Help! My 14 y.o. freshman wants to attend summer school in Paris.
 

My daughter has been to Paris 3 times, loves high fashion, and wishes to attend summer school in Paris. This would be for summer 2007 and I think it would be great.

Anyone had experience sending a teenager (15 in July) to France for a true educational experience?

My idea of summer school is 3 hours of class in the morning, lunch and some activity in the afternoon. In the evening there would be a little homework. She does not care for the idea of living with a family. Maybe 3-4 weeks total.

She found a program called "Summer Study Programs" out of Melville, N.Y. Anyone know anything about it?

I have seen teenagers go off to Europe for these programs and they had an outstanding "social" experience. Little language learning took place. I think a school in a city other than Paris would be a better immersion experience.

Thanks in advance.

==Mke

I would be extremely hesitant to send a 15 year old to Paris (or anywhere in Europe) basically on her own. I would be concerned that she "does not care for the idea of living with a family." Who was she thinking of living with? Granted, I don't know her or you, but I am wondering if she mainly is trying to get out of any supervision for 3-4 weeks. I would tell her to put it on hold for about 3 more years minimum. Or to go with a group with chaperones whom you know and trust. JMHO

My daughter went to France for a year when she was 15 (turned 16 there). But she lived with a family. Later she went to Paris for a semester and lived in a dorm. She was in college then though. I would probably be willing to consider if if there was some kind of supervised living situation. A family, as awkward as it might be at the beginning, is the best thing for foreign immersion.

I have to agree - I wouldn't send a 15-year-old off to Paris on her own for three weeks. Maybe one or more relatives could bear the burden of accompanying her, perhaps in a tag team sort of way, if she is really interested in this program?

I think sending a child who doesn't want to live with a family to live with a family is not a good idea. The receiving family will be put in a terrible position of trying to control her.

I think when your daughter is old enough to have a better sense of her own limitations she'll be ready to go to Paris or anywhere on her own.

Perhaps you can take the same money and introduce her to some other cities by going together.

Both Milano and Antwerpen are fashion capitals. How about a trip to Belgium, with a few days in Paris? Let her show you around the Paris she thinks she knows and wants to live in. Let her make all the arrangements, carry the money, etc and see how well she does.

I think I'd be hesitate, too, about a 14 year old going alone. Is there a program through her own school, with classmates who also would go along? Or could she do the Summer Study program with a couple of friends? The buddy system is always a good way to go with teens, I think. Maybe she could talk some friends into going, too.
:)>-

Hi M,

If you think that sending a 15-yr old to France on her own is a good idea, do it.

However, I don't think that you are going to find many folks who agree with you.

Usually, the kids stay with a family.

((I))

I'm all for a young person broadening her experience and education by attending school anywhere outside her own country (even her own city!)... BUT I would be extrememly cautious about sending my child to Paris at such a young age, especially since she seems to be dictating exactly how she would deem to go. Just because she wants to doesn't mean she should.

I agree with you that if she is looking for a true "immersion" experience then a city other than Paris might be better. But it's not clear from your post what exactly your daughter wants to get out of this - is the plan to better her French? Have a more in-depth experience with French culture than on her previous visits? Or live some sort of (imagined) high-fashion existence in Paris?

At that age she really should be with a family who has experience with foreign students. I understand that she might feel reluctant to stay in someone's home but that's the only way I'd allow her to go - until she's a senior or (better yet) in college.

Has she spent a length of time unsupervised at home at her age? What makes you think being so far from home, basically unsupervised, would be a good idea for a child?

nessundorma's idea is a good one - let her plan a trip there, booking and planning everything on her own, so that she can experience some sense of control/autonomy... but then she'd have Mom along as a back-up when she wants to revert to being a child (and she likely will).

My daughter went with a group called Oxbridge when she was 1 year older, but there were some kids who'd just finished freshman year, and it was fantastic. They live in a boarding school by the luxembourg gardens (we didn't want a family either).They have class 5 mornings and 3 afternoons/week, Thursday there's an excursion, they get breakfast and dinner and they're on there own for lunch and sundays. There are optional group activities organized for sundays and free time, and everyone must be in by 11. We thought it was very well supervised, my daughter wanted to work on her French but there's a range of classes, some of the kids don't speak french at all. For her and us it was the perfect mix of supervision and autonomy, althought she was a year older, but I couldn't recommend it more highly.

If your 14 y/o daughter wants to go to summer school in Paris and you are the one footing the bill, then you ought to be the one picking the school and the living conditions. So the question is not what does your daughter or we think, but what do YOU think? What would make YOU feel comfortable?

For what I know students younger than 18 y/o at this overseas summer schools programs stay either in a school residence staffed 24/7 or they stayed with families. So, am I correct assuming your daughter's choice is to stay in the school's residence?

Again, I think it's great, but you ought to be the one in the driver's seat, not the other way around.....

Have you checked what she has found? Google gives me a number of hits and, to be blunt about it, I am not very impressed with what I see. It looks to me like a lot of money for something of modest value.

I would not hesitate if faced with such a proposition: I would say no, find something better.

Who would rent an apartment to a 15 year old?!

Discuss the issue of staying with a family with her further. It is more of an immersion experience than staying with a group of English speaking teens and can result in lifetime friendships and future exchange visits.

