Orientation Week

We all had the pleasure of being greeted at the Airport by the five Sciences Po students, Celine (a past GW Exchange Student), and Florence (our Parisian Mother). We were picked up by a shuttle bus and taken to our new homes in the beautiful Latin Quarter! Our surroundings include the Luxembourg Gardens, the Pantheon, and St. Michel (the best area for night life, cafes, shopping, etc.).  After settling down we had a welcome dinner at ‘Le Vin Sobre.’ Here we enjoyed our first tastes of authentic French cuisine with everyone from the GWSB Paris Program.

The next morning we had a walking tour of the neighborhood by our apartments to check out the Laundromat, grocery store, bus and RER station.

After the tour we took the bus to Sciences Po for a guided tour of the University. We then had lunch at a near by café, called Basile Café (a popular café among Sciences Po students).  After lunch we attended a brief presentation about Security and Life in Paris and preceded to go shopping for cell phones, bedding, and other necessities at local department stores.


On Wednesday morning, Sciences Po faculty welcomed us with breakfast at the University.

Following this, we were taken to our first French class were we were all separated into two groups by our level of proficiency. To truly familiarize ourselves with Sciences Po and its students, our French friends took us to lunch at the Gymnasium (cafeteria). In the afternoon, we had a presentation regarding all Sciences Po facilities and culture followed by a group departure to Musée d'Orsay for a guided tour.

On our fourth day, we began by having our second French class and a presentation by Elodie Nowinski, a Sciences Po Professor, who discussed the cultural differences between France and America.  Later in the afternoon, we attended a French Wine and Cheese tasting by Peter Carman, Director of the Paris American Academy (PAA).

On Friday we continued with French class and were given our Sciences Po Ids, Program Calendar, and other important information.  In the afternoon we had the pleasure to explore Paris with a Scavenger Hunt, which finished at Crêperie Saint Germain and were awarded a miniature Eiffel Tower!

Saturday, we were all able to take the day off to explore Paris and finish getting settled.

Sunday, we were given a guided bus tour of Paris to learn more about the history of the city and explore new areas and neighborhoods. The tour concluded with ice cream in a local shop, at Isle Saint Louis.

Our first Marketing Class by Professor Lynda Maddox began on Monday morning followed by French class in the afternoon. Last day of orientation concluded with an early dinner at Saint Germain followed by a cruise along the Seine!

My name is Juliette van de Walle, I grew up in East Lansing, Michigan, but moved to Ithaca, NY for high school.  I am in the GW School of Business Concentrating in International Business and Marketing.  I choose the paris program for several reasons. First and foremost I adore France. My mother is french and the majority of my family is still in Europe.  I've always wanted to study abroad and the GWSB Paris program incorporated all the aspects that were important to me.  We get to travel, we go on amazing site visits and we get to take classes that will transfer over and our requirements, all and all the perfect combination! I look forward to falling in love with France all over again, especially Paris, the city, the food, the people and the culture.  And I won't mind some good french wine, bagettes, escargots and cheese. :)

Hey ! My name is Alexandre Ballarin and I’m from Marseille (Southern France). I choose the GW business program to get an overview of business different sides but also to discover the “American way of teaching”. I like going out, listening to music and meeting new people so I guess I’ll really enjoy myself during this semester! 

Hi everyone! 
I'm Edouard Madec, second year student at Sciences Po. I was born here in Paris, but I grew up in Nantes, on the west coast of France. So I'm a little bit of a Breton too. I'm mad about cinema but I also like listening to music, clubbing and swimming. I'm really enjoying being part of the GW Program: I feel very fortunate to get to do all the crazy stuff that we've been through so far (and there's even more coming, so I just can't wait!). Also, I'm having a lot of fun with all those amazing American people. Which is why I like that we get to conduct team projects, starting with marketing.
GWSB is insanely great!

