Your Child Got Into a French High School. The Real Race Begins Now.

We know that students who get into a French high school tend to fall into a state of complacency after finishing the LGS exam. However, French high schools do not really allow for this.

Although every school's system is different, some French schools focus more on vocabulary, reading, writing, and listening skills, while others may heavily emphasize speaking and diction. However, their primary goal is always to bring the student to a level of French where they can comfortably follow other subjects in the upcoming grades.

The student might fall into the trap of thinking, "I'm going to be studying in the prep class anyway." However, French is a language that can be quite difficult to learn, especially in the early stages. If a proper study routine is not established early on, things can easily get out of hand.

One of the most common mistakes is taking the process a bit too lightly, assuming that the prep class will not be included in the grade point average (GPA). However, even if the prep GPA is not taken into account for all applications abroad, the better the student completes that year and builds their French foundation to at least a B1 level, the stronger they will start the 9th grade.

Actually, the real race begins with how well you learn French during the prep year. Because afterward, in French schools, STEM subjects like physics, chemistry, math, and biology are also taught in French, which directly affects the GPA. And nowadays, no matter what certificate is obtained, one of the first criteria schools abroad look at is always the student's GPA.

The first thing a prep student should do is exchange accurate information and ideas under the guidance of an older mentor (a senior student) who has been down this path before. After that, they must absolutely be exposed to French in some way every day. We are not saying "read a book for hours every day." But even changing their phone's language to French, watching series with French subtitles, or setting the language of their video games to French will contribute greatly to the learning process.

Remember, the prep class is not just a language learning year; it is also the most important period where the foundation of the student's upcoming four years of academic life is laid. The stronger you lay this foundation, the more comfortably and confidently you will progress in the following years.