This 6-week summer course, which will fulfill the Columbia College or Barnard College Language Core requirement, is designed for non-native speakers who have taken 2 semesters of French or have placed out of Elementary French II (or equivalent). The objective of this class is to continue your study of the French language while taking full advantage of the immersive experience in Paris.
Program Overview
On this program, students will prepare for advanced French language and culture with an emphasis on developing highly accurate speaking, reading, and writing skills. Students will be asked to read a variety of French and Francophone primary texts – be they written, cinematic, theatrical, or plastic – however, the most important primary text with which students will be engaging on a daily basis is Paris and its diverse inhabitants.
This intensive six-week program will take place from Saturday, May 31st, 2025, to Saturday, July 12th, 2025. You will meet 14 hours per week, in addition to two 2-hour afternoon theater workshops. Classes are typically Monday to Thursday, while on Fridays activities are planned in conjunction with the courses to offer more cultural exposure to the city.
Eligibility and Application
Eligibility
- Currently enrolled undergraduate and graduate students in good academic and disciplinary standing
- Student must have taken 2 semesters of French or have placed out of Elementary French II (or equivalent)
- Minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA. Students must also maintain a 3.0 GPA during the semester before going abroad
- Minimum 3.0 average language GPA (if applicable)
How to apply
Want to apply? Click the “Start Your Application" button at the top of this page. If the button doesn't appear, the program is not yet accepting applications. You will be asked to set up a short profile, which will allow us to send you relevant information about your application. Once you’ve created a profile, you will see a checklist of items that you will need to submit. These generally include:
- Application item(s)
- Personal statement
- One (1) Letter of Recommendation
- This recommendation should attest to your language ability in French and be completed by your current or most recent French language instructor.
- Official transcript(s)
- Home School Approval/Clearance: If applying from another university, please check with your home university's study abroad office about applying for permission to attend the program and transfer the credit
- Application fee (if applying from another university)
Academics
Participants will take one 6-point course, Accelerated Intermediate French with Karen Santos Da Silva, to fulfill the Columbia College or Barnard College Language Core requirement.
Accelerated Intermediate French, 6 credits
Instructor Karen Santos Da Silva, Senior Lecturer of French at Barnard College
On this program, students will prepare for advanced French language and culture with an emphasis on developing highly accurate speaking, reading, and writing skills. While we will read a variety of French and Francophone primary texts, the most important primary text with which students will be engaging on a daily basis is Paris and its diverse inhabitants.
At the conclusion of this course, students will
be able to communicate with French native speakers and navigate living in Paris with ease
be able to confidently express simple concepts in written and spoken French, and begin to express abstract ideas in written and spoken French
be able to describe, narrate, and analyze their cultural experiences orally
have a better mastery of French pronunciation, and colloquial French
have a solid base of knowledge about French and Francophone culture
Note: The University reserves the right to withdraw or modify the courses of instruction or to change the instructors as may become necessary.
Grades and Transcripts
GRADING POLICY
Click here for the Columbia summer program grading policies.
TRANSCRIPTS
Upon successful completion of the program, grades are entered into Columbia's online grading system.
Credit is not granted to students who do not complete the full program.
All courses taken on the program are converted to an American grading scale and transmitted to students as follows:
- Columbia Students: Grades appear on SSOL and your transcript as semester grades from courses taken at Columbia. For more information, please see the section on Academic Credit in Steps to Study Abroad.
- Barnard Students: Grades appear on eBear and your transcript as any semester grades from courses taken at Barnard. For more information, please see the section on Credit and Transcripts for Barnard Students on our Barnard student pages.
- Non-Columbia Students: You can request electronic transcripts online through Columbia's Office of the University Registrar.
Life in Paris
Housing
You will live in a homestay with a francophone family and live like a true Parisian, off the beaten tourist path. Homestays are located throughout Paris and the nearby suburbs and are never more than a short train ride from Reid Hall.
You will have your own room and share common spaces with your host family and will share meals with them. Sharing meals in France is not only an excellent opportunity to practice your language skills but also the chance to partake in an essential part of French culture. Living with a host family is a great way to experience firsthand the daily rhythm of French life, learn about Paris from an insider's perspective, and be immersed in a French-speaking environment.
Daily Living and Schedule
Your commute to Reid Hall will be between 35 - 50 minutes, on average. Weekends are free, and students are encouraged to enjoy Paris on the weekends.
