The American University in Paris
The American University of Paris
is a small English-speaking university with 1200 undergraduate and graduate students. The university has a diverse, global feel: students hail from 102 countries, and many students are multilingual and hold multiple passports! The university offers a semester abroad, or a first year abroad with USC, UCLA, Northeastern, Tulane, and George Washington University. The small size of the university creates a special kind of community that is one of the best-kept secrets of the higher education community. Small classes allow students to work closely with others, and there are also ample opportunities for internships.
Curriculum
AUP follows the American university curriculum, in which students build a broad base of knowledge from various disciplines before specialising. Academics and professors are high-level. The curriculum is interwoven with the city of Paris, through its museums and architecture. AUP offers experiential learning and a global liberal arts curriculum. Students can declare their major at the start and carry through, but they are encouraged to keep an open mind and explore a range of topics; students generally choose their major (course of study) at the end of their second year.
One unique aspect of AUP is its cultural programme trips, in which students work with professors to plan enriching, memorable trips during the semester. For example, Shakespeare in Context took students to Stratford upon Avon and London to see the playwright’s works performed on stage!
AUP also offers academic support, as well as healthcare, well-being support, immigration services, advising, and career development.
Admission
Admissions officers at AUP implement the holistic application review used by US universities, in which factors beyond academics influence the admissions decision. They identify how well applicants fit in to the university community by reading their applications, and quantify this with a ‘fit score.’ Successful applicants tend not to be ones who apply by accident, but who do lots of research into the university and its offerings. At AUP, the best-fit student is one who is comfortable with uncomfortable situations: the university is rigorous, has a strong international component, and has the power to shape its students.
The average GPA for admitted students is 3.4 (roughly As and Bs on the UK scale), but students with lower grades can make up for that by having a high ‘fit score’ in other areas of the application.
The application requires a 200-250 word supplemental essay on the topic, ‘Why AUP.’ This essay is greatly emphasised by admissions officers: the other aspects of the application show what a student has done in the past, whereas this essay reveals what a student is currently doing and their plans for the future.
Housing
There is a large incoming class, so demand for housing is high, but the process typically goes smoothly. There are two types of housing: AUP residences in the 16th, 17th, and 18th arrondissements, or various rooms around Paris. Apartments are studios with kitchen facilities. First year students must live in university housing unless exempt (i.e. the student already lives in Paris). There are no dining halls: the city is the students’ buffet!
Parsons Paris
Parsons Paris
is a rigorous, innovative art school that encourages collaboration and exchange between students, and is dedicated to fostering this collaborative spirit within a competitive industry. The university also values craftpersonship, sustainability in brand development, and is a great fit for creative students who like to subvert expectations and break the mould. At Parsons Paris, the world comes to the classroom, and the classroom is then shared with the world.
Fashion is the main programme Parsons Paris offers, but the institution also provides a range of unique courses, like the major in Art, Media, and Technology, BFA Fashion Studio Design and BBA Strategic Design and Management, and electives on sound as art form. Students follow the Parsons core curriculum, which involves a first year with one-third liberal arts courses, as well as art and studio theory, and majors, minors, and electives. Electives include French, Jewellery, Photo, Theoretical, Paris Art History (museums), Reading Fashion, and French cinema; the selection of electives changes every semester.
Courses generally involve a combination of studio and seminar formats, including drawing classes. In the fourth year, students complete a final thesis project, which involves research, creation, and a written element; the project is also publicly presented.
Graduate applicants can choose from a Fashion Studies MA, a MFA in Fashion Design and the Arts, and a MS in Strategic Design for Global Leadership.
Parsons Paris has dedicated, involved professors and strives to give students the freedom and room for experimentation that will allow them to find their creative voices. It is typical for students to explore mixed media, like podcasts and design, as they explore a visual language of the world: not only how to interpret images, but also how to understand cultural differences. This emphasis is important at the institution, which appreciates the versatility of the art and fashion world, in which most no longer have one job for life. Parsons Paris also strives to foster adaptability and curiosity in its students, giving them the broadest toolkit to identify their creative skills and where they might lie.
