I had the exact same problem this year!
I'm in third year.
Going into first year, the prerequisites for first year French were different. I had taken Grade 12 U French and got 77%. Anyone who got 80% or more was placed in Advanced French. Anyone who got 50-79% was placed in Intermediate French. Anyone who failed or didn't take Grade 12 U French was placed in Beginners.
I took Intermediate, thinking I could handle it. It was WAY too hard - I ended up dropping it after the first week. The following year, a friend of mine was in Intermediate French and she told me the course was completely changed and it was much easier now.
I wanted to take Intermediate French THIS year, but the prerequisites had changed again and I was forced into Advanced (which I knew I couldn't handle: I haven't spoken French in three years). I emailed several French Academic Advisors and asked for a "waiver", to be allowed into Intermediate French. They all said no since I had taken Grade 12 U French.
For some reason, SOLAR let me into Intermediate French anyway. I'm assuming, after first year, highschool prerequisites don't necessarily still apply.
My only advice is email an academic advisor. I talked with Michael Kliffer (
[email protected]), though he is the one who turned down my waiver.
I also talked to the professor of Intermediate French and Advanced French, Paula Banks (
[email protected] om) - this email is provided on a McMaster.ca page, so it should be okay to email her. I asked her to explain the outline of the courses, to see which is better suited for me. She was very helpful. This is what she told me:
"If you are interested in how 1K06 works, it is taught mostly in
French, though at the beginning there is some English. The textbook
explanations are pretty much all in English though. It starts
literally at the very basics, ie how to say hello and conjugate the
present tense etc. but it is also pretty intensive and manages to
cover a wide spectrum of grammar and vocabulary by the end of the
2nd term.
IA06 is taught pretty much exclusively in French. It's the course that 1K06 students would take upon completing 1K06, so it reiterates and expands upon the grammar and vocabulary taught in 1K06.
The text is entirely in French.
There is also a literature component in 1A06: one day a week is devoted to discussion of a novel or a play, so your reading skills would have to be there as well."
I hope this helps! My suggestion is to email Michael Kliffer, explain your situation and ask for a waiver. Or try your best at Advanced French. If it doesn't work out, you should be able to get into Intermediate French in second year.
