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Studies > France > Paris > École Polytechnique > Review by Matthias
 
Other names:
Paris Tech
Contact: + 33 1 69 33 48 44 (Int'l Office)
Accreditations and rankings:
UNITECH

École Polytechnique

École Polytechnique, Route de Saclay, 91128 Palaiseau Cedex, France, Paris
4.23 / 5 based on 18 reviews.
Description:
he campus of the École Polytechnique is located at Palaiseau, about half an hour from the center of Paris by urban transport. The campus is close to the large expressways which converge on Paris, some 15 kilometers (9 miles) from Orly Airport. The campus covers 180 hectares (445 acres), of which two thirds is open space. An exceptional variety of outdoor athletic facilities is available, including football and rugby fields, tennis courts, a golf course, an equestrian center, and a lake with facilities for sailing and rowing.


Reviews
International Partners
Programmes
Accreditations
100% of students recommend
18 reviews
Housing
2.5/5
 All experiences (18)
Student life
5.0/5
 5 stars (6)
Academic
5.0/5
 4 stars (6)
Languages
4.6/5
 3 stars (6)
Expenses
4.2/5
 2 stars (0)
Overall
4.4/5
 1 star (0)
“if you can bring a car. don't apply unless you have a good scientific level. Polytechnique only accepts the top 2% of French students and you should have a similar level. If you go there don't take too many classes and projects but also leave some time to take profit of the sport and other activities avaivable and to meet the other students go to Paris etc.” Read Review
mhuber, Switzerland

École Polytechnique review by Matthias

Review by Matthias, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
Chemistry, Erasmus
HOUSING    
Personal assessment
Cost
KEY:
Couldn't have asked for more.
Pretty good.
Could've been better, but didn't lessen the overall experience.
Disappointing.
Facilities
Location
Cleanliness
Space
Type of housing: On campus
Arranged by: Host university
If returning, I would choose: On campus
Why? Appartment in Paris would be cool but takes time to travel every day and is VERY expensive. On campus one gets to know more people.
Personal comments:
Not too good like all other French dorms
This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
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STUDENT LIFE    
Personal social experience
Activities
KEY:
Amazing! Hardly had time to study.
Plenty to do when I had the time.
So-so.
Did not get involved.
Nightlife
Travel
Overall
Describe host city: Student life dominates the city
Activities: Takes place mostly within the university/student environment
Nightlife, Travel: Takes place both within and outside of the university/student environment
Personal comments:
Campus Bar, Open Bar parties (free drinks) -> Nuit du Styx, Point Gamma. Bal de l'X (at Opera Garnier) or Maison de l'X for a bit more formal occasions and of course going to Paris
This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
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ACADEMIC       4.5 / 5
My academic experiences
Quality of courses
KEY:
Fantastic.
Pretty good.
Could've been a bit better.
Disappointing.
Variety of courses
Availability/access to resources
Interaction with teachers
Interaction with other international students
Interaction with local students
Course recommendations:
Math and physics classes are quite formal and hard



My opinion of the university assessment
Exams at end of course
KEY:
Liked it.
It was alright.
A bit annoying.
Didn't like it.
Exams throughout the course
Essays and/or projects at the end of course.
Essays and/or projects throughout the course
Overall
Personal comments:
none

This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
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Language difficulties
Social
KEY:
No problems.
I coped pretty well.
Sometimes it was difficult.
It was a constant struggle.
Educational
Administrative / Institutional
Overall
Language of instruction: French
Was learning French a key decision factor?
Yes, I wanted to improve my French
How much did you improve your French?
My level before: Everyday knowledge (shopping, directions, etc.)
My level after: At ease in most situations
Personal comments:
one learns French quite fast
This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
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EXPENSES    
The accessibility of student needs
Second-hand text books
KEY:
Very easy.
Minimal effort.
Accessible but required effort.
Almost impossible.
Second-hand household items
Computers / Internet
Administrative
Money from home
Main source of funding:
Family
Other sources of funding:
An ERASMUS grant
Work opportunities:
I didn't explore any work options
Personal spending habits:
Nightlife, Telephone: was more expensive than at home.
Food: was the same price as at home.
Travel, Overall, Housing: was less expensive than at home.
Personal comments:
All textbooks are provided free of charge
This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
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OVERALL    
Important to choosing this university...
Academic reasons
KEY:
Very Important.
Important.
Not really important.
Unimportant.
Culture
Costs
Activities
Campus life
Party / people
Weather / Location
I wish I had known...
no
In my opinion:
Everybody loved it, you will too!



During my experience abroad, I ...
Became familiar with another culture
KEY:
Happened all the time.
Happened quite a lot.
Happened a bit.
Didn't happen.
Traveled
Improved language skills
Met people from other countries
Became more independent
Partied a lot
Experienced a change in life
Advanced my studies/career
Personal recommendation:
Amazing atmosphere, high level classes but still not too much stress. Take classes and take profit of internships that are organized for you by the unversity rather than working in a lab there



FINAL COMMENTS

if you can bring a car. don't apply unless you have a good scientific level. Polytechnique only accepts the top 2% of French students and you should have a similar level. If you go there don't take too many classes and projects but also leave some time to take profit of the sport and other activities avaivable and to meet the other students go to Paris etc.
This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
Was this review useful?   Yes · No


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