A Word from the Dean: Dr Jean-Douglas Comeau
The best way, and the most fun, to learn a new language is by participating in a total immersion program. When you learn a language there are no short cuts and there is no easy way out… it just doesn’t automatically fall from the sky. During the first couple of weeks it is not easy but if you are enrolled in a well organized program with all sorts of outings and social activities, that period can be a very pleasant experience while you are learning. And this is what we offer at Université Sainte-Anne.
There are many reasons why we at Sainte-Anne have the reputation for being the best French immersion program in Canada.
Université Sainte-Anne is one of the smallest universities in Canada. It is situated in rural Nova Scotia on the shores of Saint Mary’s Bay in the south western part of the province. The surrounding community has a population of 10,000 French speaking Acadians. The area is known for its natural beauty and especially for its safe environment. These inhabitants, who live in villages along the coast like the pearls on a necklace, love to boast about how safe their neighbourhood is. For the ten thousand people living in the area there are 4 policemen and two police cars and most people leave their keys in their cars year round! The crime rate is very low and parents can sleep peacefully at night knowing that their sons and daughters are safe on our campus.
Another reason for our success is the fact that we are the only immersion program in Canada where the entire staff of over 45 (for 320 students) live on campus with the students at all times during the five week program.
Most immersion programs in Canada give warnings to students who are caught speaking a language other then French. We, at Sainte-Anne, take this warning system very seriously; we consider it the backbone of our program. After three warnings a students is asked to leave the program.
Our rural setting, our dedicated staff, our very qualified international professors, our very elaborate socio-cultural activities and our seriousness towards the all French rule makes Sainte-Anne’s an awesome learning experience that produces results.
You learn a language when you are surrounded by people that you enjoy being with while doing things you enjoy doing. That is why that in an immersion program such as ours 70% of the learning is done outside the class room in a pleasant and fun environment.
Sainte-Anne’s five week spring and summer immersion programs are much more than a language school, it is a life changing experience where you meet people from every province in Canada, over half of the American states, Mexico, Europe, and Africa. It is an educational adventure at its best where fun is very much part of the learning process.
We also like to insist that this five-week session is not a summer camp. This is a university where you earn 6 university credits and where our students are treated as mature adults and we expect them to act accordingly.
We invite you to come and learn French with us and have the time of your life while doing so.
“It must be awfully claustrophobic to be condemned for a lifetime with only one language.” - J. Comeau
Jean-Douglas Comeau, Ph.D.
Dean, Immersion Schools