Megan Ramsey

    When I first arrived at William and Mary, I was confident that I would be a Biology major but wanted to continue learning French, mainly as a passion. I was not confident in my abilities and unsure if I could keep up with everyone else in the classes. However, when I took the placement test, I realized soon after that I had misread one of the questions and therefore got a bunch of questions wrong that changed the perception of my French abilities. I knew that my French was not great, but I was worried I would be placed in a class that would not help me improve if it was based on a mistake I made in the test. Therefore, I decided to email Professor Compan who was the head of the department at the time. I met with her, and she told me to join her French 212 class for the time being to see if it was the right fit. I was terrified. Everyone was so amazing at French and understood more concepts or knew more words and conjugations. I told her I didn't feel ready for this level, and I was ashamed to not be as great as everyone else. She told me to stay in the class and consider pursuing French further. I did. Thanks to her encouragement I continued taking French every semester along with doing the work for my Biology major and pre-Dental concentration. I studied abroad in Montpellier and met amazing friends. Taking a French class in the fall of my Freshman year changed the course of my career and life. I am forever grateful.