<p>Does anyone have any information on the French program at LSU?</p>
<p>je ne sais pas!
that’s where my knowledge of both french and french at lsu ends.
i think lsu’s excellent program is in francophone studies, but i may be confusing it with UL-Lafayette. lsu’s french program is probably not bad at all.</p>
<p>I’m entering as a French major next year and have already learned enough to be impressed. Of course it helps that it’s in Louisiana, where French influence abounds, and LSU itself has a lot of French connections that give students the opportunity to participate in programs like the Ubaye Valley Program ([Department</a> of French Studies: Ubaye Valley Program](<a href=“http://appl003.lsu.edu/artsci/frenchweb.nsf/$Content/Ubaye+Valley+Program?OpenDocument]Department”>http://appl003.lsu.edu/artsci/frenchweb.nsf/$Content/Ubaye+Valley+Program?OpenDocument)). No course credit offered for that one, but there are plenty of study abroad programs that offer credit. LSU in Paris ([Academic</a> Programs Abroad - Students Returning from NSE Exchanges](<a href=“http://ocs-web2.ocs.lsu.edu/apa/summer/lsu_in_paris.asp]Academic”>http://ocs-web2.ocs.lsu.edu/apa/summer/lsu_in_paris.asp)) is a staple summer program and offers credits in art and French.</p>
<p>Unlike a few other universities I considered, French at LSU has its own department ([Department</a> of French Studies](<a href=“http://appl003.lsu.edu/artsci/frenchweb.nsf/index]Department”>http://appl003.lsu.edu/artsci/frenchweb.nsf/index)). There’s also a Center for French and Francophone Studies; a pretty impressive list of past events hosted by the CFFS can be found here: [The</a> Center for French and Francophone Studies: Past Events](<a href=“http://appl003.lsu.edu/artsci/cffsweb.nsf/$Content/Past+Events?OpenDocument]The”>http://appl003.lsu.edu/artsci/cffsweb.nsf/$Content/Past+Events?OpenDocument)</p>
<p>As for the courses… A job I have as a research assistant for one of the business professors required me to, just last night, compile a list of every French course LSU offers, and it’s pretty comprehensive. Past the entry-level courses, there are plenty of oral communication, phonetics, linguistics, and literature classes. You can also take up to intermediate Cajun French. LSU offers up to a Ph.D. in French.</p>
<p>And of course, the French Department and the CFFS often host fun, cultural events like the fashion show ([LSU</a> French studies hosts fourth annual fashion show - Covering The Louisiana State University Community (LSU) – Tigerweekly.com](<a href=“http://tigerweekly.com/article/04-22-2009/10983]LSU”>http://tigerweekly.com/article/04-22-2009/10983)) and la Nuit Blanche ([url=<a href=“http://www.consulfrance-nouvelleorleans.org/spip.php?article844]LSU”>http://www.consulfrance-nouvelleorleans.org/spip.php?article844]LSU</a> Night of French Cinema: une nuit blanche </p>
<p>Thanks for your response. My daughter will most likely major in French- she seems to do well waith it and enjoys it- is considering law school as the next step- Would you mind telling me what other schools you considered? We are from NJ, doesn’t want Rutgers, but does like the idea of a large school with spirit and the “college” life of sororities etc. She’s generallly a B to B+ student at a competitive public HS.</p>
<p>Sounds like your daughter’s a lot like me. I’m also planning to attend law school after earning my French degree. I think I might even choose LSU’s law school; according to my dad (who graduated from LSU Law a few years ago and chose it over a full ride to Loyola N.O. Law and a scholarship to Tulane Law), it’s one of the few (or maybe he said the only? I’ll check) schools where students can learn both common law and civil law, thereby qualifying you to practice pretty much anywhere in the world. </p>
<p>Since my parents wanted me to stay in-state–fine by me, since Louisiana is a fantastic place to study French–I also considered Tulane, which is the only other top-tier school in Louisiana. At Tulane, though, French and Italian share the same department. That and the very high tuition (which would make it really, really hard for me to have enough money to study abroad, not to mention pay for grad school) led me to choose LSU. </p>
<p>LSU is definitely a large school, both in campus size and enrollment, with tons of spirit. The whole of Baton Rouge gets into the spirit, actually. I can NEVER drive anywhere in Baton Rouge without seeing at least a few handfuls of LSU bumper stickers, tee shirts, etc. The fantastic athletic programs at LSU make for many die-hard, devoted fans (many of whom are probably camped out in Omaha right now, partying before the baseball team plays Virginia on Saturday), and the tailgating before football games is like nowhere else. Tailgater Monthly ranked LSU the 3rd best tailgating school ([Tailgater</a> Monthly - The Top 10 Tailgating Schools](<a href=“http://www.tailgatermonthly.com/funstuff/schools.html]Tailgater”>http://www.tailgatermonthly.com/funstuff/schools.html)), and ESPN ranked us first ([The</a> Road Warrior: Best College Tailgating Scenes - Travel - ESPN](<a href=“ESPN - Serving Sports Fans. Anytime. Anywhere.”>ESPN - Serving Sports Fans. Anytime. Anywhere.)).</p>
<p>Athletics aside, though, I went to orientation a couple of months ago (admitted students with certain ACT scores and GPA are invited to an early program in spring during which they can take placement exams and earn credit hours), and the chancellor’s speech was followed by dance routines by both the student ambassadors and the “Tiger Girls,” a speech by a girl wearing tiger ears, and recorded fight songs played by the marching band. </p>
<p>Greek life at LSU is pretty big, from what I’ve heard. Actually, the Panhellenic Council just mailed me a booklet titled “Greek Tiger” that contains information on how to join a sorority/fraternity and profiles of every sorority and fraternity at LSU. I’m not interested in going Greek, so I’ve done no more than thumb through it, but it’s definitely there if she wants to participate.</p>
<p>Have you and your daughter visited LSU yet? (And sorry for the super long response!)</p>
<p>You seem to have a lot in common with my daughter. We will plan on visiting next summer as she will be a junior in the fall. Good luck and it sounds like you’ve made the right choice.</p>
<p>definitely go; and try to go on a game day and get tickets!
