This page is written for current students of the BSc program of École Polytechnique and is likely irrelevant/incomprehensible otherwise. If you would like to read about my opinion of the program, feel free to check out my other post.
Given that I often get asked about how independent exchanges work, where you can go, how hard it is to get them, if it’s worth it, or if I have any tips regarding them, I decided to condense all of my knowledge in this post. It mixes general information about independent exchange as well as information specific to the University of Oxford.
By way of introduction, going on an independent exchange is not a common choice. It requires more organization, carefulness, and risk appetite. This is because after receiving approval from l’X, you are only given permission to apply to a single university, and you must manage your application without help or tacit agreement that you will get in. If you don’t get in, you simply stay at l’X for S5. This is an important consideration that orients the entire process.
Another consideration is money. By going on an independent exchange, you must pay the regular tuition fees for l’X as well as the tuition fees for the university you are attending. Even though it can be hard to believe, you are effectively paying twice.
Then, the wishes you submit to l’X should, in my opinion, be considered differently if you plan on ranking an independent university as your first choice. In that case, if they decide not to give you your first choice, you will likely be competing for a spot against someone ranking the partner university higher, adding risk. On the other side, if they decide not to give you your first choice and that your second choice is also an independent university, you are not competing with anyone else, potentially increasing your chances.
That said, being aware of the risks and costs, applying for an independent exchange can still be the right choice. I am very happy I made that choice! I absolutely do not regret it, and hope that sharing my experience will help undecided students.
This section focuses only on my experience applying and going to Oxford.
Following my own logic, I only selected independent universities. Not all universities have compatible visiting student programs, so you must verify that the schools you are applying to can receive your application and welcome you before adding them to the list. Here is a short list of links I compiled when making the list that might be useful. Putting Oxford as my first choice, I mitigated part of the risks as you can apply to each college independently (click here to know what an Oxford college is), effectively increasing the number of applications allowed.
If you are applying to Oxford, my suggestion for the personal statement is to really focus on academics and your courses. My understanding is that there is close to zero consideration of extra-curriculars from tutors; but of course, feel free to include some exceptional extra-curricular activities.
In terms of colleges, the choice is very limited. While there are 43 colleges, most of them don’t accept exchange students, accept solely American students, or don’t accept mathematics students. My choices were narrowed down to St Anne’s College, St Catherine’s College, and St Hugh’s College, although this list may change (check here). I have been told that St Anne’s and St Catherine’s have 30-40 spots per year while St Hugh’s only accepts a couple of students. These are not the prettiest or oldest colleges at all, but they are amazing regardless!
To apply to Oxford, you must have at least a 3.7 GPA. If you have below that, even a 3.69, you should be rejected. However, you don’t have to be far above that threshold: I had 3.73 CGPA after Y1 (even though I may not be a great example as I got in from the waitlist). Indeed, after first getting rejected from St Hugh’s and spending a month on the waitlist for St Catherine’s and St Anne’s, I was accepted at St Anne’s College.
Once there, I had an amazing time. It was definitely my best semester. Oxford traditions are very fun and being with 30-40 other exchange students every day allowed me to make lifelong friends. The college format is great as it reminded me of the small community we have at l’X. However, while you quickly stop meeting new students at l’X, Oxford has so many colleges and university-wide activities that you meet new people every day, all while being in a small student town much nicer and urban than the plateau de Saclay. Furthermore, since everyone in your college studies completely different programs, discussions usually revolve around topics not centered on classes, a less stressful environment than what naturally arises at l’X from all taking the same courses.
Overall, the whole exchange process can be a bit of a headache, especially for independent ones. Nonetheless, I think that it is really worth it! I highly recommend the experience to anyone in doubt of going on exchange.