How to Write a French Essay and Not Die

Apologies for not writing for the past few days! Here is my excuse.

My first French paper was due yesterday: a "commentaire composé", which is french for, "Difficult and complicated as hell! We'd wish you good luck, but that might give you false hope."

Alas, something else made it so much worse: the mandatory analysis of a passage of Montaigne.

If you are ever completely ovewhelmed by what you have to do for an assignment-- especially if it is in a foreign language-- you may find it helpful to follow these steps:

1) Plan ahead

As soon as you recieve the assignment, read and re-read the requirements. Know exactly what is demanded of you. Have any questions? Phone a friend who is not as lost as you are. The first key to success is understanding the assignment, which is almost as important as understanding the material... which brings us to point two.

2) Work ahead: form an outline

Writing your preliminary thoughts down and then organising them in a way that makes sense for the paper really helps you out when it comes to actually writing it.

3) Work ahead: ask the prof

Whether or not you are in doubt about the paper or have content problems, email your professor your preliminary ideas at least a week before the paper is due. This step is one of the most important!!! Do not forget this step, especially when working in a foreign language. It reassures you that you are on the right track and lets your professor know how dedicated you are. No matter what the response is, it can only help you get a better grade.

4) Digestion

Leave enough time to not direcly work on the paper for a few days. Let your subconcious do some of the work for you. This really helps you see fresh ideas you can use when you return to the text again.

5) Alow enough time to write the damn thing

I attempted this step by blocking out plenty of time the three days before the paper was due. Did it work? Nope. Not at all. I wrote the thing the night before. Needless to say, it was not my best work, but I gave it all my feeble, tired brain could manage. If this is where you're at, skip directly to step 7.

6) Use all your resources.

In foreign language scenarios, wordreference.com is your best friend. The End. Also, having a loving host family helps immensely. They have offered to read over all of my papers in order to stamp out anglicisms and correct all my grammar. I took advantage of this for the first page of my paper the night before... but it would have been better it all of my paper had been done.

7) Pray for a miracle.

Even if you are confident in your paper, this step is always worth it. And when a miracle happens, it is always welcome. In my case, I got a miracle yesterday. The prof gave us until the class after the break to hand in our work. Heaven openned up before me and my fellow exchange students, giving us an opportunity to perfect our pieces of crap papers. Quelle chance!

This is how to survive the experience of writing a French essay. Always remember that there is a very rigid structure that you must follow for every paper, and do not be afraid to use your bilingual nature to your advantage. 9.5 times out of 10, people will be easier on you because you have to try harder to live up to the standards of the native French students.