Salman Arif

The Eiffel Excellence scholarship has helped me pursue my dream to study abroad at a top ranked university, for which I am extremely grateful.  It is a great initiative taken by the Government of France, which allows students from around the globe to pursue an MSc degree or PHD at an institution of their choice.

After being selected for the prestigious scholarship everything was well taken care of, right from the beginning.  The representatives at the French Embassy in Islamabad were very helpful and guided us throughout the visa application process. Even until today, when in need I always reach out to them for any assistance. I consider myself privileged to have gotten the opportunity to dine with the French ambassador to Pakistan, Dr. Mark Barety, who was very kind to invite all the recipients of the Scholarship over to his place.

I am currently pursuing MSc Financial Markets & Investments at Skema Business School in Paris, the program is ranked 4th globally for Finance by Financial times. My curriculum is spread over a span of 18 months, and needless to say that the school benefits from an excellent faculty and a strong, rigorous and competitive course structure.

Campus France manages everything for the scholarship holders which includes travelling, housing, etc. They also helped me find my accommodation at Cite Universite, which is in the 14th district and is an amazing place to stay at. Given the diversity at Cite, I get the chance to meet and interact with people from different background and culture. A number of events take place in Cite all-around the year like dance, music, theater, debates and other cultural activities. All of this has helped me hone my interpersonal skills and beyond.

Paris, a magical city that offers a lot to explore along with its central location that makes it easy to travel across Europe and one can never be more than a short trip away from some sort of cultural offering, awe-inspiring sight, or taste bud-teasing delight. The well connected metro lines and RER’s enables one to explore the city and makes conveyance hassle free. My stay here has also given me the chance to acquire French language skills which help me connect better with the locals. My experience so far has been astounding and have found the Parisians to be very helpful and welcoming.

Eiffel Excellence scholarship has definitely given me a great platform to showcase my talent and has brought me a step closer to achieving my goals. It is hands down an opportunity worth seizing and I would urge students applying to France to take advantage of this.