Advice for a sophomore French major with potential graduate plans?

[klader]

Hi everyone,

 

I'm new to this site, and I'd really appreciate some advice on how/if I should pursue graduate studies in French. I'm also majoring in Writing and Rhetoric and may wish to do graduate study in that field, so I'd like to know all of my options.

 

As my title indicates, I'm a current college sophomore, and I've yet to take any upper-level French classes. I'm currently finishing up FREN 202 with plans to study abroad in Montreal this summer and potentially France a year or two down the line. I've received very high grades in my courses and have been told by my professors that I've got a great aptitude for French, but I don't go to a top school, so a part of me is skeptical of these feats. I had a few years of French in high school but didn't learn too much from them, so I completely started from scratch my freshman year.

 

Basically, what should one do if they wish to study French in graduate school? What kinds of courses should I be taking, and is studying abroad in France an absolute must? I'll admit that finances are a bit tight for me, but I can always look into making it work, though I worry about my ability to handle studying so far away from home and my family.

 

I'm sorry if this is ill-posed or too immature for discussion, but I'd just really like to keep my options open.

 

Thank you so much!

[Francophile1]

Well, I am glad you are exploring this early on! First you must decide if you want to pursue grad study in French or Rhetoric/Eng. writing.

If you go with French, you need to be very fluent in it, and unless you are half french or have a lot of exposure to the language you can only get fluent by majoring in it and studying abroad. This may sound a bit harsh but I have been there and believe me grad school will expect alot out of you. Studying abroad isessential, if possible for a year which will increase your fluency drastically.

 

I am currently in grad. school (French), and we are expected to write everything in French, scholarly paper 25 pges/class.

 

With that said there is a nother option: if you are not looking to teach in colleges, you could get a teacher certificate/MA in french, which might be easier to get into (with a minor in French). Many MA or Phd programs expect you to teach (college classes) as part of the experience but there are some which don't expect that.

 

Basically my advice is look at your options, if you cannot major in french, look into MA/certification programs.

Good luck, and if you have any questions ask away!

 

P.S As far as applications go, all applications MA or PHD require:

Statetement of purpose

GRE scores

Writing sample (10-15 pages in French)

and other misscelaneous items.

[carrot_flowers]

Grad school for French is a huge commitment.  What about French interests you?

[klader]

Thank you very much for the replies! I truly appreciate all of the advice.

I do realize that grad school, be it within the realms of French or of Writing and Rhetoric, is quite the commitment. I'm one who embraces challenges and commitments head-on, but I know that I need to seriously think and consider the stakes of this potential "marriage," so to speak.

When it comes to French, I love the beauty and the essence of it. I'm crazy about any kind of communication, especially written communication, but something about communicating with others in a foreign tongue just enthralls me. I honestly can (and do) spend hours working on ways to improve and diversify my French communication skills. It just feels "right", and I get a high off of being able to successfully interact with so many kinds of different people. This passion led me to take up French as my second major, and the faculty at my university are very inspiring and wonderful. The Chair of our department is incredible with her literary skills and perspectives, and regardless of where my life takes me, I'm happy to have been in her literature course and strive to be as thoughtful and open-minded as she.

I love literature itself as well, and from the very limited French works that I've read (a 19th century piece and a couple 16th century works) along with other European classics, I've found that I love the voyeuristic sense of European Romanticism. It's so real and so tantalizing; it's something I can just drown myself in. I know that part of taking on French graduate studies is taking on a specialty, and French Romanticism, 19th and 20th century French lit, and feminism would definitely be my areas of interest, as cliché and common as they may be.

However, I think that I still am a bit young to determine if I could spend my days teaching and sifting through libraries of French literature for research. I'm only at the language-learning stage now (though I've had some literature exposure through a European lit class), and I'm set to start studying literature next fall.

I'd still like to get all my ducks in a row, though, and I know that one doesn't always have to go into academia if they study French at the graduate level.

Thanks for the insight, Francophile1. I will definitely have to work on my language skills and determine if I could ever manage that kind of fluency. Of course it's possible if I put my all into it, but life is full of too many coulda/shoulda/woulda's.

