Semester Two Begins

Since the beginning of January we have been quite busy welcoming 48 new students to our Paris program and 8 to our Bordeaux program for the Spring 2016 semester.  The students are settling into their new homes with their host families, discovering their new cities, speaking only in French, and discovering what it means to be a student at a French university; classes have officially begun for most of our students, with the rest starting this coming week!

During orientation, aside from gathering all of the important and practical information, our students have also enjoyed visits, activites, meeting their respective godmothers and godfathers*, and a conference on current events in France (with dessert provided!).   In Paris, the students had the opportunity to visit the Louvre and go on a historic tour of Paris with Professor Julie Stevenson, as well as go on a “ice-breaker” scavenger hunt aimed at familiarizing them with the city and some of its transport systems.  The Bordeaux students will have the chance to go on a guided visit of The Grand Theatre of Bordeaux this Saturday the 23rd.  Both groups of students, Paris and Bordeaux, also have weekend trips coming up.  The Bordeaux students will be heading to the Dordogne region on the 6-7th of February.  The Paris students will be heading to the Bourgogne region on the 30-31st of January (posts about these trips to follow!).

We are very excited to have so many new students here and are looking forward to a great spring semester!

*As part of our program, we have at each partner university one or two French students who act as mentors, or godmothers and godfathers as we say in French, for our students. They help the students better orient themselves and integrate themselves on campus, and they also do activities and visits together.

 

Here are some photos of our Paris students committing to the Language Pledge! 

What is the Language Pledge? Why do we do it?

Here at The Middlebury School in France, our students commit to the Language Pledge and promise to speak only French during their time here.  Our program proudly requires this commitment because throughout our 70 years of experience, we have witnessed  the efficiency and effectiveness of total immersion. Our students make measurable and marked progress in their French language skills, and in this way, stand out from other foreign students.  ​

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And some photos, taken by the students,  from the scavenger hunt!