See http://www.fll.vt.edu/french/whyfrench.html and http://sandbox.ea.ecu.edu.au/projects/french_resources/motivation/whyfren.htm for answers to the question: "Why study French?"
TIPS
1. French is a foreign language, foreign means different so don’t ask too many “why?"s, just learn to follow the patterns you observe. Accept the language as it is; the language is simply different. Learn the differences and apply the rules. As English-speakers you may not know why what you say is right, likewise, a French teacher can't always tell you why things are the way they are in French.
2. Culture is as important as language. French is not only spoken in France. There is a French-speaking world or Francophone world. Learn the culture of the people who speak French.
3. French grammar is different from English grammar. Simply put, parts of speech go in different positions in French sentences. The sentences may sound awkward if you try to impose English grammar onto the sentences. For example: in English, adjectives come before nouns: eg. "My favourite colour". In French nouns normally come before adjectives: eg. "Ma couleur préférée".
4. Mastery of French requires mastery of English. The rationale for mastering English when learning French is that most textbooks use English grammatical terms to explain the grammar of the foreign language. Only a good grasp of English will help you to understand what’s being explained, so improve your knowledge of English grammar.
5. Practice makes perfect. Like all other subjects, French needs to be practised to be mastered. Make every effort to listen to the CDs that accompany textbooks, speak with persons who speak French whether they are natives or not, even your classmates. The Internet has radio and TV stations where you can listen to live broadcast (news, weather, sports, music, documentaries) just as though you were in the foreign country. There are also websites that have free grammar exercises that you can do and test yourself or you can receive daily/weekly/monthly lessons. Check the "interesting links" section of this site for more information.
6. How much you learn is up to you. Why not challenge yourself to learn a new word/expression every day! Go beyond what is taught in class. Everything you learn benefits you later in life. You will never know where life will take you; you may get a job offer in Canada, Belgium, Senegal or France.
7. Keep a vocab book and record new words/expressions you hear/see.
