<p>I am a rising senior currently looking for the best colleges to study French. I am currently considering applying to:</p>
<p>Middlebury
Vassar
Wesleyan</p>
<p>Are there any other colleges that have spectacular French programs worth noting? Does anyone know anything about these programs personally?</p>
<p>You may like Sarah Lawrence, you even can get a chance at learning two languages. I have heard Middlebury is the place to go for languages.</p>
<p>The two LACs with the highest percentage of language/area studies majors are Smith and Middlebury. The French Department at Smith is significantly larger, and has two of its own year-long abroad programs, one in Paris, the other in Geneva.</p>
<p>While there are exceptions (as noted earlier in this thread), in general, LACs have small offerings in languages (bcos the college is small). For example, some top LACs don’t even offer offer advanced language instruction; instead, the college only provides Lit classes for the language major. While French Lit is great, it is not necessarily advanced language training. Check out the departmental offerings carefully. If you are interested in becoming fluent, you may find a better course selection at a Uni.</p>
<p>btw: bcos Midd is known for languages, it’s probably the hardest major to which to be admitted as an undergrad.</p>
<p>mini: am I reading correctly in that Smith only offers one French language course beyond AP (300) on its campus? Regardless, the OP is a guy, so Smith probably won’t work. :)</p>
<p>I doubt it. The Italian department, which is half the size, offers more - but they aren’t “language” courses, but literature and culture courses (there used to be one in the sciences as well) taught in the language. Remember that virtually all of the fourth year French students have spent a year studying and living in France and Geneva, with French-speaking families, where using English is banned, and all classes are conducted in French. A 300+ level “language” class would almost be besides the point. As to whether the training works, my d. is absolutely fluent in Italian (once they spoke to her, Princeton didn’t even bother to test her for their graduate program).</p>
<p>There are many wonderful large university programs in languages - Madison always comes to mind.</p>
<p>Have you looked into colleges in the French-speaking parts of Canada?
You would have the option of getting every class taught in French, major in something else, finish your education completely fluent in French AND have a degree in something else. </p>
<p>Or not. :)</p>
<p>Bonne chance, en tout cas.</p>
<p>Dartmouth is known for its language programs. The French dept has three different terms abroad: an LSA (Language study abroad, Lyons, maybe? Can’t recall), LSA+, and FSP in Paris(foreign study program, for more advanced students). D teaches beginning languages using the “Rassias method,” which involves 4 per week 45-minute small-group sections of verbal “drill” in addition to the usual classes.</p>
<p>Are you looking to start French, or have you been studying it for some time?</p>
<p>Indiana has an excellent language program as well, including a summer program similar to Midd’s.</p>
<p>Most college language programs are in fact literature programs. After a certain amount of classes, the student is expected to be fluent and apply that fluency toward a study of literature. </p>
<p>If you want extensive linguistic study of French, you’re better off looking at large universities - including Madison, NC, VA, Berkeley and UCLA, among the publics. </p>
<p>Either way, a serious language student should look for the availability of intense programs (several hours each day) in addition to study abroad for at least one year – that’s the most effective way to really learn a language</p>
<p>Thank you everyone for your great advice 
I definitely have some further investigating to do.</p>