Three Reasons You Should Major in French
Choosing a college major is not a decision that you should make lightly. Deciding to dedicate four years of study to a subject that will more than likely influence your career path can be intimidating, and it seems that everyone has a different opinion on which majors to choose and which ones to avoid.
Jalen and I began college in 2015 with a vague idea of what we wanted to study, but with advice coming from all angles, it was hard to know which major was the right one for us. Ultimately, we chose to double major in French and International Affairs – and we are happy that we did! Only you can decide what major is best for you, but if you want to learn about what it’s like to be a French major, read on.
What do French majors study?
Studies in French vary from school to school, so it’s best to check out the French major at the institution you would like to attend to get more information about specific coursework. As a general rule, however, French majors study French and Francophone history, culture, and literature, thereby gaining skills in reading, writing, and speaking in French.
At the University of Mary Washington, our alma mater, our French major required 36 credits and included classes like French Composition, French Phonetics, French Literature, French Translation, and upper-level electives. Some of the electives offered during our time as undergraduate students included Women & Gender in Society, Business French, French Cinema, and Representations of Good and Evil. We also took a Senior Seminar class that culminated in the presentation of a thesis. Throughout our four years, we completed assignments ranging from routine online quizzes, to 25-page papers, to mock job interviews. We read many novels, analyzed short stories, dissected works of poetry, and watched plenty of videos and movies.
Our classes were both engaging and challenging, covering a wide breadth of topics that gave us the skills to understand nuanced subjects.
Why should you major in French?
Improve Your French Skills
To begin, reading, writing, and speaking intensively in a college classroom setting will improve your language skills ten-fold. Though Jalen and I both came into college with a good command of the language, we left with the ability to pass the DALF C2 – the highest achievable credential for French as a foreign language. If you work hard inside and outside of the classroom, you may finish your bachelor’s degree completely bilingual. Depending on your program, you may also gain expertise into certain specialized topics, like translation, stylistics, or cinema.
Post-College Opportunities
Majoring in French also opens the door to many exciting job opportunities. For example, the Teaching Assistant Program in France (TAPIF) gives native English speakers the chance to live in France and teach English to French students for an academic year, and specifically encourages French majors and minors to apply. Moreover, long-term careers available to French majors include professions in fields such as Translation, Diplomacy, Interpretation, Finance, Business, and more! Majoring in French and becoming proficient in the language will certainly aid you in setting your resume apart and in securing employment.
Customizable Studies
Furthermore, pairing a French major with another major or minor in disciplines such as Economics, Education, History, International Affairs, Political Science, Linguistics, or Business makes perfect sense. You’ll enjoy finding connections between your multiple fields of study all while making yourself even more marketable. In our ever-globalizing society, bilingual employees are in high demand, meaning that French majors have the opportunity to earn a living with interesting, fulfilling careers all over the world.
If you’re considering a modern language major, we hope sharing a glimpse our experience gave you some insight into what it’s really like. We absolutely encourage all interested students to consider majoring in French. If you have any questions or want to know more, let us know!
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