considering about half the weekends in the fall will be a game day, it’s a significant part of campus life.
from what i’ve heard from people in hard majors (engineering and sciences) game days are not your friend if you don’t have tickets; the library closes and campus traffic becomes one way: out only. you can’t get back until like 12:00 or 1:00 if you leave. i’m just throwing it out there.
also, games are called life changing experiences for a reason. i don’t even like football, went to a game, and then decided lsu would be totally okay for me (fwiw, i was still considering a few other schools at the time. i chose lsu)</p>
<p>I’d go in the fall just because the weather is a lot nicer then. There’s a lot of ground to cover at LSU, and even with all the shade from the 1000+ live oaks, it’s like a sauna in the summer. Fall is my favorite season here, but every season except summer (fortunately, not part of the academic year anyway) is really pleasant.</p>
<p>As for the library closing on game days, which I know sounds really bad, here’s the reasoning provided by the Office of the Chancellor:</p>
<p>"Issue: If LSU aspires to be a national flagship university, why is the library closed on home football game Saturdays?</p>
<p>Answer: Middleton Library is not always closed on Saturdays of home football games. If the game begins at 7 p.m. or thereafter, Middleton Library closes at 4 p.m. If the home game begins as early as 4 p.m., it closes at 1 p.m. If games begin between 4 and 7 p.m., a decision is made about closing time, depending upon the starting time of the game. If the game begins earlier than 4:00 p.m., Middleton Library does not open. And, of course, the library is not closed for away games.</p>
<p>Tailgating and game-day traffic make it difficult for staff and patrons to get to the library. Staff and patrons usually have to park at considerable distance, and leaving campus is also very difficult, especially with the incoming traffic flow. In addition, there are sanitation, safety, and security issues.</p>
<p>The football Saturday Schedules policy is under Hours on the LSU Libraries home page at [LSU</a> Libraries – 2008/2009 Library Schedule](<a href=“http://www.lib.lsu.edu/admin/hours/index.html]LSU”>http://www.lib.lsu.edu/admin/hours/index.html). For the convenience of potential patrons, the closing notice is posted on the Web site as soon as the game time is known, and many of our resources are available electronically so they can be accessed from off campus."</p>
<p>To be fair, LSU football generates a lot of money for the university. The athletic department is completely self-supported, and they donate millions to the LSU every year. </p>
<p>And yeah, the games are pretty fun. I still don’t understand or like football, but tailgating and going to a game is a blast. I’d try to avoid visiting campus for the first time on a game day just so you can see LSU as it normally is and hopefully avoid parking problems, but if your daughter wants to check out the tailgating scene and maybe score some free Cajun food, go for it.</p>
<p>Oh, and one more thing about the French program I forgot to mention, probably because I only found out when I was scheduling my classes at Spring Invitational: I talked to the chair of the French department and, besides assuring me that I could definitely get into law school with a French degree, he told me that the French department guarantees to everyone graduating from LSU with a French degree a position as an English teacher in France. I haven’t looked into the details and couldn’t find anything online about it, but I’ll see what I can dig up about it in the fall.</p>
<p>Oh yeah, and I know you probably don’t want to hear about the law school since you’re just looking for a good undergrad French program, but LSU Law is partnered with a law school in Aix-en-Provence and gives its students the opportunity to travel there for summer school after…the first year, I think? The courses are taught in English, but all the law students my dad knew of who went spent a lot of time traveling all around France, so plenty of chances to use the language anyway. I really wanted to go out of state for law school, but LSU is so tempting. Aaagh.</p>
<p>Correction: The law school’s summer program is in Lyon, not Aix-en-Provence. My bad. [:</p>