<p>I'm currently in my second year of french as a sophomore. The next level up though, Honors French IV, is EXTREMELY tough. Barely anyone gets an A. Plus it is RIGOROUS. Before, I was striving for all 4 years of french but from hearing from my friends who are juniors and smarter than me, I might not want to do it anymore. My schedule already has AP Calc AB, AP European History, and AP Bio. Although I'm actually decent at it, I hate french. Duke (dream school) strongly recommends 4 years of every subject, however. Should I take the class because of said recommendation, or should I take something of interest to me, such as Environmental Science or Econ, and do better in the class? Finally, would this hurt my chance at admission?</p>
<p>admission to Duke is pretty competitive. If Duke cares about 4 years of each subject then it stands to reason they’re going to prefer applicants that have done so.</p>
<p>Another vote for sticking with French. I think sometimes languages get more interesting after the introductory levels. Maybe this summer you can do some activities which make you like it better-we check out French movies, books and CD from our local library. There is also an on line program at the library called Mango with many languages and levels. We also found a French group that meets a local bookstore and speak only in French. Clemson University also offers a Declamation contest for high school students every fall.</p>
<p>If your “dream school” is compelling you to take extra years of a subject that you say you hate, at the expense of your interests, then you might want to reconsider if it is really is your dream school. I realize that sometimes one needs to “suck it up,” but one must also think about when it will ever end - will you be working at a career someday that you hate too? Your curiosity and interests are far more important than the requirements of a distant future force. Best wishes for your classes, applications, and decision.</p>
<p>Fact: actually being able to speak another language is better than having a Duke degree as opposed to, say, a state school degree.</p>
<p>^^^ Fact: being able to speak another language and having a Duke degree is possible in this situation, if you can endure two more years of French classes. </p>
<p>Snarlatron, how does the school’s admission policy affect the experience the OP would have at Duke? I don’t expect admission criteria to be what makes Duke his “dream school.” The OP will still be able to explore interests in college, perhaps more so than he would in high school.</p>
<p>OP, if you want Duke as bad as you say, please stick it out. If you don’t, you’ll regret it. Besides, I’m sure that when you chose Duke as your top choice, you knew that the road to getting there wouldn’t be easy! But you chose it because you knew that it’s worth it, right?</p>