I’m a rising senior white trans male. GPA 4.0 unweighted. 1470 sat. Multiple ap classes and extra curriculars. I plan to study music and/or linguistics. I’m looking at colleges both in the us where I live and in France because I want to go to another country and French is the language I speak second best. I could probably also consider other places but I’m not sure about timing and dont want my search to be too broad because I’m already a bit behind schedule…
I’ve looked at université diderot 7 a bit as well as aix Marseille. I’ve considered a few others but I have yet to research more thoroughly. I would prefer a smallish school but I’d be fine either way. I also don’t know much about the culture of universities in France. It would be good to go somewhere supportive with an atmosphere similar to a small liberal arts school in the U.S., but I don’t know how to find out things like that.
Some of my potential, emphasis on potential, colleges within the U.S. are
Oberlin(a reach and unlikely because they lack a linguistics major)
Carnegie Mellon
Hampshire(new to the list)
College of Chicago
And a few others
Also if you know if or how one double majors in French universities that would be good to know.
I’m semi conversational in French, but continue to improve, and would ensure higher ability if I were to go to France for school.
Thank you
The French system is very different, and you are unlikely to find the kinds of support and services you’d expect in an American school, much less a private LAC. Most French schools are what we’d consider commuter schools, there are no GE requirements, you go directly into a major, attend large lecture classes, and your grade is often based on one end-of-the year exam. Double majors are unusual. A music program may well require an audition which determines whether or not you get in. Semi-conversational level of French will likely not be enough to succeed.
If „small liberal arts college like in the US” is what you are looking for, France is seriously about the last place you should look.
Have you ever been in another country? It is different in so many more ways than simply speaking another language.
I urge you to find colleges that fit your criteria in the US (finding one where double majoring in music works out the right way will probably be hard enough), then research which of them have good study abroad programmes.
What about Canada? That’s the most similar system to the US, plus you have the option of both English and French. speaking universities
Canada is likely your best bet. Look at the small colleges but also at the French language CÉGEP (smaller colleges where you narrow down your academics, complete gen eds and pre reqs- mandatory in Quebec before Université, where you study one subject for 3 years.)
French universities are as far from Oberlin as I can think of.
You could also try to do a year abroad in a French high school, Terminale L/musique. 8 hours of philosophy, 5 hours of music every week so lots of useful classes. AFS and YFU offer the program.
“Semi-conversational” proficiency will not cut it in French universities in Canada. McGill and Concordia are English universities in bilingual Montreal.
What you describe is an American college atmosphere that does not exist in Europe or even Canada for that matter.
Well, Canada does have public LACs, but they’re closer to the public liberal arts unis in the US like Truman St. than they are to private American LACs.
it will be tough in france if you dont improve the language and they dont really have programs in english unless you are going for masters
I am concerned that “almost conversational level French” is not likely to be enough to study at a French language university. You have to remember that if you attend a French language university, any given course will be taught at a pace that it expected to be a moderate challenge for good students who are fully fluent in French. In my experience for someone who just speaks French well enough to sit down and have a conversation in French, it can still take a bit longer to process some of the things that you are hearing.
You might want to look at Bishop’s University in Lennoxville Quebec. Bishops is an English language university, but Lennoxville appears to be fully bilingual at least in my experience, and it is right next to Sherbrooke which is a French speaking small city. Bishops is a small university (2,400 students) which is pretty much the Canadian equivalent to what we in the US would call a LAC. It has a very good languages program. It also offers a BA in music. I don’t know whether it offers a performance major in music. The cost for international students would be a lot better than what you are used to in the US.
You might want to check whether students at Bishop’s are allowed to take classes at the Université de Sherbrooke which is about 10 km away.
The University of Ottawa is officially a bilingual university. Some classes are taught in English, and some are taught in French. I am pretty sure that it is possible to graduate without taking any classes in French. There is a tuition break for bilingual students. They have a good music program.
You might also want to look at French immersion courses. I know about courses at the Université Ste Anne in Nova Scotia, Université de Moncton in New Brunswick, and various universities in Quebec. The people I know who have taken one speak highly of it, and the prices are again quite reasonable considering what you get.