<p>My DD, a h.s. junior, is making her senior year course selections, and she has a dilemma. We know that selective colleges recommend taking 4 years each of math, English, lab science, the same foreign language, and history (social studies). DD attends a science magnet with a rigid specialized curriculum. She will have to choose between a 4th year of foreign language and a 4th year of history/social studies because of the required other courses. She is in Spanish III right now (she had to start with Spanish I as a freshman because the HS does not offer French, her language from middle school). </p>
<p>Since she must choose, what looks better on a transcript: four years of the same foreign language, or four years of social studies? The social studies option is not a history course (i.e. AP Euro); it is a course in ethics and public policy. She is slightly more interested in that course but does not want to jeopardize her chances of admission at a selective school. She does not hate Spanish and it's a fairly easy course for her. What to do?</p>
<p>What are her long term interests and plans? </p>
<p>Both my D’s are/were science and math majors in college. Neither one took 4 years of a foreign language in high school and their college admissions outcomes didn’t seem to suffer notably from it. But being science and math types, neither had a foreign language requirement for their college majors. </p>
<p>If your daughter plans on majoring in a subject area that has foreign language requirements, I’d keep up with the Spanish. Otherwise, I’d say let her choose the course she prefers.</p>
<p>Actually, I think most highly selective schools ask for 3 years of history/social science and 4 years of the same language.</p>
<p>In your D’s circumstances, I’d go with the language. It will also cement her long-term familiarity with Spanish and potentially help her with the language requirement in college. Most highly selective schools that are not tech schools have a foreign language requirement regardless of major, although it can be met with a certain SATII or AP score. In college she will have access to plenty of courses similar to the social studies course you describe, which does sound interesting.</p>
<p>I’d go with the language. I don’t know of any colleges that expect four years of social studies. I also think in the long run knowing more of a language (especially Spanish) is likely to be useful.</p>
<p>Spanish will not only be useful in college but also in the world beyond college, esp. if she uses it in some way during the next couple of years. For instance, she takes a gap year to Ecuador or winds up spending a semester abroad at Salamanca or somewhere…all great opportunities made better with a fluency.</p>
<p>My D was in the same position as yours last year and chose Spanish. (She got a 5 on APUSH, so we don’t think anyone would consider her a lightweight in SS). Given 25% of babies born in the US are of Hispanic descent, Spanish will be a good life skill.</p>
<p>(Just realized I posted almost exactly what Consolation said!) I’d make this a unanimous vote for Spanish. Four years of a foreign language may allow her to skip a language requirement in college. (They exist even for math/science majors. Our son would be a physics major at our state flagship. That’s College of Arts & Science and it has a foreign language requirement.)</p>
<p>Ethics and public policy sounds like a wonderful class, but it’s also the kind of class she can take in college as an elective–especially if she doesn’t have to take a foreign language in college.</p>
<p>And having an easy class in the midst of an otherwise rigorous course load. When she is in the midst of college applications and essays, you’ll be grateful for a class that doesn’t require too much time.</p>
<p>That’s interesting that everyone thinks Spanish is a better pick. Our HS requires four years of SS for graduation. I would go with the students interest. My kids all enjoyed SS more then foreign languages and were not able to place out of the FL requirement in College but were able to get out of a gen ed credit for scoring well in History AP’s. Sometimes I think there’s too much emphasis on what some unknown college wants and not what is of interest to a student.</p>
<p>Spanish unless she wants to take spanish in college. I only took three years and I had to get a year of a language at college because I didn’t make the requirement.</p>
<p>Spanish. Like other posters have mentioned, many colleges require Level IV proficiency in a foreign language for graduation. My kids were able to take Level I in middle school, and finish with 3 years of language in high school. Without Level IV proficiency, many universities will require students to take foreign language in college. And who wants to do that, especially when you can take the 4th year in high school and get it out of the way?</p>
<p>My son was in a similar situation because he wanted to take two science classes his senior year. He dropped Spanish and now attends the Univ of Pennsylvania. He took one term of Spanish in college to fulfill his language requirement. My daughter goes to a high school that allows them to take an extra class instead of lunch and she might end up doing that next year.</p>
<p>If this were my kid, I would choose the social studies class. If I could convince her/him to take Spanish at a community college after school, that might even be the best solution.</p>
<p>history.
She can always take the language in college or on her own, she won’t find it as easy to take a better foundation in history especially if that is not her major in college.</p>
<p>Lots of kids don’t take a 4th year of lang if they can justify it. </p>
<p>If she’s at a rigorous math-sci hs, adcoms will know its requirements and schedule issues. She can drop a note in the CA Additional Info that, due to scheduling requirements, she could not opt for Span4. </p>
<p>The replacement class has to make sense. Many math-sci high schools do offer ethics/public policy- because it does make sense, in terms of critical thinking, the readings kids are exposed to and the issues that are raised. She can prep for the SAT2 in Spanish, if she wants to show her proficiency. Span 4 is reading and literary anaysis, maybe enhanced converational and writing skills. Far worse would be missing a math-sci class in senior year.</p>
<p>I think that a magnet with a rigid curriculum should examine what the prevailing recommendations for colleges that their kids will apply to are and to make sure that they are not disadvantaging their own students.</p>
<p>Our state schools require 2 years of social studies (3 recommended) and 2 years of language (3 years recommended). Harvard considers an “ideal 4 year preparatory program” to include 3 years of history and 4 years of a foreign language.</p>
<p>I figure that most schools will fall within those parameters.</p>
<p>“I’d go with the language. I don’t know of any colleges that expect four years of social studies.”</p>
<p>mathmom – SUNY New Paltz does. SUNY Geneseo and SUNY Binghamton strongly recommend 4 years of social studies/history, but don’t require them. I do know that several of the colleges my science-oriented daughter interviewed with told her that successful candidates take 4 years of study in the five academic cores, but again it was a strong “recommendation” rather than a requirement. </p>
<p>As for the OP, I frankly don’t think any school is going to hold whatever choice your daughter makes against her. Just make sure admissions officers are aware of the limitations imposed on your daughter’s scheduling choices due to the rigid curriculum requirements at your magnet school.</p>
<p>PS – In order to receive a diploma at NYS public schools students are required to take 4 years of social studies and English. I’m sure this is part of the rationale behind the SUNYs requirements/recommendations.</p>
<p>The NYS Education Department is currently considering raising graduation requirements. Under one proposal math and science would join English and social studies with the 4 year requirement.</p>
<p>That’s interesting. I would think that it would be much easier to study history on one’s own. I think Spanish is a useful life skill, a useful work skill (fluency could allow for jobs in a foreign country, or internships there), a useful research skill (literature written in Spanish), and also helps with the Latin root words on standardized tests.</p>
<p>Unless she wants to major in social studies or history, I’d say Spanish all the way. History is fairly easy to study on one’s own. Languages, especially at that third/fourth year level, require instruction and conversation.</p>