Intex

Any ideas for a school/university in Paris for two teenage high school graduates, that want to take a year off before college to learn french/absorb the culture, and maybe earn some college credits?
I have heard of many girls staying a year with a "madame" (pensione!) and studying somewhere?? Any advice apprecaited.

ira

Hi I,

Just about any courses that they take at a French college or university will count for credit, if only electives, at a US school.

How much research have they done on getting into a school in Paris?

How well do they speak French?

Have they looked into US schools that they could enter and go to school in Paris under a Study Abroad program?

Intex

They are just beginning research- thats basically what I am looking for. The college study abroad program wont fly, as you first have to get accepted, then most college study abroad begin in the sophmore year. They are leaving next July?aug for Paris.

Eric_S

how about the American University of Paris?

Kate_W

A few suggestions:

In addition to researching US-originated options, have a look at some of the resources made available for UK students considering "gap years". There is a very well-developed culture of UK gap years, and they might find some interesting ideas and programs.

Don't send them to Alliance Francaise in Paris to learn French. Classes generally are too large and not very motivating.

Ideally, they would plan a program that involved learning the language, learning something about the French system - and then going and doing something useful, where they can use their language schools, for part of the year they're abroad. For example, why not study for 4-6 months, find a 2-3 month volunteer placement in a Francophone developing country that needs help, and then go back to France for more French and perhaps some well-deserved R&R. Of course, there might be some volunteer work in which they could participate in France - e.g. maybe there are opportunities to work with kids and teach English, or computers, or sports, in the banlieues of Paris or another large city. They might find the experience more rewarding - and it would help their cvs.

Kate_W

I forgot to add that www.souffle.fr is a good source for locating French language schools. And the Sorbonne offers a language and civilisation course that might be one of your better bets for a serious language/culture educational experience.

ira

Hi I,

They ought to spend some time with the French consulate or Embassy regarding the need for visas.

Have they looked at airfare? Cheap RT tickets are usually good for only a couple of months.

kerouac

The last place I would recommend would be the American University of Paris.

Christina

I don't think the Alliance Francaise would be regular college credits, anyway. Never heard of the "madame" thing, that sounds dicey to me (you know what it sounds like -- seen Gigi?).

I've been to two universities in Paris, although only for summer French language programs. The l'Institut Catholique and Sorbonne. Anybody can apply, I just did on my own. However, I think both do have ways for a foreign student to apply for an entire year, although I'm not sure. I was a higher-level French so did attend some professional translation and history/sociology classes in French, but that wouldn't be possible for a beginner who can't take anything but French, of course. Both those universities would have credits that would transfer, but they will only be in French language if they are beginners. Both these universities have residence halls (cheap), so housing wouldn't be difficult for them.

I think the AUP isn't a bad idea if they want some credits to transfer other than French. It is expensive from what I've seen, but if that's not an issue, it could work.

The website of French language schools that I know of is www.fle.fr which is used by professionals and teachers, I think, but if you want Paris and university, I think the two I named plus AUP are about the only choices. I'm not positive about that (the College de France has courses, but it's for people who know French, not for teaching French to beginners). HEres are the URLs for the Sorbonne program for foreigns and the Institut Catholique (which I highly recommend and preferred to the Sorbonne in some ways--they had nicer foyers or accommodations, also).

http://www.ccfs-sorbonne.fr/index.php

http://www.icp.fr/icp/etudiants_etrangers_uk.php

kerouac

Never forget to check out www.eduparis.net

Intex

Thank you for the replys, I will start with this. The term I was looking for was in fact "foyer", the Spanish call them "madame", after the ladies who usually run the foyer.If anyone has had experience sending a child to one, please let me know.

Christina

A foyer is just a rooming house or residence hall. It isn't necessarily run by a woman. There are lots of them in Paris, some affiliated with schools and some not. They called the one I stayed at in Paris a foyer, but it was only for students at the school and the school placed you there (and it was run by nuns). I know the foyer association which has a listing and many are Catholic and run by nuns, but some are not religious, although they generally have rules that you must be a student or at least an official govt intern. But they don't do anything about getting you into school or arranging that.

Some others just advertise in the paper and are really just rooming houses. I knew someone who stayed in that because it was cheap, but she didn't like the guy who was running it. There is no rule that only women can run these. At the Institut Catholique, when I was there around 1992, they were segregated by sex (and I think still are mostly), and the males went to ones run by priests or brothers, and the females to ones run by nuns. It was really like a school dormitory and much larger than some of the private ones which are just rooming houses.

