PSL voices | My experience after 2 years in the Sustainability Sciences track (bachelor’s degree)

Facing impostor’s syndrome  

My first fears were about my academic level. I was afraid I wasn’t good enough to be accepted into that degree. Getting into PSL, ranked first among universities founded after 2010, seemed unthinkable coming from a French Polynesian high school. Why would they choose me when there are only about thirty places and thousands of applicants? Even after I was accepted, before classes started and during the first days, I felt a kind of impostor’s syndrome. I was surrounded by so many interesting people; I was wondering how I ever got in.

I realized that being in a well-ranked university, open to international students, is a great opportunity that opens many doors. My experiences allowed me to gain confidence and develop new abilities that gradually made all the self-doubt go away. For example, during the first semester of the first year, we had the opportunity to speak several times with American students on topics such as environmental change and globalization or corporate values and sustainable growth. These students were way older than us, but the conversations we had made me realize that every idea has value, including mine. Discovering different points of view and developing an open mind is essential to understanding climatic issues.  

A multi-faceted degree: how to handle it all?  

The sustainability sciences degree is so rich! In the first year alone, more than 10 courses were given: I was wondering how I was going to keep up with all of them.  

Experimental sciences are a big part of the first-year teachings, but I had studied mathematics and socio-economical sciences in high school, so I thought I wouldn’t be at the same level as students with a scientific background. I didn’t enjoy sciences in high school, wasn’t it risky to choose a degree mainly composed of experimental sciences (physics, chemistry, cellular biology, biodiversity, etc.) in the first year?  

The multi-faceted aspect of the degree allowed me to discover fascinating subjects that I would never have chosen myself otherwise. Cellular biology is a perfect example: in the first year, we have introductory classes. While they were far from what I had studied in high school, they turned out to be my favorite classes of the year! I even chose the Health & Environment minor, which extends the first-year courses.  

Even though it’s sometimes difficult to keep up with every course, their diversity allows us to develop a global comprehension of the climatic issues, which are multi-faceted. Science classes were much more interesting and thorough than those I had in high school. The teachers are experts in their fields, which made the classes very engaging. They are always available to answer our questions whether at the end of the class or via e-mail. 

An introduction to research   

In the Sustainability Sciences bachelor's degree, we are quickly introduced to the research: most of our teachers are researchers, in the second year we must intern once a week for an entire semester...How will I do that? Are researchers' standards higher than all the other teachers I’ve ever had? Will I be able to keep up?  

In the end, this introduction to research in the second year was, for many of us, an opportunity to really understand what this career involves, which had been somewhat unclear before. We all work in different fields, and we can choose the one we like the most. I got to intern in the UMR Development and Societies laboratory, working on the socio-economic consequences of sea level rise due to climate change.  

While working on a fascinating subject, I was well supported by different team members who never hesitated to take the time to explain things I was unfamiliar with and answer all my questions. Some of my classmates also chose to participate in the UROP internship program, which allows students to intern throughout the year in a PSL laboratory such as the Paris Observatory or the Curie Institute. Finally, in the third year, we must intern again, but this time we can do it abroad. This year, some students are going to the United States. 

If you’re interested in research, I recommend you read Charlotte’s article on her anthropology internship in the US.  

Despite this long list of doubts, I chose this track. Did I make the right choice? ABSOLUTELY! In addition to all the advantages I just listed, the limited number of students allowed me to build strong connections with my classmates! There is real cooperation, and I’ve never felt any competition between us all.