Français Immersion in Sherbrooke, Quebec

École d'été de Français

I'm starting the "Explore" program at Sherbrooke University through the École d'été de français. It's a five-week intensive French immersion program offered by the Centre de langues of the Université de Sherbrooke in Québec, Canada, in which students have "30 hours of formal instruction and about 10 hours of sociocultural and recreational activities per week (not counting weekend activities!)" The coolest part about it is that all university students in Canada can apply for the Explore program (which is a government program offered all throughout Canada not limited to Sherbrooke), and are eligible to receive a $2,000 bursary to cover all the tuition costs, residence costs, extracurriculars, and even food costs. I chose Sherbrooke as my top choice because the dates of the program were good and because it's close to my house in Vermont.

Bang for my Buck: The 5 week Explore course counts as a full year class of credit or the equivalent of two one semester classes... which makes it an insanely cheap way of going to school. Basically what I'm saying is that instead of paying the $600 or $700 I normally pay for a one semester class, I'm paying nothing for a class worth two semesters (worth $1400 at least in Ontario), and I'm getting it done in a month, and I'm getting one meal per day included at the cafeteria, $300 in gift cards dropped from the heavens for the rest of my meals, and I don't have to pay for housing either. Like HELLO it should be advertised more. 

Mini-Nerves, like the first day of Uni: I know it's silly, but there is something nerve-racking about showing up to a dorm with a pillow and a fan in the summer when the whole sign-up process is uncannily familiar to your first move-in experience to Res. I think it'll be a good experience, and I know I'll have a good time in the end, but starting these things is always kind of awkward until everyone gets in the swing of things.

Since I'm counting the credit towards my degree that means I have to do well in the course. Everything starts officially on Tuesday so we'll see which class I end up in based on the pre-test I already took and the fine-tuning that will go on tomorrow. ​