But that's just accommodations, you need to get admitted to a school (or a French internship) and a program set up first before you need to worry about where to stay. The foyers don't do that for you. At least, if there is such a system, I have never heard of it, maybe someone else does.

norween

If she is VERY motivated she may try the last highschool year (terminale) in a Lycee international like Saint Germai en Laye or Sevres.
The end diploma - bacalaureat - has a value.

I wrote 'very motivated' since a large part of the classes will be in french (some in english)and she will have to keep with the general level.

One point to consider is that the french system is 'tailored' in a different way than the US one.
The terminale, while done in a highschool, is roughly the equivalent of the freshman year; after the bacalaureat, you enter university with your major already chosen.

And i confirm what Christina wrote above: a foyer is just a rooming place, with or without eating facilities.

Eric_S

Really, the American University of Paris would be an excellent choice for someone who wants to study one year and earn credits. They also have a French studies program and a Summer program.

A Paris public university would be challenging, not only because of the language but also because French high school students are in average much better prepared.

BTilke

I did the Sorbonne program and really enjoyed it. I believe that it offers transferable college credits (at least it did when I was there), but as I had already graduated, I didn't need them and didn't follow up on the process.

I had friends who went to the Alliance Francaise program (they couldn't cut the demands of the Sorbonne program) and they didn't seem to learn much. My own experience with the AF in Philadelphia is that they go at the pace of the slowest student, so if somebody in your class is lazy or just can't handle the work, the whole class drags along.

When I was a student at the Sorbonne, I stayed at a wonderful foyer directly across the street from the Luxembourg Gardens. But decent quality, cheap housing in such a prime location doesn't last and sure enough, while in Paris last month, I noticed the building in the process of being gutted and turned into something much more upscale and expensive (apartments, I think).

The Institut Catholique program also looks good.

travelbunny

..I really would suggest checking UK web sites for "gap experience". You still have not commented on your child's language background. IMO if someone has a foundation (at least 2 years of well taught HS French), the "immersion' will be much more valuable. The Inst. Catholique is a good course (a friend of the family took it). Two friends of the family spent almost a year working as an au pair but both were excellent babysitters and one taught riding. The jobs were arranged again through my family. I am not sure whether there were any formal work visas either (but again this was quite informal). They both had a great time, improved there french and became part of a family. There are some jobs advertized for au pairs. I saw one recently looking for someone who could ski well as they had a chalet and spent a lot of time in the Alps. I think I saw it on a UK web site advertizing ski related jobs. Au pair jobs can be great (or not so great) depending on the family. They cost nothing but the salary isn't much more than spending money after the trip is paid for. By the way, you can often find long flights through YH or student charters. Otherwise you buy the cheapest RT and just throw away half ...

sfarah

I also attended the Sorbonne via the aforementioned program in 1990/91. I would highly recommend it. I still refer to the text books every now and then. I'll never forget one of the lecture series on French history which took place at the Sorbonne proper in the historic Salle Decartes. I was thrilled to sit there and listen as I imagined all the students who had done the same over hundreds of years before me. The acutal French language courses however were given in satellite locations around Paris but perhaps that has changed since I attended.

BTilke

That's interesting because almost all of my classes were given in the main Sorbonne buildings and the only thing I attended "off campus" was the AV language lab (this was in the 1980s).

Girlspytravel

My suggestion would be, since they are NOT at university yet, that they go to a French language school for foreigners in Paris FIRST, which courses are geared to introduce the beginnner to both the French language AND the culture by planning a plethora of cultural activities for the students, holding language classes in the morning, culture classes in the afternoon, on arts, cinema, etc. Plus, on weekends, the schools always have group trips to various other cities in France or parties, go visiting museums and sites with a French teacher-the best of these schools give the beginner language student a real grounding in the language and culture.

I don't know about entrance requirements to the Sorbonne program, but I do know that it will be a straight language class, which is not the experience I think you're looking for for your children. The university programs would be better, IMO, if the kids were already college students, needing the language credits to count towards their college education. But they aren't there yet, so I'm not sure that would be their best option.

I can highly recommend the Eurocentre Institute in Paris-on the Rue Dauphine, where it is possible to spend a month in their Paris school, and then transfer to one of their other institutes in La Rochelle, or Amboise, I believe. The school arranges all their accomodation as well, a total package, which you price on their website.

There they do get all that I described above and more-they meet a very international student base, most of whom are going to be in their age group, either just graduated from high school or in college, but also, older students who want to learn the language for personal or business reasons-a really good mix of people, which can lead to lifetime friendships and great cultural experiences. This is a really nice school, quite rigorous language instruction, in the heart of the Latin Quarter.

http://www.eurocentres.com/en/langua...,24,x48,2.html

BTilke

I don't know which course you attended at the Sorbonne, but the one I went to was most definitely NOT about language and language alone. It was also about culture, history, civilisation, current events, etc.