<p>I’ve taken five years of French. However, I’m on the fence with having it as a minor and I definitely don’t want to let the skill go to waste. Would participating in the French club and/or the conversation group be enough to maintain or improve my ability to speak and read French?</p>
<p>I found this amazing site:
[Language</a> Exchange Online via Skype on the Mixxer](<a href=“http://www.language-exchanges.org/]Language”>http://www.language-exchanges.org/)</p>
<p>Basically, you meet people and talk to them over skype. You put in what language you speak and what language you are learning and then it lists people and gives a small bio of them. </p>
<p>I am using it to practice my Japanese and in turn teach a bit of English to the Japanese people. Maybe you could practice for an hour here and there every once in a while to keep your skills fresh. Have you thought of a study abroad in France?</p>
<p>Nice link, thank you!</p>
<p>Yes, I hope to study in France or Switzerland for a semester.</p>
<p>Staying in touch with a foreign language for long time can be painful.
If you force yourself to take french minor,you’ll hate the language later.</p>
<p>Joining a club or read something in french can be much more fun and flexible.</p>
<p>why do you say that you will hate the language if you minor in it?</p>
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<p>What?? That only makes sense if you’re bad at the language or dislike it to begin with.</p>
<p>I think that taking advantage of the foreign language classes at your university would only help you better your skills in the language. If you don’t like the language in the first place, I could understand. The OP seems to enjoy French though. For example, I was forced to take Spanish for 4 years (grades 7-10) and absolutely hated it. I never studied and received poor grades, and refused to speak it. I have been studying Japanese for a while now, and I love to read and speak as well as watch movies, listen to music etc… I plan on taking the available classes at my school next year to expand my knowledge. I don’t get a chance to converse as much as I want to, and I think being able to talk to the professor is a big asset.</p>
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At first,you may like it.But if you are forced to stay with it all the time,perhaps you will hate it later because of possible frustrating experience.
This is also my experience.</p>
<p>These days with the internet there is so much you can do to stay up with a language. You can stream audio, watch movies, read newspapers and magazines. You can download podcasts to your Ipod. As others have pointed out there are talk groups online. At college you could join the clubs you mentioned, earn some money as a tutor perhaps for beginning students, etc. You could even take notes for other classes in french. Look into semester abroad programs at your college; you don’t have to be a french major/minor to participate, and that will really boost your abilities.</p>
<p>Contrary to what others have said about staying with it, if you don’t keep practicing you’ll quickly lose what you have worked so hard to gain. It’s really “use it or lose it”. The key is regular practice; daily is best. Of course if you see yourself as being “forced” to do it then it will get old quickly, but if you enjoy french that doesn’t sound as if it’ll be a problem.</p>
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<p>You’re never forced to do anything that isn’t required. If you start a minor and get tired of the classes, then clearly you should not continue with the minor.</p>
<p>You could also simply take the classes at your university and never officially declare the minor. If you don’t put in the paperwork, then it doesn’t technically count as minoring in it. I don’t know what your strengths are, for instance can you read and write better than you speak it or vice versa? I’d say to attempt a few classes in your weakness to make yourself stronger. If you don’t like it than you could always just join the clubs or take the classes that appeal to your strengths in the language.</p>
<p>I’ve had the same dilemma, but I’ve been trying to take a French class each semester just to stay fresh until I go abroad. I’m also just beginning another, much more demanding language (Russian), so French is sort of falling by the wayside. I feel like the biggest problem is continuing to speak the language until I get that immersion experience, and I am wondering if anyone has advice on practicing. I’ve thought about joining our French group, but most of the members are rather snotty.</p>