PARIS DAUPHINE–PSL · PSL #1 IN FRANCE, THE 2027
I turned down France’s No. 1 university.
I am French. Studying at the other end of the world was a deliberate choice, not an accidental detour.
THE OFFER · PARISUniversité Paris Dauphine–PSLSciences des organisations
MY CHOICE · HONG KONGHKUST Business SchoolBBA · a new city, a new start
After high school, I received an offer for Sciences des organisations at Université Paris Dauphine–PSL. I did not turn it down lightly: it was a serious opportunity, and Dauphine is a constituent institution of PSL. In the 2027 Times Higher Education ranking, PSL is the highest-ranked French university. I chose the BBA at HKUST instead.
I could have stayed in a city whose academic and social codes I already knew. In Hong Kong, I would have to rebuild everyday habits, make connections from scratch and listen to perspectives I might never have encountered in Paris. That distance was part of the point.
I am still at the beginning of that journey. I do not claim that moving abroad automatically makes me different; I chose it because it asks more of me, every day, and gives me room to shape a path of my own.
I wanted the next step to feel chosen, not automatic.