Posted this on Admissions thread but I know parents out there will have a lot to say about this!
I’ve received different perspectives about this… My daughter took Spanish 1 in Middle School, Spanish 2 and 3 taken freshman and sophomore year. She had to be recommended for Spanish 4 as a junior, but her teacher did not recommend her for it, knowing she struggled with Spanish 3. She is not applying to the most competitive schools as she is a strong “B” student (3.45 gpa) and does not have honors/AP courses but some of her choices are somewhat selective. Curious to hear what others have found - did having 2 years hurt anyone’s admission at any particular schools? I’m really nervous for her but I just don’t know what her other options are - we’ve looked into Option II credit at the CC but our school requires she take it for a grade (not pass/fail) and she simply doesn’t have the mastery to take an advanced level course.
Most schools actually say something fairly specific about the foreign language expectations. You really should look it up for each school she wants to apply to.
Completion of level 3 is seen by most colleges at “three years of foreign language”, though you may want to check each college to be sure.
If you are in New Jersey, none of the Rutgers campuses or divisions requires more than “2 years of one language”, according to http://admissions.rutgers.edu/applynow/moreforfirstyearapplicants/EntranceRequirements.aspx .
However, foreign language graduation requirements may be higher than foreign language admission requirements. Completion of a higher level in high school may allow starting at a higher level in college, allowing completion of any such graduation requirement in fewer courses than otherwise would be needed.
Opinion: Let her go with her strengths. Taking 4 years of a foreign language is on the tick list on many colleges, but it is not a hard & fast rule. Colleges all say that they want to see that you have challenged yourself, and I believe strongly that a second language is generally A Good Thing- but if her teacher isn’t recommending her, let her take a subject that is rigorous but in which she can shine.
Personal anecdote: my D had the choice of a ‘regular’ science elective or AP Chemistry in senior year. Her first choice college specifically said that the rigor of senior year was a factor in admissions decisions. But- that science elective was one of those great classes that students rave about. D said she could take chemistry in college, but she would never get to have that teacher again. Took the elective, loved it and still got into college.
Won’t it be obvious to colleges that she’s taken 3 years of Spanish since she took Spanish 2 and 3 in h.s. ?
My S was a B student that really struggled with Spanish. He actually failed Spanish 2 and had to retake it in his jr. year. He applied to two large directional state u’s and was admitted to both. He chose a major that didn’t require foreign language in college.
Some colleges do language placement testing to test out of a language requirement in college. She may want to consider tutoring or a remedial course over the summer if the college she wants to attend has a language requirement.(sometimes as much as 4 semesters of a language in college)
Another option could be to self study for the AP language exam over the summer and try to score well to test out of a college language requirement and get college credit.
Following… Dropped language same situation … Same concerns.
On the college application I would put some explanation under misc info as to why the student didn’t continue with a language. It is very common for a high school student to graduate with 4 to 5 years of a language. There are colleges that wouldn’t be concerned with this and some that would. It would depend on where you are applying and what you are majoring in. Most engineering programs don’t have that requirement but a business or liberal arts major may have a language requirement.
My son had the equivalence of a half year of Latin (took a year of middle school Latin) and the equivalence of two years of high school (took a semester of community college Italian)-that’s it. He had planned to take the second semester of Italian, but disliked it so much (he got a B), he chose to take Animation II at the college instead. We had planned to have him self-study another semester of Italian, but in the end, he just did three college classes this spring (Calc I, Java, and Animation II) and let the Italian go entirely.
His GPA was 3.84/4.41 and he had 26.5 units of college by mid-year of senior year (will have 39.5 by year’s end in a week). SAT was 2230. He was accepted to a lot of schools including some Univ. of California schools, some Cal State Schools, some good private schools and one Ivy.
I guess it worked out ok having weak foreign language. He had strengths in other areas, apparently.
Our son also took just two years of a foreign language (partly because he kept switching languages after a year). No problem for mid-range schools. He will, however, have to take a year of a foreign language in college because he is attending a LAC that requires it and he can’t place out because he didn’t get far enough with any one language in HS. And, predictably, he is switching languages yet again….this time to Japanese. Bottom line: not a problem for the level of colleges you have described your daughter as targeting.
I would be very surprised if it made a difference any where your daughter is likely to apply. Coming up short in languages is very, very common in the US where learning a foreign language is very under-valued and generally not well taught. That said, it’s not uncommon for colleges to require a certain proficiency in a language so she may have to take one there. Be aware that college language classes cover 2 to 3 years of high school material in one year.
Its been a long time, but I seem to remember my DS#1 was short on languages. HE had a language in lower/middle school, an “intro to 4 languages” in middle school, but I thing (this is from memory) only 2 yrs of a language in HS. Still went to a top 20 school.
I know some schools in our state (VA) want 4 years of a language. I am not sure that this is a hard and fast rule though. Someone I know was admitted to one of our top state schools last year with 1 year in MS and 2 in HS. The student applied knowing that might sink her application, but apparently it didn’t.
“where learning a foreign language is very under-valued and generally not well taught” <<—This.
And let’s not forget the maturing thing.
And…it turns out that there is a language affinity thing: some languages seem to suit some people better than others.
One of our state directionals does not require a foreign language to be admitted, though they do require a foreign language for all students to graduate. Sign language counts as a foreign language at this particular school.
My S did Spanish 1 in jr high then 2 and 3 in HS. He wanted to stop there to open his schedule to other things. We found some colleges specifically state that reaching the 3rd level of a language counts as “3 years”, others simply suggested 3 years. So we contacted the schools he was interested in and asked. They all agreed that reaching the 3rd level of a language was acceptable as “3 years” of a foreign language. So I think you are fine, but if there is a specific school she’s considering I’d recommend contacting them and ask.
She doesn’t have 2 years of language; she has 3. 3 is fine for the vast majority of colleges.
More important: Not taking foreign language junior year leaves a gap in her schedule. It would be best if she could fill it with a fifth academic course rather than a non-academic elective. Often, the social studies department is a good place to look for extra academic courses. They may teach psychology, sociology, economics, extra history courses, or something else that could fill that extra slot in her schedule for junior or senior year. A second science might also be a possibility.
Also make sure to look if there are language requirements in the college she chooses…you may want to avoid those that have one.
Thanks everyone, these responses have all been very helpful and encouraging! It is her guidance counselor that has us on eggshells over this and to say that her “guidance” from day one has been lacking is being very generous! She was the one who told DD at the end of sophomore year that she didn’t need to go beyond Spanish 3, then turned around and told me later into her junior year that Spanish 3 does not count as 3 years, that they will only look at the two years she has on her h.s. transcript as credit, and that we should be searching for a foreign language alternative through the Option 2 credit. I can honestly say that the advice from those who have “been there, done that” on here and from other families has been far more valuable than anything this paid professional has ever offered! It is very reassuring to know that many students did not find it to hinder their process! We have looked at most of the individual colleges in consideration and they all state 2 years as the requirement and only a couple of them listed 3 years as being recommended. She has chosen I think some valuable electives, as Marian mentioned including psychology, sociology, economics and a teacher prep program. Thanks too ucbalumnus for the input about Rutgers, it is definitely one that we are considering.