<p>I want to be able to speak, write, read and understand French fluently. I don't want to major in French, but what are other options to fulfill this desire in college?</p>
<p>Does your college require you to take a language in order to graduate? Some of them do...so you can just sign up for the class. Either way, if you want to use it as an elective you can still sign up for the class without being a major or a minor in it. Or see if there are any French tutors around campus and ask them if they'd be willing to teach the language to you and work with you. </p>
<p>Good luck! :)</p>
<p>I think minoring in French would be something along the lines of what I'm looking for, though I <i>am</i> a bit ignorant on the subject of "minors". Help?</p>
<p>Minors just require fewer courses than majors. For example, at my school a major is 15 classes (or credits), while minors are usually around 8 or 9. </p>
<p>If you only have one major, a minor is definitely feasible!</p>
<p>A major is only 15 hours? Are you serious? That's really hard to believe.</p>
<p>A minor at my school is 15-18 hours. A major is somewhere in 40+ hours.</p>
<p>I've heard people double major; could I do this with French? What are the ups and downs?</p>
<p>Do a year abroad in France while you're in college. The best way to learn a language is by immersion in it.</p>
<p>Study for a summer/semester/year in France. Minor in French. The 15-18 credits for a minor is generally once you get through the elementary/intermediate sequence.</p>
<p>It's perfectly feasible to double major with French. I'm majoring in Russian & French and will still graduate in four years. (I also have friends majoring in English & French, Music & French, Business & French, History & French, Biology & French, and so on.)</p>
<p>Basically, French will complement your other major; fluency in 2+ languages is always a good thing. Depending on your school and the tracks they have for the French major, you may be able to focus on French Language, French Literature, or French Civilization. The former two generally require more semesters of French Language classes. French Literature is fantastic (Baudelaire, Moliere). It's a fun language that ISN'T Spanish. You'll be able to communicate with a huge number of people. If you plan to go to grad school in the humanities, you'll need to know some French (& probably German). It's great to know for Economics, PoliSci, International Relations, etc.</p>
<p>So yeah, obviously I'm biased... but it's an amazing language and you should definitely study it to an advanced level. Bonne chance! :)</p>