Ecole Polytechnique Paris

Semester Abroad: Winter 2025-2026
Home Faculty at Technion: Electrical Engineering
Faculty at Host University: Electrical Engineering
Email: yuval.lahat7@gmail.com

Number of Courses Taken: 4

Course Details:

• Théorie de l’information (CSC_51063_EP) (Recognized- תורת האינפורמציה)
• From the Internet to the IoT (CSC_51057_EP) (Recognized- רשתות מחשבים ואינטרנט 1)
• Foundations of Machine Learning (MDC_51006_EP) (Recognized- מערכות לומדות)

Academic: I can recommend the course Information Theory (Théorie de l’information). The course was taught very well, was at a high academic level and was extremely interesting. Overall, the level of the courses is high, especially from a mathematical standpoint, but this is less reflected in the exams. There were not many homework assignments throughout the semester, so in terms of workload, the courses were less intensive than at the Technion.

Campus Life:
The campus is full of activities and small communities. During the week, if you’re interested, there are plenty of people to play football (soccer), volleyball, basketball, badminton and more. There are sports halls for almost every type of sport. The campus is generally very active in terms of sports, and there are many sports courses that exchange students can also register for.

In addition, there is a student-run bar located in the center of campus, which hosts parties every Thursday evening. Beyond that, there are special events throughout the year, including a large inter-university sports tournament in which students can participate, followed by a big party.
Overall, campus life is pleasant and social. Student housing consists of single rooms with a private shower and toilet. I personally had a small kitchenette in my room, as well as a shared kitchen for the building, though in most buildings the kitchen is shared by the entire floor.
It is also very important to mention that there is a strong Jewish community on campus. Every Tuesday at lunchtime there is a free communal meal organized by Chabad, and from time to time there are additional special evening events during the week. The community is very welcoming and warm, and we made several good friends there.

Message to Future Students:
It was a wonderful experience, and I strongly recommend going on an exchange in general. The university is excellent, and the social atmosphere with other exchange students was fantastic.
Many Israelis have concerns about Paris, particularly fearing antisemitism or an uncomfortable atmosphere in the streets. Some friends who visited us were even hesitant to speak Hebrew in public. As someone who lived there for several months and spoke Hebrew openly everywhere, I can say that there is really no need to worry.
I did not experience antisemitism even once, nor did I feel unsafe or uncomfortable because I am Israeli. I highly recommend Paris, it offers a truly international experience, with many students from all across Europe.

Important to know:

This university offers two different study tracks. One is a classic undergraduate program, and the other is a program that falls between a bachelor’s and a master’s degree (the French academic system is unique in this regard). We were exceptionally enrolled in the second option, and in most of the courses we took, the majority of students were master’s students. As a result, the mathematical level was significantly higher than at the Technion.
That said, the exams and homework assignments were mostly project-based or not heavily mathematical, so this did not negatively affect our grades.

It is also important to note that the university is located about 45 minutes from central Paris (Notre Dame). Getting there involves a 10-minute walk to the train station followed by a direct train. It is also possible to live in Paris itself and commute to campus two to three days a week as needed.

I highly recommend the experience, feel free to get in touch if you’d like to hear more details 😊