<p>I'm an incoming freshman who placed into French 103 at orientation. I'll be taking it in the fall to help fulfill the LSA language requirement.
Can anyone tell me what this class is like, or French in general at UMich? Will it be very time consuming or difficult? What are tips for doing well in this class? Thank you.</p>
<p>I am an incoming transfer student to Umich, so I can’t say much about the French program there specifically (yet). However, I can offer a bit of insight into how to succeed in French classes. Know the standard endings and general grammar, that’s mostly practice and memorization, and notecards really help with abnormal verb tenses and vocab. The best thing you can do for any French class is to expose yourself to as much French as possible. It helps with pronunciation and to help the language seem more familiar. French movies do this wonderfully. There are a few on Netflix and a lot of Disney movies have a French option (like lion king or beauty and the beast… I like these because the storyline is familiar and that lets me focus on language). It helps that Umich French classes meet 4 times per week so it’s harder to forget between classes. Good luck!</p>
<p>French 103 is “Review of Elementary French.” It’s designed for people who have studied some French but need a review/refresher of elementary French before moving on to the intermediate level. It covers the same material as in French 101 and 102 (first and second semester beginning French) but in one semester, because everyone who places into it already has some French. It will meet 4 times/week, and there will be lots of tests, quizzes, writing assignments, and speaking and listening tests. If you have any kind of facility with foreign languages, it should not be difficult, and everyone in the class should be starting at just about the same place–they will all have had some French, but haven’t completely mastered the content of Michigan’s first two semesters of beginning French. As a result, you won’t be competing against students with advanced French language skills or the students most gifted in language acquisition, because they’ll already be at a more advanced level. In fact, almost everyone taking the class will be there to fulfill the LS&A language requirement. It tends not to be a highly competitive environment. If you do your homework every day and come to class every day, you should do just fine. If you fall behind, it will be hard to catch up or to make up the points you’ve missed on quizzes and such.</p>
<p>These tend to be relatively small classes, taught by an Instructor (not a full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty member). There are many sections of the same class. The instructors will be encouraging–they really want you to learn French, and the better you do, the better it reflects on them. Most are pretty good teachers. It’s just a basic part of the Michigan experience. Relax, and enjoy it.</p>
<p>Thanks very much avita01 and bclintonk!</p>