<p>Hello! I'm a junior and I'm trying to narrow down my college choices. I've always studied Spanish as my second language, but this year I tried a French class and I've fallen head over heels in love with the language, and I actually think that's what I want to study in college. I was wondering if anyone could give me some suggestions for schools with good French departments, as well as those with good study abroad programs in France.</p>
<p>Just so you know where I might possibly get in... I haven't taken the SAT yet. My PSAT score was 221. When I took the pre-ACT test thing, they projected a 32-34. I had a not so great sophomore year for grades...</p>
<p>As far as high school transcripts go...</p>
<p>Freshman year (S1/S2)
Health A/NA
PE NA/A+
World History A-/A
Catholic Christianity A+/A
Honors Literary Genres A-/A
Honors Physical Science B+/A-
Honors Algebra 1/2 A/A-
Spanish 2 A/A</p>
<p>GPA 3.93</p>
<p>Sophomore Year
Honors Biology B/B
AP Euro B/B-
Honors Fundamentals of Writing and Literature A/A-
Honors Geometry/Trigonometry B/B-
Spanish 3 (College Now) A-/A-
Health NA/A
PE A+/NA
Christian Ethics NA/A+
Hebrew Scriptures B/NA</p>
<p>GPA 3.5</p>
<p>Overall GPA 3.72 (UW)</p>
<p>Junior Year Schedule (No grades yet)
AP English
APUSH
Chemistry
College Now Math 111/112
French 1
French 2
Spanish 4 (College Now)
Postmodern American Literature</p>
<p>ECs
Piano (Since 2nd grade)
100+ volunteer hours at hospital (Not required for graduation)
Speech and debate team, various awards.</p>
<p>I would kind of like to be in/near the Pacific NW and not be completely broke when all is said and done, and to be set up for grad school.</p>
<p>I have to say, I don’t often see posts out here touting one school over another for specific foreign languages, as long as the languages is taught to a fairly high level. You will want to keep the cost down, as jobs can be hard to come by and often don’t pay a lot for foreign language majors. Also, I don’t think we visited a college (and we saw about 40…) that did not have study abroad in at least one French speaking country. And there are LOTS of French speaking countries to pick from, so this won’t be hard to find.</p>
<p>I just took a look at the College Board Book of Majors, and they suggest you ask:</p>
<ul>
<li>How many faculty members are native or near-native speakers? When do students have contact with native speakers?</li>
<li>What is the variety of specializations among the faculty members? Is there one literature specialist who teaches all the courses, or are there several who specialize in different centuries or genres?</li>
<li>Is there a linguist on the faculty?</li>
</ul>
<p>I think you could get a lot out of looking at the course offerings online for a college, and the study abroad programs they offer. That info is readily available for each college.</p>
<p>So if I were you, I would get a copy of the Fiske Guide to Colleges and review it to find some schools that look interesting to you. Then go check out their web sites to see how they look for French studies and study abroad. If your library has a copy of Fiske that is a couple of years old, that is okay (it does not change much). Since cost is important, also have your parents help you run the Net Price Calculator available on each school’s website so you can get a rough idea of the cost of attendance as well.</p>
<p>DUKE UNIVERSITY
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA</p>
<h2>YALE UNIVERSITY</h2>
<p>INDIANA UNIVERSITY AT BLOOMINGTON
UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN-ANN ARBOR</p>
<h2>UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON</h2>
<p>STANFORD UNIVERSITY
HARVARD UNIVERSITY
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-BERKELEY
CORNELL UNIVERSITY
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY
JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-LOS ANGELES
VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY
EMORY UNIVERSITY
PENN STATE UNIVERSITY
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-DAVIS
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN
BROWN UNIVERSITY
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-IRVINE
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK</p>
<h2>UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH PITTSBURGH CAMPUS</h2>
<p>CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK GRAD. CENTER
OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY MAIN CAMPUS
UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA
UNIVERSITY OF IOWA
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA-TWIN CITIES
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN
UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO AT BOULDER
LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY AND AGRICULTURAL AND MECHANICAL COLLEGE
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
RUTGERS THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW JERSEY NEW BRUNSWICK CAMPUS
BOSTON UNIVERSITY
RICE UNIVERSITY
UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT
BOSTON COLLEGE
UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA AT LAFAYETTE
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND COLLEGE PARK
WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN ST. LOUIS</p>
<p>See if you can find a copy of Rugg’s Guide - it lists the best schools for each major, sorted by selectivity. Your guidance counselor will have it, but it may also be available at your public library.</p>
<p>1) - “I’ve always studied Spanish as my second language, but this year I tried a French class and I’ve fallen head over heels in love with the language, and I actually think that’s what I want to study in college.”</p>
<p>2) - “Just so you know where I might possibly get in… I haven’t taken the SAT yet. My PSAT score was 221. When I took the pre-ACT test thing, they projected a 32-34. I had a not so great sophomore year for grades ”</p>
<p>3) - “I would kind of like to be in/near the Pacific NW and not be completely broke when all is said and done, and to be set up for grad school.”</p>
<p>Short Answer: Reed College in Portland, Oregon</p>