“The English track is a great opportunity for students to get a sense of Paris and at the same time be able to focus on their studies.” Jennifer Chen, an economics and cognitive science student at Columbia College, found her economics coursework in Paris to be a refreshing take on her major. The curriculum at Columbia prioritizes weekly problem sets, while her courses at Sciences Po took a more philosophical and historical approach, including an essay assignment. She appreciated this new perspective, noting that the writing exercise helped her grasp the contextual origins of various economic systems. The diverse perspectives of her classmates from around the world further enriched this experience.
“Something Reid Hall does really well is scoping out amazing professors who are very passionate about what they teach,” Jennifer remarked. She found that the smaller class sizes at Reid Hall made it easier to ask questions, in comparison to large lectures at Columbia. She particularly enjoyed the “City Diplomacy” course, which met Columbia Global Core requirements and involved presentations and group projects focusing on global contexts. One significant project she undertook explored the creation of a city network in Afghanistan. In her Issues in 19th Century Art course, Jennifer's final research paper on “how socioeconomic status is embodied in impressionism” naturally integrated her background in economics and history.
Jennifer encourages future Reid Hall students to explore Paris extensively on foot, believing it offers a unique opportunity to immerse oneself in the community. During spontaneous walks, Jennifer stumbled upon charming shops and boutiques in alleyways and met interesting people. On one occasion, after complimenting a woman on her outfit, she was invited to attend a Paris Fashion Week show the next day! For more curated exploration, Jennifer found her professors to be invaluable resources, providing insights into Parisian layout and excellent restaurant recommendations.
Among the semester’s planned activities, excursions and Reid Hall public events were highlights for Jennifer. She recounted a visit to the Opera at Versailles, where she watched Don Giovanni. She was so close to the stage that she “could see the powder falling off of the actors’ faces.” At Reid Hall, she enjoyed a classical music concert by the 1991 Project, the 2023-24 project-in-residence of the Displaced Artists Initiative shared by the Columbia Global Paris Center and Institute for Ideas and Imagination.
Reflecting on her semester, Jennifer compared the camaraderie she felt at Reid Hall with her previous study abroad experiences in Tokyo, Japan, and Cambridge, U.K. She explained how these experiences forged lasting bonds with friends, creating a unique connection that “you can only get out of a study abroad program.”