Hi everyone. My name is Josh Mozer and I am from Medfield, MA. I am a junior with a dual concentration in Finance and International Business with a minor in psychology. Some of my interests include music, sports, and getting to know new people and cultures. I chose the GWSB Paris program for three reasons. The first reason I considered the program is because of its amazing structure. The ability to reinforce material learned in the classroom with fun and interesting site visits cannot be beat! Secondly, the city of Paris is a beautiful and fun city filled with cordial people that any person should experience. Lastly, it is a great opportunity to take classes at prestigious Sciences Po!

Hi everyone!

My name is Vincent Muraire, a Sciences-Po student living in the parisian suburb. I'm fond of sports (tennis, soccer, running, biking), traveling, cinema and american culture! This program thus sounded like an evidence to me. We have great fun with all the amazing American students! It's really fulfilling! Besides, I've always been interested in business, so the GWSB program was a great opportunity for me to improve my knowledge within this subject. I'm really enjoying everything about this program right know, the site visits are great, and I can't wait for tomorrow's next one! 

Hi! My name is Kelsey Bennett and I am from a suburb of Chicago, IL (Lincolnshire). I am a junior majoring in accounting. At GW I play rugby for the GW Women's Club Rugby Team. I also enjoy running, listening to music, and most importantly traveling!! I chose the Paris program for a variety of reasons. First, it was what worked best as an accounting major. Besides that though, I chose Paris because I have traveled here before and love the city. It is a very exciting city, and is in a region that allows for travel all throughout Europe. I am very excited to live in the city of Paris, and to learn a little French!

Hi everyone, I’m Thomas Meyer a Sciences Po student living in Paris. Being French and Brazilian , I have always loved discovering and mixing different cultures, which explains partly why I chose to apply for the GWU Paris program. I’m quite fond of literature ( Virginia Woolf and Jean Cocteau being my favorite crush) , Cinema ( especially Amos Gitai, Gus Van Sant and Jean Cocteau, again.) and Climbing. Incidentally I’ve recently joined Sciences Po Luxury Club, improving my knowledge of  Fashion Industry and conveying it to the students being my priorities.

I am really enjoying this program so far!

Greetings! My name is Stephen Suozzi and I am from Long Island, NY. I am currently a junior in the GWSB and majoring in accounting. My interests include politics, cooking, playing sports, and reading Rick Steves' travel guide for France. I chose the GW Paris Program because I preferred to go abroad with a group of GW students. I also liked the fact that we could continue taking our requirement courses while abroad. And lastly, Paris seemed like a good central location to explore the rest of Europe from.

Helene Elisabeth Albugues. I was born in Alsace and lived for 15 years in Lorraine. I came to Paris one year ago to study at SciencesPo. I chose this program because I love (truly) American people, I wanted to discover another way of teaching, and also because there was no final exam ! Plus, the site visits are just great and so useful, I guess.I'm very much interested in hanging out in Paris, going to the restaurant, going to bars with my friends, or simply wandering in the streets of Paris! I love travelling everywhere in the world and discovering new cultures. Music, Cinema, Reading, that's what I like too :).

My name is Isabel Kierencew and I'm from Central Jersey. I am majoring in marketing and international business. I like traveling, art, and photography. The reason I picked this program was mostly becasue of its structure as well as the opportunity to attend such a prestigious school as Sciences Po. Also, I loved the opportunities it opened for traveling and meeting new people.

Hi! My name is Alison (Ali) Lichtenstein and I am from Princeton, New Jersey. I am majoring in business administration with a dual concentration in finance and marketing. I enjoy swimming, volleyball, and anything involving food! I chose the GW Paris Program because I have never been to Europe and wanted to learn business while surrounding myself in a new and different culture. I also cannot wait to try French wine and cheese!

My name is Karim Kousmate and I was born in Casablanca, Morocco. I am pursuing a dual concentration in Finance and International Business. I decided to join the GWSB Paris Program for the unmatched prestige and reputation of Sciences Po Paris. Also, Paris is a vibrant and lively city, full of entertainment, which made it the ideal place to study, meet people, and enjoy life. 