We've hosted a couple of French students (once in the UK and here in the US). We were 'well matched' both times and usually the questionaires used are extensive. Living with a family gives the visitor a cultural experience of the country as well as the language immersion and there are so many benefits for all involved.
Note also that teenagers that are unhappy can usually be moved during their stay if there is a problem.

Thank you all for the many replies.

Forgive me for not explaining that the program she wishes to attend is called the "Summer Study Program".

She would not be unsupervised but rather with this program.

My problem with the program is that it does not appear academic enough. The information from them keeps stressing no pressure and great experiences.

Thank you all again. I would not send her unescorted.

==Mike

Go with her to Lyon, rent an apartment and enroll her in a french language program. Cheaper, more fun and cheaper for you.

I have never heard of that program and I tend to read a lot about those type of things. It sounds like just a clearinghouse which puts students in regular programs abroad -- and takes a markup on the price, of course. There is nothing inherently wrong with that (AIFS is similar), but I couldn't find out much relevant information from their website (www.summerstudy.com) as to where this program actually takes place and where the accommodations are. It sounds like an expensive thing to do for a child, but if the money is not relevant to you, I guess that doesn't matter.

I can't figure out what it is but the stuff I saw implied it was classes at the Sorbonne. No mention on the accommodations. If find this curious as I attended the Sorbonne summer sessions ande they do not allow children of that age in them. In fact, most legitimate study programs like that do not allow children under the age of 18 for many reasons. In the classes I was in, there were college students, and in the higher level people of all ages. There were some exceptions where they allowed 17-year olds who were particularly advanced in French. However, I never saw a single child in those programs or in the dorms of age 14-15.

Where exactly are the accommodations, because if it is just sending a child to the Sorbonne program (maybe they've changed and have some classes fo kids that young, I don't know) -- there is not really much supervision at all, regardless of what they say. The dorms are just like a college dorm, no one really supervises anyone, and there is no "escort".

As for not academic enough -- no one forces anyone to learn anything, of course. A student could never go to class and not do well at anything, if that was that desire. So of course there is no pressure, how can there be pressure to force someone to learn anything.

Maybe if you explained in more detail where this program takes place, where the classes are and what the living accommodations are (as what I found could be totally wrong), maybe people can comment better.

I wouldn't send any child on an expensive trip to Paris because she loves high fashion. What's that got to do with the program, anyway?

As for your idea of the schedule -- I guess that's about right, but how much time you spend on homework is up to you and how much you want to learn French. The Sorbonne program doesn't have any scheduled activites outside the classes, and they aren't necessarily organized to make a neat schedule like that. For example, I had intensive standard language (grammar, etc.) classes all morning, and then had electives or phonetique or conversation classes a few afternoons a week. They don't provide any lunch for you, it's just like any university -- you have scheduled classes and go to them, and the rest of the time, you are on your own. Some programs that tie in to the Sorbonne (eg, AIFS and many others) may have their own activity options, of course.

I looked at the website, curious because our daughter went to Georgetown one summer for the Junior Stateman program. Pro-rated per week, it cost about the same. It was a lot of work, though, she actually passed out at a restaurant on an afternoon out from lack of sleep. She took two courses, one of which required a 15 page term paper and the other an oral presentation. They had debate practice, as well as days out in DC to meet politicians, hear lectures, etc. She lived in the GT dorm with fairly minimal supervision, and she'd just completed her sophomore year of h.s. She looks back on it as one of the best summers of her life, although she got no sleep and said the food was horrible. The dorm was a perfect rat trap--nasty! But she did meet Colin Powell and Antonin Scalia, among many others. But we would have preferred less academic pressure in the summer.

I guess you just weigh the benefits against possible problems. I'm not sure I would send a 14-year-old, but don't think the cost is at all out of line--it's standard for that type of summer experience.

We do not yet have personal experience of the Oxbridge program that eleanorw mentions, but I can say the the admissions officers at some of the boarding schools to which my daughter is applying recommend it as an excellent summer program. The website is www.oxbridgeprograms.com.

I has a closer look at their website and wold be very reluctant to send a 14 yo there.
I too was sure that Sorbonne catered to university or university-like (adults) students only and dug a bit in the site, they vaguely mention the Sorbonne on the front page but later only say they are linked with the he "American Business School Of Paris" (a private school), that's not the same category.
And this school's campus is between Louis Blanc and Gare de l'Est, not a very brilliant place at night (and the website puts a HUGE emphasize on night life, even before mentionning the teachers, hmm...)

I live in Paris, and I'm not sure I'd recommend Paris as a summer school destination. There are no Parisiens here in the summer :) - It's all tourists.

Have a look at websites for SOUFFLE and FLE, language school quality associations. Go to http://www.souffle.asso.fr/ and http://www.fle.fr/

You might try looking for a residential school (e.g. in a chateau) in the countryside, but with reasonably good access to Paris or other large cities. That might provide a better learning environment and facilitate supervision.

You also might try doing some research on UK websites for French programmes. I've met British high school students in France and Spain who are taking immersion programmes in the lead-up to their GCSE and A Level exams. You might be able to find some recommendations for academically worthwhile programmes.

Languages Abroad and Cactus Languages might also be good sources of information.