Parsons Paris has a second campus in Romainville, which offers an art residency. This campus has ample resources, including printing facilities, a photography studio, and a fashion lab. The Romainville area is a cultural hub located nearby in Greater Paris, and the campus is surrounded by galleries, cultural presenters and organisations, as well as spaces like Parsons Paris Galerie D and La Chaufferie, where students can exhibit their work. Students at Parsons Paris may also choose to spend a semester or two studying in New York City at the New School; the university also has an excellent pre-college summer programme.
A Parsons Paris degree culminates with a final exhibition held at iconic spaces around the city. Designers are invited, and the final exhibition also opens to the public.
There are also great opportunities for career preparation; students often take on internships at Celine, Balenciaga, and other major fashion houses in Paris. Having the city of Paris as a campus also has great benefits, including free access to the Musée des Arts Décoratifs and public libraries.
The New School
Parsons Paris is part of the New School group of universities, which includes
Parsons
New York,
Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts
,
College of Performing Arts
, and the
New School for Social Research
. Students can take courses through other colleges, dipping in and out of the different schools. The New School puts a strong emphasis on student fit, so successful applicants will need to have done their research and be able to demonstrate their fit in their applications. There are around 500 New School alumni in Paris, a network that serves as an excellent resource for students during and following their degree.
Admissions
Applicants may wonder whether they need to be technically proficient in skills like drawing and sewing in order to have a good chance of admission. However, Parsons Paris offers a range of studio classes to teach students necessary techniques. The admissions officers are looking for creative brains and good ideas, as technique can be taught after matriculation.
Some courses (Art, Media, and Technology and Fashion Design) require applicants to submit a portfolio; these can consist of projects, like sketchbooks. Portfolio reviewers will want to see process work, and value pieces that have a message. The New School offers online portfolio reviews for prospective undergraduate students, typically in December. They also offer online demonstrations and portfolio presentations, the next dates of which can be viewed on the website’s
admission events page
.
There are no specified academic grades for admission, but competitive grades are expected. All the New School universities are test optional. Applicants to Parsons Paris (and other colleges in the New School) can apply through the Common Application, but the personal essay is not required. Instead, there are two mandatory supplemental essays: one on a social issue or social construct, and one on why the student has chosen to apply to Parsons Paris.
When applying, students must choose to submit their application to one campus from the New School collective, and one programme. If they are interested in being considered for an alternate campus and programme, they can tick a box to indicate this in the application form.
Parsons Paris is less costly than Parsons New York, and offers several scholarships.
Student resources and campus life
Parsons Paris has a strong international ethos, reflected in its student body: there are over 100 nationalities on campus, with 35% of students from the US. The campus is an open and safe space, a tight-knit community in which teachers know all the students. The main building is located in the first arrondissement of Paris, only a ten-minute walk away from Le Louvre!
Parsons Paris offers strong academic and non-academic support for students, like a rigorous orientation process, a student lounge, and a student success group that advises on things like visas and provides out of hours support. There are also academic advisors that guide students and make any changes to their path of study. Parsons Paris’s spirit of collaboration makes the university an easy place for students to make connections. Students can also opt to get involved with student government and student council.
Students can choose to live in a room affiliated with Parsons Paris, or in independent housing. If needed, they can seek help from the API, an international student rental help agency. No meal plan is offered by the university.
After graduation, students’ visas extend for six months, allowing them to find internships in Paris. In the Fashion Design degree, six-month internships are required before graduation. Graduates go on to work in varied fields, including fashion, hotel chains, and cultural associations.
Are you interested in studying in Paris, or another global location? Or in finding out more about what’s out there? Get in touch with us and find out how we can help. You can book a free call with an expert counsellor here:
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