a small classroom of
about 16 students, all from different cultural and
educational backgrounds, and where discussion is very much
encouraged, makes for a fantastic and unique learning
experience. AUP is not an American university but for its
liberal arts approach to education. It is a global
university that provides an exceptional and unmatched
learning environment, in and outside the classroom. AUP’s
diversity and multicultural environment emphasize the idea
that the values and beliefs we hold and are exposed to are
most often relative to one’s culture. It taught me to think
flexibly and to avoid the rigidity of taxonomic systems.
While a student at AUP I founded the Psychology Club and was
the Psychology departmental representative. I did this both
to strengthen my CV and because I wanted to be involved in
activities related to my studies. I was also a Student
Advisor twice, which I chose for the great social experience
it involves – the great friends you make in the ‘student
advisor’ circle and the new students you get to meet. AUP
doesn’t have a ‘closed campus’ as such but is spread out in
a typically Parisian neighborhood. The walking path from
Combes to Bosquet to Grenelle is forever engraved in my
memory!
After graduating from AUP, I moved to London to work as a
full-time research assistant at the Clinical
Psychopharmacology Unit at UCL. I worked there until
September 2008 when I moved to Oxford, where I've been a
student in the MSc in Neuroscience program. This has been a
great experience so far: I’ve met wonderful friends and the
training I receive here is fantastic.
The liberal arts system and AUP’s international student body
taught me to think and learn flexibly. I have learned that
knowledge brings people from different backgrounds closer:
education enables discussion. AUP's multicultural student
body makes it a global university that provides a
very unique learning environment, both in and outside the
classroom. What you’ll find under every AUP graduate’s cap
is a flexible mind.
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