My name is Jenna  Brettschneider and I am from Rye Brook, New York. I am majoring in Business Administration with a dual concentration in Marketing and Sports Management. I love good music, traveling, going to the beach, sailing and watching sports (especially baseball, football, and hockey). I chose to come on this Paris Program for many reasons, but particularly for the structure of the program plus the combination of classroom and real world learning from this beautiful city. I'm looking forward to all the activities in the weeks to come!

My name is Veronica Snyder and I am from Massachusetts. I am majoring in Finance and enjoy traveling, playing tennis, hiking, and going to the beach. I chose the GWSB Paris PRogram due to the combination of great academics and amazing travel opportunities. The structure of the program allows us to study business, while at the same time the ability to explore Paris and other parts of Europe.  

My name is Nicole Najjar and I was born and raised in Venezuela, but my family is Lebanese. I'm majoring in International Business and minoring in International Affairs. I decided to come to Paris because I want to polish my French and learn about the French culture. Now that I am living in Europe I hope to visit most of Eastern Europe! 

Hi my name's Alyssa Ng. I'm from Pasadena, California and I am studying International Business and Marketing.  I love to dance as part of the GW Dance Team. This is my third trip to Paris and I'm really looking forward to perfecting my French and actually LIVING in Paris. I chose to do this program because of its integration with the GW Business School and for the prestige of Sciences Po. Vive la France!

Hi my name is Blake and I am a Junior from Princeton, New Jersey. I am majoring in Business Administration with a concentration in International Business and a minor in Theater. I thoroughly enjoy acting, singing, skiing and snowboarding. I chose the GWU Paris Business program because it gives me the opportunity to get an in-depth look at how European organizations function while taking classes at a well regarded university such as Science Po. The idea of getting to live in Paris also drew me in! I hope to expand my knowledge of other parts of the world and improve my French.

My name is Amanda Mizrahi and I am from Seattle, Washington. I am majoring in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing and a minor in Communication. I enjoy traveling, sailing, hiking and cooking. I chose the GWSB Paris Program because it offered an English business program in France. I enjoy the language and culture of France and have taken many French classes at GW. I found this program to be a great match for me, as it matched many of my academic interests. J'espère que nous tous avons un grand temps à Paris ce semestre ! (I hope we all have a great time in Paris this semester!)

Hi, everyone! My name is Patricia Simione. I am currently pursuing a degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing and Hospitality Management at GWSB. I am from Marlboro NJ (central Jersey) and embarking on my first trip outside the US, so this is an incredible opportunity for me. I chose the Science Po program because the core courses are taught by our own GW professors (and taught in English), there are many trips to local corporations as well as to the most important business centers in the world, and HEY ITS PARIS!!!!!! I hope experience all the great things that Paris has to offer.

My name is Jenna Papaz and I am from Massachusetts. I am majoring in International Affairs with a concentration in International Economics and minoring in Business Administration and Music. I love singing, acting, traveling, playing tennis, golf and surfing. I chose the GWSB Paris Business Program because it offers GW students a unique opportunity to study together at Sciences Po, get an international perspective of business through the corporate site visits and live in one of the most beautiful and exciting cities in the world - Paris!

Hi! My name is Maryam, and I am a junior at GWSB majoring in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing and International Business. I'm originally from Philadelphia, but I love all things DC! I also love (love) going to the beach, designing jewelry, traveling, and the Philadelphia Sixers basketball team (this is our year, I know it!). I chose to apply to the GW Paris Program because it seemed like a once in a lifetime opportunity. What other time in my life would I be able to drop everything and move to Paris for four months to study? Also, it was a huge comfort for me to know that the classes were all taught by GW professors. I leave tomorrow, so hopefully it will be a good time!