Study French in France

Program Dates & Prices

See a summary of Dates & Prices for all programs

About the School

Salève Adventist University (Campus Adventiste du Salève) is about five miles from Geneva across the Swiss-French border. The campus itself is part way up Le Salève, the top of which is about 4,000 feet high. This mountain with its restaurants and breathtaking view of the Rhone valley or Mount Blanc attracts many from nearby Geneva. From the campus, the city of Geneva and the Léman make a picturesque view.Classroom and residence hall facilities are all modern in design and in a good state of repair. Generally two students to a room is the norm in residence halls. Each dorm room has a telephone for intercampus and external calls. Shower and restroom facilities are located on each floor of the residence hall.In any school year about 40% of the students are enrolled in college level courses in theology and French language and culture. Another 40% of the students are enrolled in courses in the Lycee which has course work equivalent to secondary and junior college level in North America. The remaining 20% of the students attend the elementary school. Approximately three hundred to three hundred and fifty students attend classes. About 45% of them are college-aged by North American standards. A number of them are married theology students. College and secondary school classes are taught in separate buildings, but both college and secondary students live in residence hall facilities and eat together in the cafeteria. Some elementary school children also eat lunch in the cafeteria.

Campus Life

A small bookstore on campus provides students with necessary books and stationery and it has a section of organic and gluten-free products. Village grocery stores and bakeries are about a one-mile walk down the hill from the school. Shops in town and in Geneva provide wide selection of goods.

The weekly service for bed linens has a one-week turn around time. Personal clothing may be done by hand or by using free washers and dryers in residence halls.

Classroom and residence hall facilities are all modern in design and in a good state of repair. Generally, two students to a room is the norm in residence halls.  Each dorm room has a telephone for intercampus and external calls.  Shower and restroom facilities are located on each floor of the residence hall.

An extensive intramural sports program and several youth-oriented spiritual activities operate all school year. Active students can organize and actively participate in numerous spiritual and social activities. Students can go with the staff in personal cars or school vans to concerts or theaters in Geneva or Annemasse at low-cost entrance fees.

Location/Directions

Students who know the time (day and hour) of their arrival can e-mail the information to the school two weeks in advance. A Notice of Arrival Form is available online and it should be completed at least one week in advance if transportation from the airport is needed. A school official with ILFE (Institut de Langue Française) with your name on a sign will be waiting at the airport lobby (right after the customs area). Students should wait where they are until the school van arrives to pick the up. In either case there is no charge for transportation on your first arrival or for your final departure.

Communication

Remember, the time difference is six (6) hours later than the Eastern Time Zone in North America. During the days of arrival, an operator is on duty up to midnight to answer calls. In the regular school time the phone is switched to an answering machine after 10 p.m. Emergency numbers are given. No message can be left. It is strongly recommended not to arrive after midnight.

The telephone service is excellent. Students may call out or receive incoming calls directly in their rooms. A computer-regulated prepaid service is connected with the telephone system. Prepaid accounts must be obtained in advance at the cashier’s office.

Internships

FREN 397: INTERNSHIP -1qh – 7.5 hours per week (75 hours total per quarter)

• Primary school and kindergarten- Teacher’s assistant
• Nursing home- Entertainment manager’s assistant
• ADRA- Assist in distributing food and clothing, receiving products at the local church and at the supermarket, and some janitorial duties.
• Adventist clinic- Aiding the restaurant, the reception office, or the cardio rehab department
• IFLE marketing and communication department : Maintaining the Facebook page, picture and video taking, and editing for the French institute (IFLE).
• Infant care : Care taker’s assistant

Academic Organization

ACA students attending Campus adventiste du Salève will be enrolled in the Institut de Langue Française (Institute of French Language) – I.fle. As a part of the registration procedure, ACA students will be given a French Language Proficiency Placement Examination before registration in the Summer and Autumn terms that will determine placement in the most appropriate French courses.

The IFLE Bulletin, with more detailed academic organization, will be handed out to students at registration time.  All IFLE courses and all final external examinations are designed to match the Common European Frame of Reference for languages (CEFR), set by the Council of Europe.  See this link.

T.E.F. For all Division and Levels Independently from the placement test, all the students are required to sit, at no extra charge, for the TEF (Test d’Evaluation du Francais) which is standardized evaluation of the student proficiency in French. A session is organized at the beginning and at the end of each Academic year at specified dates. The TEF is supervised by the Chamber of Industry and Business of Paris and has international recognition.I.fle is an examination centre for the TEF (see this link). The latest TEF results are handed out to each student at the closing ceremony.

All students must participate in the outings designated as cultural tours. These tours are an integral part of the instructional program. Record will be taken. Specific assignments and instruction will be given to those who choose these tours as elective for credits.

Certificates & Diplomas

The Institute prepares the students for DELF (Diplome d’Etudes en Langue Francaise) and DALF (Diplome Approfondi de Langue Francaise) which are official qualifications awarded by the French Ministry of Education to certify the competency of candidates from outside France in the French language.

There are two levels of DALF:  Level C1 & C2.  The latest is considered as the level of a French speaking university student.  I.fle prepares students to the level C1.  Only advanced students with very high proficiency can seat for level C2.

Students with the DALF C1 wishing to enter a French university are exempt from linguistic entry examinations.

Fees for the DELF-DALF diploma will be paid by the school.

The Institute will make it possible for those who desire to pass the TCF for international bodies, a French language test awarded by the French Ministry of Education.

Students who take the following elective classes during the school year:

• First quarter:  FREN 376 French Civilization
• Second quarter: FREN/PLSC 374 European Institutions
• Third quarter: FREN/PLSC 375 International Organizations

…will have a diploma in French language with a mention in international bodies, intergovernmental organizations delivererd by the IFLS.

Visa Information

Cultural Trips & Tours