[klader]

Does anyone else have any advice? I elaborated a bit onto why I'd like to pursue French, and if that's completely off the wall or a bad reason to do so, then I'd totally appreciate hearing so.

 

Merci d'avance.

[carrot_flowers]

I think at this point in your academic career it's best to survey the people closest to you --- your professors.  I'm sure they have valuable advice to offer regarding life in the field, grad school, etc.  They may be able to help you determine if a graduate education in French is right for you.  Have you thought about looking into internships in France to broaden your horizons?  Some peers at my university have done great things and put their French to work through this program: http://www.ifeparis.org/

[klader]

Hi all,

I'm back! I've now finished my 5th semester of college and 4 of my upper-upper-level French classes, and I did well. However, I'm getting closer and closer to graduating, and I need to start making some important decisions!!

I studied abroad in Montreal this past summer and did okay. It was a short program and I was completely overwhelmed with trying to actually communicate with people in French (and in weird québécois French at that), but I did improve. I improved tremendously after this past semester as well, and I have the opportunity to study abroad in France next fall and then to potentially do the English assistant program after I graduate (though I'm still up in the air about both).

Basically, my professors have told me that I write well in French and that my literary abilities are good, but I struggle tremendously with my spoken French. My pronunciation is okay, but my accent sucks. And my fluency is so blehh. I panic and stress over how to respond. I probably actually come across better than how I feel, but I'd say I'm at a good B1 right now, though my Montréal certificate attests to a B2 (but I'm totally not there yet. I just placed high because I have a good grip on the grammar).

So, I guess my question is even if I'm doing well in my courses and in the written sectors of my skills, does my lack of excellence and confidence in spoken French rule me out for grad school in the language? Would I absolutely HAVE to study abroad in France and do the assistant program to even get in?

You see, I don't even know if I want to TEACH French. I just want to continue learning it and continue studying literature. Ultimately, I want to be able to write well in it as that would correlate with my writing skills in English.

So, I guess I truly am torn, and I don't really know what to do. At this point, I wonder if I should just get a job after I graduate and see what happens.

Merci d'avance pour vos réponses et votre aide.

[xolo]

HI klader, I see that the previous responses were a little negative or at least they questioned your commitment, and I understand that. I've had professors say to me that a PhD in Spanish (or any language) is equivalent to accepting a life of poverty. So I understand the quasi-negativity. But I also see you are committed and are getting a lot out of your French program. I say, as the saying goes, follow your passion. Just be aware of the downside. In regard to your doubts, ANYONE can learn to teach French. The professor most knowledgeable in Spanish that I have had was not a native speaker! Driven, yes, maybe to the point of being a little weird, but he got the job done! So you can do it too if you want.

[travelgirl125]

Hi!  I am a senior Italian major and have applied to graduate programs in Italian.  I would one day like to teach it (and will be certified through my undergraduate institution), but like you, I also just have a very strong passion for the language, grammar, and everything about it!

 

I studied abroad in Italy twice over two summers, and I traveled there on several other occasions.  I completely understand what you are saying about it being overwhelming, because I felt that way at first, too!  But I quickly got over it and loved it so much, and I absolutely feel that my time abroad was THE thing that advanced my speaking skills.  I have taken every Italian class my school has to offer, and I have gotten great grades in them, but nothing beats living and speaking in the environment.

 

I would highly recommend you study abroad in France, even if it is for just a summer program.  I don't know much about the language, but I am under the impression that Canadian French is somewhat different than that of actual France - and certainly, the environments are quite different!  I think it would be hard to get through your entire undergraduate and graduate career studying French without having gone to France, whether it be to study, teach, or do research there.  I'm not sure how "seriously" your colleagues, professors, etc. would take you if your main reason for not going to France was because you were worried about feeling overwhelmed.  When I tell people that I study Italian, nearly 100% of them ask "Have you ever been to/studied abroad in Italy?"  as their first response.  Of course, finances are a whole different story.  That's why I really would suggest a summer program.  I was able to do two summer programs for less than the price of one semester program!

 

A different route you might want to take, that someone mentioned before, is an MA in teaching/French.  Rutgers University has an Masters in Teaching in various foreign languages, which is a combination of both foreign language/literature classes and teaching classes.  Maybe that would be more your speed?  I'm sure there are many other programs as well.  NYU also has a campus in Paris, I believe.

 

I hoped that helped somewhat!  If you have any more questions, I'd love to try and help!

[Soleil ت]

Hi klader,

 

I'm very happy to read about your passion for such a wonderful language. I was exactly where you are now -- passionate about the language and doing everything I possibly could to get better. I had the upper hand only because I had already completed AP French in high school before majoring in French in my undergrad. I'd like to add my two cents if you're open to it.

 

You have a hand up on me because I didn't even start thinking about grad school until I was a senior and it was too late to apply. I ended up taking a year off from school (which was depressing) before applying to grad schools. I'm not even remotely interested in French literature; rather, I am a linguistics enthusiast, and there are only four-five programs for me, so my options are more limited than yours are.

 

First and foremost, I never studied abroad in France or in any francophone country. My abilities to speak and use the French language came solely from my dedication to improving myself with podcasts, music, movies and lots of studying. It sounds like this is very much like what you're doing, so I encourage you whole-heartedly to continue doing that. (Edit: I also STRONGLY recommend finding a penpal. I had a couple, and that was one of the most important parts of my development, not having studied abroad.)

 

Speaking in French was always the worst area for me as well -- not because my accent needed work but because I had anxiety about making a single mistake, and it severely hindered my ability to communicate in French. In fact, the two times I did visit France, I bottled up and resorted often to English (the first time moreso than my second time, but it did happen). I'm not proud of that, but it just happened.

 

Anyway, I applied to all of the French Linguistics programs available at the time (for Fall 2013 admission): U Florida, UT Austin, Indiana U and UC Davis. Long story short, I was accepted to three of the four (UT Austin rejected me, but from my experience, it's the most competitive), even without having studied abroad or even done immersion programs like you've done in Montréal.

 

The good news is you don't really need to know what you want to do with yourself upon entering grad school; the understanding is, however, that you'll have a better idea of yourself and your interests coming out of it. It is rather peculiar that you don't necessarily want to teach French, as that's usually what people strive to do when completing a graduate degree in French. However, I'm sure you have your reasons. I will say that there is at least one student in my program who is doing exactly as you wish to do -- studying French just for the sake of getting better at the language. You don't necessarily have to want to pursue a career in it, but it makes more sense to the admission committee if you do.

 

Regarding your speaking ability, when I entered the MA program, I was right around a B2 in proficiency (although my speaking I would place somewhere around B1, like you). Recently, I reassessed myself, and I'm easily at least a C1. Pursuing higher education in French WILL make you more proficient. Truthfully, I'm no longer committed to French podcasts, music and movies as resources for improvement like I once was; just being in French lectures, having to express myself in French and writing research papers in French are what have made me better. I'm also significantly more confident in my ability to speak the language, even (if not especially) with natives. My accent has improved just by being around natives; I get complimented on it frequently.

 

The bad news is that when you come to grad school for French, you become hyper-aware that the job market is shit (excuse my "French" -- hehe). While I was always committed to the idea of being a professor of French, I'm significantly less committed now that I'm almost done with my MA. I'm revisiting the other life-long dream of going to med school because I'm starting to realize that a degree in a foreign language is a life of hardship. However, as you expressed that you're not necessarily interested in teaching French (what is it you'd like to do?), you might not be faced with this problem.

 

Lastly, please don't go anywhere that does not promise full funding. The fact that I'm funded and get paid a salary for working as a TA makes it justifiable; I would never pay out of pocket for it.

 

On the topic of teaching, I do teach beginning French courses every semester, so if you're interested, PM me and I'd be more than happy to help you or to be a French speaking partner, or whatever it is you'd like to do. I don't meet many French majors, so you've got me all happy and filled with the need to assist.

 

Je vous souhaite de la chance!

Edited December 27, 2014 by Soleil ت