Background

Hello, I'm Ioana, and I’m from Bucharest, Romania! I am currently in my fourth year of a double degree in Economics and Society at Sciences Po, Nancy Campus. In high school, I was a very active person and involved in a wide range of activities:

• Firstly, I did a solid amount of volunteering. I helped out at several drama festivals as well as TED conferences. I was also a student lead during my high school’s open days.

• I was a member of the drama club and competed in several national theatre festivals, where we even won a few prizes. I was also involved in the school’s music department, where I sang and played the piano.

• For two years, I volunteered as a teacher for an NGO called the Policy Center for Roma and Minorities, founded by a former UN advisor. I taught children maths, Romanian, and foreign languages, and we also played games and did creative activities. During the pandemic, I continued teaching online.

• In 10th grade, I led the Romanian student delegation for the Euroscola contest organised by the European Parliament. I gave a speech on the importance of education in Romania, and our team focused on the topic of European values. I also co-led the Energy Council in the European Parliament simulation.

• I was a radio host for almost three years, doing ad voice-overs and participating in campaigns for one of Romania’s leading radio stations. I was part of their youth platform and had regular sessions every two days. I gave short news updates, spoke about geopolitics, contests, and other topics relevant to people my age.

• I also focused heavily on foreign languages during high school. At the time, I was learning English, French, and German, and obtained certificates in all three. Fun fact: I actually started learning German in kindergarten, even before I spoke English!

Time Management

My high school schedule was very intense - I usually left home at around 7 a.m. and returned around 10 p.m. During the summer, I remained heavily involved in theatre festivals.

What worked best for me was prioritising based on what mattered most at a specific time. For instance, I only began studying for my Baccalaureate in March, because my focus was on getting into a top university - one that didn’t require a high Baccalaureate score. I didn’t want to miss out on other opportunities by focusing too early on the exam. In 10th and 11th grade, I always set aside full days for studying before major tests. But every other moment of free time, I poured into extracurriculars! That said, every week I made sure to keep one day for myself, usually to go out with friends or unwind without a care of everything.

Why I Chose Political Science

I chose political science because the Euroscola project really sparked my interest in the field; I went through the whole process of giving a speech, and it just felt so right for my personality. I was genuinely passionate about the European Union, and all the opportunities we have as EU citizens pushed me in that direction. My passion for economics came from my high school background - I was in a mathematics and computer science track, so I’ve always been quick with numbers and enjoyed working with them.

I applied to three universities: Sciences Po (France), UVA, and Leiden (the Netherlands). My mentality was: “Go big or go home.”, so If I was going to put in the effort to apply, I was only going to do it for a top 20 university.

I discovered Sciences Po in 11th grade when a French friend told me about it. The first thing I did was check the QS university rankings for political science. As I looked through the campuses (there are seven), I realised I wanted to study the European Union. However, that specific program was mainly in French, so I started learning French at the end of 11th grade to pass the interview and be eligible. I chose Sciences Po because of its reputation - both in Europe and globally. It's the second-best political science school in the world and has an unbreakable reputation. I knew it would open many doors for me. Plus, living in France had been a dream of mine for a very long time!

Admission Process

God, it was long! :) It involved eight essays and two separate interviews - one for the regular program and one for the dual degree. The deadline was also around Christmas, which added more stress.

The whole process was nerve-wracking. One of my dad’s friends offered to help me with writing my essays. My parents were incredibly supportive emotionally, but realistically, only I knew the details. The admission officers didn’t require a language certificate, but they recommended it, so I submitted mine anyway.

I spent months preparing. I still remember the interview - it was literally the worst-case scenario! I had read on the website that the interviews would be in English, so that’s what I prepared for. I started the interview with the dean, and the first thing he said was, “The interview will be in French since you’ll be studying in French.” I was completely shocked - I only had a B1 in French and could barely form a full sentence without making a mistake! But I think that moment actually worked in my favour; It forced me to stay focused and just try my best. I believe it also gave me the benefit of the doubt: I was a Romanian candidate who had done a lot, was knowledgeable about European politics and extracurriculars, and managed to carry out an entire interview in French. That showed I could adapt quickly.

Even though the admission process was draining and long, it was 100% worth everything I put into it.

Writing the Essays

I had three essays that were statement-oriented. One asked about my interest in social sciences, where I spoke about how change in society stems from multiple factors. Whenever we see change around us - where we live or in the countries we follow - it always comes from economic, legal, or political factors. I talked about how I wanted to be part of the change that drove the innovation and evolution of these systems and how I wanted to understand them.

I had an essay about why I chose this campus, where I focused a lot on my interest in the Franco-German space, the languages, the Euroscola project I led, the European Parliament project, and courses that they were offering on campus.

And I had another one about what kind of courses I took in high school that would help me at Sciences Po, where I talked about how mathematics taught me how to pick up things really quickly, and how that would help me a lot in my studying. I talked about foreign languages and how they help me with communication, and how they're definitely going to be of use at Sciences Po.

University fees & part-time work

Luckily, because Sciences Po is a semi-private, semi-public university, the maximum tuition fee that you can pay is €16,000. It is based on your parents' income, and they calculate how much of a tuition fee you should pay.

