If anyone know about any competitions, awards, tests, EC’s etc related to French, please post them here. My cousin’s son is insisting that a tour to France is necessary to boost Frnch on college application and she doesn’t want to spend thousands of dollars on that.
My daughter spent five months in Spain as a high school sophomore. She didn’t do it to boost her college chances, though. She went because she wanted to become more fluent in Spanish. She did do well on the IB Spanish exam, and will be able to place out of some classes in college. She’s also gone to Peru twice to work in an orphanage, and her Spanish speaking came in very handy.
It’s up to each family to decide if the money is worth it. Personally, I don’t think it is just to look better on college applications. Too many kids have studied abroad for that to help much.
This is ridiculous! He sounds like a spoiled kid who wants a trip to France.
What about a trip to Montreal and Quebec city? Cheaper, and he probably can take a summer classes.
It’s true you can’t really get past certain threshold levels if you don’t live in the country where the language is spoken but it doesn’t sound like that’s what your cousin’s son is talking about.
For college admissions to notice, he’d have to spend a semester if not a full year abroad (through Rotary, yfu, nacel…)
My daughter went through CIEE. Not cheap, but an excellent organization. We were really impressed with them.
His mom understands value of immersion for a language but doesn’t see value of spending a big chunk on French while money can get buy ACT/SAT prep or tuition for first semester of their public university.
Back to my original question, what are recommended tests, awards, competitions, EC’s that help learning or are impressive for admissions.
There is an SAT French exam and an AP French Language Exam. The American Association of Teachers of French (AATF) sponsors a test each year called, “Le Grand Concours.” If his school doesn’t participate in Le Grand Concours, he can contact them to take it “Hors Concours” : www.frenchteachers.org
Seconding Quebec as a cheaper alternative.
Also, there are other ways to boost French without traveling. Translation is a great way to deepen learning. Buy him a few books of poetry in the original French, high quality French-French and French-English dictionaries, and turn him loose. “I wrote my own verse translation of Rimbaud’s complete poetic oeuvre” would look just fine on an application.
[Back to my original question, what are recommended tests, awards, competitions, EC’s that help learning or are impressive for admissions.]
Part of your OP involved your cousin’s mother not wanting to spend thousands of dollars on a trip to France, and you got responses affirming that position.
Let me rephrase. Kindly respond to first part of my post.
In terms of college admissions, little will be as powerful as winning the Rotary scholarship for a year abroad, followed by a year abroad in a regular school (whether lycee or cegep) then a high school semester abroad. Those are real differentiators.
A high sat 2 score will be seen favorably (expected/rewarded scores would range from 590 at UC 's to 740 at elite schools).
Alliance francaise classes with an external exam and certificate could be used.
Summer study in Quebec, especially at a respectable institute such as UQAM, UdeM, Laval would also show dedication and consistency.
Personal involvement and leadership with the subject would also show consistency : French club leadership, pen pals, charity trip to a francophone country such as Haiti, community involvement with French speaking immigrants…
All of the above + summer study in Quebec would certainly be seen favorably by top college admissions as well as honors colleges.
And of course indicating an interest in a French minor would also be a positive (since most Americans tend to pick Spanish as their ‘default pick for foreign language’ and Spanish classes tend to be oversubscribed.)