<p>Hi,
my son is applying (as a math major) to several schools that 'suggest' having 3-4 years of a foreign language. He only had 2 years of spanish in 9th and 10th grade. How important is something like that when applying to places like Columbia, Penn, Princeton</p>
<p>How are his grades in Spanish? At CU, you need to take 2 years of a language as part of the Core. If he hates languages, CU might not be the place for him.</p>
<p>If his schedule is otherwise very strong and well-rounded/well-balanced, it won't be an issue.</p>
<p>My son got into Columbia with three years of Latin (horrible Latin teacher replacement during junior year.) He then slogged through four semesters of Spanish at CU. All I can say about what he got out of that is that it was character building. :)</p>
<p>He got B's in Spanish. He said he would take french (which I told him I think is a waste of time).</p>
<p>I was wondering if they really care about having taken 3-4 years in high school. He took extra math instead of a language in 11th and 12 grades.</p>
<p>Why do you think taking french is a waste of time? Were you referring to the college level or in high school?</p>
<p>I will second Columbia2002's opinion that CU might not be the place for him if he doesn't want to take a language. I know at Princeton, for example, I would have been forced to take relatively high levels of math for a year which is something I didn't care to do.</p>
<p>I figured that spanish would be more useful. Not too many immigrants to the US are french speaking....</p>
<p>It's easier to learn French through Spanish. But from French to English, that's tough. I wouldn't mind learning French as far as writing and comprehending the language is concerned. I would not speak the language though. Just to read the history texts and documents on French Culture, as well as the history of the SS Normandie and the SS France, the French equivilant of the RMS Titanic. There is very little information about these ships in English, but there are lots of infromation about them in French.</p>
<p>Spanish was my native language so I can't really speak on the relative importance of one versus the other. What you're saying does make sense, concerning the makeup of the American population, except I think that if he truly prefers one language over the other he should go for the one he likes. </p>
<p>I will just say that I've been studying French for 7 years and it has deepened my perspective and enjoyment of French culture (not to mention the entire Francophone speaking world- much of Canada, Africa, Asia, etc) immensely. So in that respect, I have trouble seeing it as "useless".</p>
<p>you are correct, french isn't useless :-) and he is into literature and whatnot. But being a math major, I see it as time being spent on something totally unrelated to his area of expertise. Oh yeah, I forgot about the well-rounded education thing..... For nearly 50 grand a year, I wish they would just teach what you need to do the job so you can start earning money :-)</p>
<p>Many colleges recommend the applicant studies one foreign language for 3 to 4 years. If not meeting this no matter what reason, does it affect the admission? Is it necessary to write a letter to explain the deficiency in the foreign language area if you have a reason?</p>
<p>I know what you mean. Like I stated earlier, I wasn't interested in studying anything that didn't directly pertain to my interests (advanced math at Princeton). I personally love Columbia's core curriculum because it caters to all my interests and I think it will really help me find my ideal field of study and something I am passionate about. I think though, that for someone interested in pursuing strictly one area of study, perhaps somewhere like Brown where the curriculum is completely up to the student is a better choice.</p>
<p>If you're interested in Columbia's core, take a look at it here:
<a href="http://www.college.columbia.edu/students/academics/core/%5B/url%5D">http://www.college.columbia.edu/students/academics/core/</a></p>
<p>It seems very intense, to say the least. I've been told many times over that if you don't like the core, Columbia is definitely not a good choice. Me personally, I am looking forward to studying every subject on that list.</p>
<p>he's applying to columbia and princeton and boston U and NYU. We'll have to wait and see :-) thanks for your input. he's going to advanced math too. He doodles calculus equations. But he'll also read a history of Rome in his spare time. Yeah, he's a little geeky!</p>
<p>Hi,</p>
<p>Sorry to steal your thread, but how do colleges feel of an applicant having 4 years of foreign language, but not the 1 language? Unfortunately, after 2 years of Accelerated French I changed schools and now do 2 years of Indonesian Ab Initio. This decision was because French was no longer available, and Indonesian is more practical (I live in Indonesia now). Will colleges frown upon this decision?</p>
<p>Thank you.</p>
<p>If I remember correctly, the math department at Columbia recommends at least one foreign language for those planning to go on to graduate work in math. So perhaps they don't consider a foreign language to be completely unrelated?</p>
<p>awaiting-college, I don't think colleges will frown on your decision. They understand that not all high schools offer the same choices. Indonesion also will make your application stand out, I would think.</p>
<p>Four years of a language is not a must, per se. I've met people here (at Columbia College) that don't have that. However, anything that improves your chances, and 4 years of a single language would, is recommended.</p>
<p>How about if I haven't studied German in years 11, 12 but had for more than 4 years prior to that. Like I had German from primary school to year 10, and accelerated French in years 6,7,8,9? OR must they be in years 9,10,11,12?</p>