The program has many course-related activities, as well as a few social events, that will help students engage with the cultural life of Paris. Past activities have included theater workshops, pottery, crépe-making, wine tasting, and excursions around Paris. You will have adequate time to explore Paris on your own and to soak up the ambiance of the city Paris in the summer. In addition, the Columbia Global Center | Paris has many activities throughout the summer that are open to students in the program at no charge.
Location
The home base of Columbia University in Paris is the Columbia Global Centers | Paris at Reid Hall, where all of your classes will take place. Reid Hall is a small group of buildings owned and administered by Columbia. It also serves as an educational center for other American universities and for scholars from around the world. For more than a century, its long and distinguished past of intellectual, artistic, and cultural exchange has made it significant for the relationship between France and the United States.
Reid Hall, constructed in the early 18th century before the French Revolution, is located in the lively Montparnasse (6th arrondissement) district of Paris, near the Luxembourg Gardens and within walking distance of the Latin Quarter and several branches of the University of Paris. Modern additions have enlarged the facility, creating an interior courtyard and private garden. Reid Hall primarily houses administrative offices and classrooms and also has a small reference library, a reading room, lounges, a multimedia lab, and two large conference rooms. Students have access to WiFi in all common areas of Reid Hall.
People
Columbia Global Centers | Paris
The faculty and program are supported by the staff of the Columbia Undergraduate Programs in Paris and the Columbia Global Centers | Paris. You will be introduced to the Columbia Undergraduate Program staff during the orientation.
Faculty
Karen Santos Da Silva, Senior Lecturer of French at Barnard College
Professor Santos Da Silva received her BA in Comparative Literature at UC Berkeley and her Ph.D. in French Literature from New York University. Her research focuses on the rise of character interiority and proto-historical characteristics in the 17th-century novel and the accompanying emergence of character interiority as a new fictional space, with particular emphasis on the uses of the female body within these texts. She taught at Sarah Lawrence College for two years before joining the Department of French at Barnard College, where she has been teaching language literature classes since 2010, as well as a course on censorship in art, as part of Barnard's First Year Seminar requirement. She is currently working on a translation of Marie-Jeanne Riccoboni’s first epistolary novel. She has taught in the Columbia Summer in Paris program since 2016.
Financial Considerations
*Summer 2025 Tuition & Fees
Please see our cost breakdown for detailed information on additional estimated expenses.
*Tuition and fees are subject to the Board of Trustees' approval and may change.
Financial aid and scholarships
If you receive financial aid during the academic year, you may remain eligible for financial aid when you attend a summer Columbia-Led Program as long as you take a minimum of 6 points.
CC/SEAS: Contact the CC/SEAS Financial Aid & Educational Planning to understand if any of your federal financial aid may cover enrollment costs for a summer program. Please note the Columbia Grant is not available for summer studies.
General Studies: Contact the GS Office of Educational Financing to understand if any of your financial aid may cover participation in a summer program.
Other students should contact their home school financial aid offices.
For more general information and resources on financing your time abroad, please see the pages below:
GLOBAL LEARNING SCHOLARSHIP
The Center for Undergraduate Global Engagement (UGE) offers the Global Learning Scholarship (GLS) to support Columbia students so they may enhance their undergraduate education by participating in a summer global learning opportunity.
Eligibility:
You are eligible for the Global Learning Scholarships (GLS) if you are:
A Columbia College, Columbia Engineering, or General Studies student who demonstrates financial need
All other students are not eligible for the GLS
Application and Timeline:
Students apply for the Global Learning Scholarship (GLS) and the Columbia-Led summer program with two separate applications.
Scholarship applications are due: February 14th, 2025 (closes at 11:59 pm EST)
GLS applicants must also submit a completed program application by the program application deadline OR no later than the following: February 14th, 2025 (closes at 11:59 pm EST)
To apply to the Global Learning Scholarship, please click here.
OTHER SCHOLARSHIPS
For a list of other scholarships specific to study abroad, please visit the Scholarships for Study Abroad for more information. Of note are the:
Withdrawal Policy
To learn about the financial consequences of withdrawing from the program, please review the Summer Withdrawal and Refund Policy here.
Resources for Accepted Students
After being accepted to the program, we will share information and email communications regarding the next steps. We understand that there will be a lot of steps to complete, so please utilize the resources below to help you get started: