McGill says bienvenue to francophone students

University celebrates fifth year of reaching out to French scholars

Thousands of new francophone students enter McGill each fall with one goal in mind: to obtain a great education while perfecting their English. Indeed, 25 percent of McGill's downtown student body lists French as their mother tongue, while a whopping 60 percent at the Macdonald campus are francophone.

To ensure francophone students thrive at McGill, the University created a unique service to make their transition to English academia seamless. For the last five years, the University has provided a special assistant through the First-Year Office to tend to the special needs of French speakers studying in English for the first time. McGill was the first university in Canada to provide such a service, which was recently mirrored by the Université de Montreal for its English student body.

The First-Year Francophone Assistant is a key figure at McGill's First-Year Office. Wendy Brett greets and guides francophone students to perform well in a second language. And Brett understands first-hand some of their fears and concerns because she has walked in unfamiliar shoes herself. The Vancouver native studied French literature at the University of British Columbia, and was thrown into another culture when she later studied at Université Laval. The experience of learning in a second language, says Brett, can be challenging.

"Having to navigate through a new environment in a foreign language compounds the pressure of entering a new school, meeting new people and dealing with an increased workload," she says. "McGill University recognizes the importance of providing students with the skills they need to succeed and study in a second language."

To help their transition, the services McGill offers francophones include:

• The option to write major papers and exams in French.
• A series of English courses and workshops in writing, reading and study skills.
• A buddy program, where senior students are paired with incoming students and provide answers to questions about everything from campus layout to helping choose courses.
• "Welcome Day" on both campuses organized by the First-Year Office in August.

McGill's French community is supplemented through:

• the Réseau de Francos, a network of French-speaking students and students interested in French culture;
• a French student newspaper called Le Délit français;
• La Grenouille, McGill's French amateur acting troupe.

"Francophone students cite many reasons to study at McGill," says Brett. "They are attracted to McGill's international reputation, yet the desire to perfect their English can be a critical reason."

Media wishing to interview francophone students or the First-Year Assistant for Francophones should contact Rita Kotzia at 514-398-6751.