I did quite a few jobs on the side during university. I started working for a couple of NGOs, doing research, and then I started working at Upgrade as a mentor. At Sciences Po, working was pretty hard alongside studying, because Sciences Po is a very work-intensive university. I was asked to be in class 25 hours a week, do assessments every week; I did a lot of work on weekends.

I was able to have a flexible schedule. When I moved to Berlin and started working more jobs at the same time, my strategy was to group all of my courses into specific days to fill them, then use all of my empty days for work, and make sure to keep at least three afternoons a week relatively free for papers, exams, or other things I was prepping for. I also went out around 2-3 times a week, so I was a very active person. It's a lot to take in, but it was definitely worth it; I wouldn't change a thing about it. 

I don’t really remember the tuition for Sciences Po because it was calculated each year, but for Freie, it was €660/year. In France, including travel (I used to travel quite a lot), accommodation, and general living costs, I needed around €15–17K/year. In Berlin, accommodation is a bit more pricey - around €1,000/month.

First Impression

The first two months were really hard, even though I had averaged around 9.90/10 in high school. Everyone around me had been hand-picked - the best in their school, city, or even country - and I was suddenly surrounded by people who were just as competitive and high-performing as I was.

It took me a while to adjust, but I remember being completely mesmerised by how interesting the classes were and how many opportunities we had on campus for extracurriculars and conferences. Still, I had to position myself well from the very beginning - both in relation to other students and to the faculty - so I did everything I could in the first two months to prove my worth. It was definitely a self-confidence exercise.

From the moment I arrived at Sciences Po, I got involved in the musical concert that opened the academic year. That was my strategy: to join as many extracurricular projects as possible to meet people and build friendships. I also ran for student delegate within the first month and campaigned during my first few weeks there. By the second month, I was already involved in event management, helping organise student parties and campus events.

For me, it was about either proving my worth or letting the experience take over and not in a good way. I had to show myself that I could handle things on my own. I knew my parents and I had put so much time and effort into this journey - and I wanted it to count.

Courses at Sciences Po and Freie

In the first year, the courses are multidisciplinary: economics, politics, sociology, history, institutions of political science, and philosophy. You also take maths, electives, sports, and artistic courses.

In the second year, you choose your major. There’s Politics and Governance (a mix of political science and law), Political Humanities (which combines history and philosophy), and Economics and Society, which is what I chose. That major combines economics, political economy, political science, and sociology.

Depending on your program, the structure changes slightly. If you’re in a dual degree like I was, your last two years are completed at the partner university, where you earn a full bachelor’s degree. If you're in the regular three-year program, your third year is mandatory study abroad. Sciences Po has many partner universities, so you can study almost anywhere.

In Germany, I did a full political science degree. Many of the classes focused on Germany, though I also took courses on the Middle East, AI, offshore finance, and cultural diplomacy. The structure there was more flexible and lenient compared to Sciences Po.

Internships

Internships are mandatory at Sciences Po, and I completed two during my time there, both for NGOs.

The first one focused on child protective services. I worked in journalism and humanitarian aid, stationed at the Northern Train Station in Romania. I helped with logistics for Ukrainian refugees passing through the transit point, managed accommodation, cared for children, translated, and supported victims of gender-based violence. In my second year, I interned as a French tutor for a French NGO called Secours Populaire, where I taught French to an Albanian refugee family.

In Germany, I began working a year ago as a research assistant in business informatics. I’m now preparing for a graduate internship starting in August, as I’m taking a gap year before beginning my Master's degree.

Being a Mentor at Upgrade

Upgrade was founded in 2017 by Tinu, who graduated from Harvard and returned to Romania after working in the U.S. for a while. He wanted to help students who were aiming to study internationally.

I discovered the organisation in my first year of university and immediately wanted to get involved. I knew how difficult the application process could be, and I saw that they were looking for mentors. When I joined, I took on quite a few students - and I absolutely loved it! It’s incredibly rewarding to dedicate so much time to helping others and then see them actually get into their dream schools, knowing that you played a part in that. I think all of us at Upgrade - speaking from my own experience as a mentor - treat the students like younger siblings.

Over time, I became more involved in directly working with students to build structured admission plans - helping them figure out which universities fit them best, what special programs aligned with their goals, or which majors suited their interests more accurately. I also began hosting webinars, which are our way of keeping students informed and giving back to anyone dreaming of studying abroad.

There are around 150 mentors at Upgrade, located all over the world. Each year, we support between 500 and 600 students. We also hold webinars in English, as we work with international students.

My Advice for You: Be Prepared to Fail!

You have to be prepared for failure. If your high school experience went smoothly, you might find it tough to deal with setbacks. One thing I wish someone had told me earlier is that failure often leads to better opportunities - and that you shouldn’t take it too personally.

The internship market is extremely tough right now for students. In Germany, I applied to about 100 internships. With every rejection, it got harder to handle. But I reminded myself of the advice I gave to my own students at Upgrade about dealing with university rejections - and I applied that mindset to myself. Practising what you preach really works: I eventually landed an incredible internship, one of the most competitive ones I applied to.

At Upgrade, we focus a lot on helping students understand that it’s the journey that matters - the things they do, how they grow, and the ways they develop along the way. That’s what ultimately shapes their academic and personal experience. As a high school student, it’s refreshing to hear that even the setbacks and side paths will contribute to your bigger picture. Even when something doesn’t work out, it still becomes a part of the foundation you’re building as a person.