Where can I take French classes in French?

College Search & Selection
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<p>I'm a senior currently getting into the thick of applications (a little late, I know, but I work best under pressure). I want desperately to major in French and get as much exposure to the language and culture as possible, so the more I get to speak French, the better. I'm already applying to Middlebury and Princeton, two schools which have the kind of intense program I'm looking for; however, while I have a shot at either, I'm obviously far from guaranteed a spot. I'm looking for other schools, mainly LACs, which would be able to provide excellent French courses. Location really is no more specific than (roughly) East Coast. Could anybody point me in the right direction?</p>

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<p>You can take courses in French at a Francophone university in Qu</p>

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<p>Have you thought of buying Rosetta Stone French or a language learning equivalent?</p>

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<p>Any reputable college will teach French courses mostly/entirely in French from the second or third semester onward; foreign language instruction is much more intensive in college than in high school. Since French is such a popular language, many colleges even offer accelerated French, allowing you to learn 2-3 semesters of French in a single semester.</p>

<p>French departments usually offer things like French club and French lunch/coffee hours, so you should have opportunities to practice French outside the classroom. Some go further and offer field trips to French-speaking places during the year (e.g. Bowdoin in Quebec). Additionally, some colleges offer language dorms that enable students to live and interact with other students learning foreign languages. </p>

<p>There are many LACs on the east coast that have good to excellent French programs, but they are all different. You’ll have to be a little more specific about what you’re looking for in order to receive helpful responses.</p>

<p>If you’re looking for a large French-speaking community, you may be interested in seeing how many French majors a college produces each year. Here’s the northeastern LACs in the USNWR top 50:</p>

<p>17 Dickinson
16 Wellesley
14 Bowdoin
13 Hamilton
10 Amherst
10 Middlebury (+ 33 MA students + 2 DML students)
9 Bryn Mawr (+ 3 MA students)
9 Colby
9 Mount Holyoke
9 Smith
7 Barnard (+ 11 at Columbia)
7 Bucknell
7 Colgate
6 Gettysburg
6 Skidmore
5 Bates
5 Conn College
5 Franklin & Marshall
5 Trinity
5 Vassar
3 Holy Cross
3 Lafayette
2 Wesleyan
1 Haverford
1 Swarthmore
0 Union
0 Williams</p>

<p>Since the numbers are so small, they undoubtedly fluctuate and shift order each year. Nevertheless, there may be telling differences between places like Dickinson and Bowdoin with very high numbers and Swarthmore and Williams with very low numbers. (As a guess, Dickinson’s international focus and Bowdoin’s popular Government major may play a role.) Since even the far larger Berkeley and Michigan have only 22-25 majors a year, 16-17 majors at a LAC is extremely impressive.</p>

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<p>You said “mostly LAC’s” so maybe you should consider a small university such as Tufts, which has strong foreign language programs and a global focus.
They also have a French house where you can live and speak French all the time [Department</a> of Romance Languages - Tufts University<a href=“also%20houses%20French%20exchange%20students”>/url</a>, and a beautiful European Center in the French Alps [url=&lt;a href=“http://ase.tufts.edu/europeanCenter/]Tufts”&gt;http://ase.tufts.edu/europeanCenter/]Tufts</a> University European Center in Talloires, France](<a href=“http://ase.tufts.edu/romlang/abroadHouses.asp]Department”>http://ase.tufts.edu/romlang/abroadHouses.asp)</p>

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<p>Dartmouth. They are known for their language programs, and teach by the Rassias method, which involves intensive speaking practice at “drill” sessions–in addition to the usual classes–from the get go. (Undergrads with superior language skills can apply to work as drill instructors, also.) They also have 3 levels of study abroad programs in French, ranging from comparative beginners through comparatively fluent. (The latter involves a homestay in Paris, with courses taught by French academics as well as a D professor. Students take a pledge to only speak French during their stay.) Because of the flexibility of the D plan, students are able to take multiple terms abroad if they wish. There is French affinity housing, also. And, should the spirit move you, Quebec is not far away.</p>

<p>[Programs</a> Abroad](<a href=“Home | Department of French and Italian”>Home | Department of French and Italian)</p>

<p>That said, I agree with warblersrule re French programs at LACs.</p>

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<p>warblersrule, your numbers are outdated.</p>

<p><a href=“https://www.amherst.edu/academiclife/departments/french/alumni/alumni2000[/url]”>Alumni 2000-2009 | Alumni | Amherst College;

<p>In a given year, Amherst graduates as many as ~40 French majors, as few as ~20. Granted, it doesn’t compare with the ~75 who major in Economics every year, but it’s still plenty, given that only ~400 students graduate from Amherst every year. So, during “good” years, as many as 10 percent of Amherst students graduate with French degrees.</p>

<p>It’s also the only department, besides Smith College’s, that has an exchange program with Paris’ ENS, France’s most prestigious research university.</p>

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<p>btw, “French classes in French” are the norm rather than the deviation at top unis+LACs.</p>

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<p>

</p>

<p>According to the page you linked to, they’re nowhere near 40 these days.</p>

<p>2012: 16
2011: 17
2010: 24
2009: 17
2008: 25
5-year average: 20</p>

<p>That’s still an impressive number but it’s more like 5% of the class, not 10%. Also, just out of curiosity, when it lists those who “have completed all the requirements to graduate with a major in French,” does that mean they actually did graduate with a major in French–or might some have met all the requirements but actually graduated with some other major? Not that it matters, I suppose, since in either case it suggests the same critical mass of people studying French, but that’s a mighty awkward locution if they just meant “graduated with French majors.”</p>

<p>OP, if you’re female I’d suggest you take a close look at Bryn Mawr. Their French program is very strong, and they also have an intensive summer program in Avignon, France, a lovely spot. Also, it’s an easier admit than Princeton or Middlebury.</p>

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<p>

I don’t think that’s the issue. My numbers are from IPEDS, which is the only search engine I’ve found that lets you generate a customized list of colleges based on the number of students majoring in a subject.</p>

<p>The problem with IPEDS is that it counts only primary majors. For a subject like French, which is often tacked on as a secondary major, that may conceal a lot of students, as apparently it did at Amherst.</p>

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<p>I’d never seen IPEDS before - that’s really cool. It let me pick both primary and secondary majors when I played around with it.</p>

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<ol>
<li>France</li>
<li>Canada</li>
<li>Louisiana</li>
<li>any public university with an immersion program</li>
</ol>