<p>I am currently a sophomore in college and my advisors are just so hard to get in contact with. The deadline to add a class in place of Advanced French is today so I am in a bit of a panic. </p>
<p>the dilemma:
I took intermediate french last year during my freshman year (i only had 2 years of french in high school) and I struggled to get a B+ (a lot of google translate use etc). Now I moved on to advanced french..the next step. The class is just hard for me...I cannot understand a reading without outside tools and I just dont speak very well. I am in a class of 10 and believe me, I am at the very bottom of the pack.</p>
<p>I need to completely advanced french for my major however (European Studies) so if I dont take it this year, I would need to take it next year..my junior year. I want to apply to a program however and the qualification for it is at least 4 semesters of french...which is equivalent to intermediate..which i completed already hmmm. </p>
<p>anyway, is it a good idea to not take advanced french right now in order to take a class that would prepare me for advanced french and then i plan to study abroad in france over the summer. that could help me a bit too.</p>
<p>If you are going to wipe out in Advanced French, change it for another Intermediate level French option. For example, is there an Intermediate Conversation class would be a good choice if it is available.</p>
<p>Many study-abroad programs will offer several different levels of the local language, and will place you into the correct level by exam. Look up the information about the summer programs that you might enroll in next summer, and see what the options are.</p>
<p>If I understand it correctly you need this course for your major, so the only reason to drop it is if you can somehow get a course that will help you be better prepared for Advanced French next year. No French at all is obviously not a good option. So the question is whether a summer French course (in France) would do the trick. It might if you don’t forget too much before you get there. Any chance you could audit intermediate French so that you feel more comfortable with it, and then spend the summer in France? If you opt for summer in France try to find a program that will give you an immersion experience with few temptations to speak English.</p>
<p>I think mathmom’s suggestion to audit intermediate French, and spend next summer in France is a really good one. Depending on your university, many professors may permit you to just sit in on the class, without enrolling or paying any tuition. Particularly if you explain all the details: you are a sophomore who took intermediate French last year, based on 2 years of high school French, you did reasonably well but didn’t feel completely comfortable with the class, don’t feel ready for Advanced French, but do definitely plan to take it. If you add that you plan to go to France this coming summer for language study, I think most faculty would permit you to just sit in on the class, as long as the university/college regulations don’t prohibit that.</p>
<p>Retired French prof here. In practice, two years of high school French is often not sufficient preparation to do well in intermediate college French, so you shouldn’t be too hard on yourself for just pulling a B+. I concur with those who suggest that for now you 1) enroll in an intermediate-level conversation and composition course, if one is available; or 2) ask to audit intermediate French again and follow up with courses abroad.
If you have a choice of programs abroad, pick one that does not simultaneously enroll high school students, as those tend to be less rigorous. Live with a French family while studying abroad, or in a dorm with students of many nations. (Your common language will be French.) Make a pact with yourself and your associates abroad to speak French and only French during the daytime. Get out and participate in an activity (a sport?) that you enjoy with French speakers.
On your return, you should be ready for Advanced French. Even so, you should plan to devote from 1 ½ to 2 hours in out-of-class work/practice for each hour in the classroom. As with any academic discipline, when in difficulty, seek out the prof during office hours.</p>
<p>Thank you!
I will still be in a french class at the 300 level (significantly less busy work) and it focuses on the pronunciation/comprehension of french…thats one area that i have loads of trouble with. Last year I worked really hard for that B+ but this year, my course load makes it quite hard to put in twice the amount of work needed to succeed in advanced french.
I am heavily considering auditing intermediate french. that’s actually a great idea. usually my school offers intermediate, then high intermediate and then advanced…this year high intermediate is not being offered.</p>