Maud and the French Test

Last Thursday I had to take an entrance test for next semester's 100-level French course. The test was computerized, so we got our results immediately afterwards. Mine was 47%. The norm hadn't been announced yet, but 47% is generally nothing to write home about. It didn't seem very promising.

I have to admit I was never a huge fan of the language requirement at RA. Although I do understand the philosophy behind it, studying French in English when my mother tongue is Dutch seems somewhat cumbersome to me. Besides, I would rather fill my course slots with subjects within my major tracks than with a language I already tried and (evidently) failed to master in high school.

I was nonetheless slightly upset about probably-failing the entrance test. Just the previous day I had worked out a provisional long-term course planning for myself. It relied heavily on taking French 100 this fall. If I'd have to go through the zero-level first, my pretty schedule would get all messed up.

To improve my mood, I dragged my grumpy self to what might possibly be my favorite place in Middelburg – de Drukkerij, which is not only a beautiful bookstore but also sells the most amazing toasties in its café – and bought two books (three cheers for retail therapy). I spent the rest of the afternoon curled up in my flower-patterned armchair with A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, pointedly ignoring RA's existence for a while.

That evening after hallway dinner, one of my neighbors – who had taken the test as well and had gotten a similar result – came rushing into my apartment and yelled, "Maud! Maud! We made it into French 100!" Arm-flailing and hugging ensued. I checked my email and found out I'd just scraped through the test. I was so relieved.

Maybe it's because I was so certain I had failed but ended up passing anyway. Or maybe it's because I don't like leaving things unfinished. Maybe it's just because I like languages and secretly do not mind RA's language requirement after all. I don't know. What I do know, though, is that I am looking forward to studying French again. What's more, I'm determined to actually get the hang of it this time around. I say bring on fall 2011.

À la prochaine!

My name is Maud and I am a second-year student of Linguistics & Literary Studies. These are a few of my favorite things: books, sneakers, loud music, and coffee.