<p>I want to take two language classes (French and German) in hopes of getting into a really good graduate program, but they don't count towards the two majors that I want (political science: international relations and international studies). The classes for the two majors compliment each other so I'm not worried about that but I would only be taking max 9 credits towards those majors. Basically I only want to work 4 years for my Bachelor's but that's not going to happen with 9 credits a semester. So I was thinking I could take 6 classes but that seems like a lot? And I'd still like to have a social life?
I don't know should I take that 2 classes towards my major over the summer or?</p>
<p>Are you wanting to learn the languages for the actual language or for the credit?</p>
<p>Can you dedicate a few hours each night to doing homework for French and German as well as study the grammar and vocabulary? In my experience with language courses, my professors always assigned homework each night and collected them the next day, and there would be daily quizzes on vocabulary or grammar. There was not a single day this quarter where my Japanese professor did not give us quizzes. If you don’t think you can do that on top of studying for your other classes, I wouldn’t recommend taking them. If you do choose to take one, I suggest taking only one of the languages, especially if you’ve never studied a foreign language previously before. </p>
<p>Language courses are demanding. Six courses can be doable depending upon what they are; however, with six classes and two of those being language classes, then that could be a challenging schedule.</p>
<p>I think six classes in general would be very challenging. Six classes including two beginning language classes sounds really difficult, and potentially dangerous to the GPA of someone who wants to pursue graduate study.</p>
<p>I understand that double-majoring is a trend right now for whatever reason, but I question the necessity or usefulness of majoring in two so very closely related majors. Political science: international relations and international studies sound like…basically the same thing. What is the added value in majoring in both?</p>
<p>Could you major in one and minor in the other? Or could you major in one and then just take classes in the other? Graduate schools and employers don’t care about the major on your transcript so much as they care about the coursework you have and the skills and knowledge you’ve acquired. It makes no difference if you have an “official” minor in IR or if you’ve just taken 5 classes in IR - it’s the same thing, they don’t care. Dropping one of the majors will give you the flexibility to take whatever classes you want, in the sequence you want (barring prereqs), while still doing your language study.</p>
<p>It’s up to you, but I’d caution you against it. I’m a French major and 4 out of my 5 classes this past semester were French classes. The above posters are right: languages classes are SO MUCH WORK. We indeed had homework every single day and I had either a quiz or test pretty much every day in one of the classes. Some professors are vocab nazis while others are grammer gurus, and if you get just the right blend, it can be pretty tiring.</p>
<p>Also, in regards to studying two languages, it’s hard. One of my classmates is studying both French and Japanese and she pretty much hates her life. She’ll come into class speaking a weird franglese and the vocab element of learning the Japanese Kanji drained her. I’ve never studied German, but I know a German major and from what we compare in our little nerd sessions, German grammar seems awfully different than French grammar. It’d be different if you were learning like French and Spanish (one of my fellow French majors is a native Spanish speaker and picking up French vocab for her is easy because the languages have similar roots), but since the languages are so different, it might prove to be hard and confusing.</p>
<p>Of course this doesn’t mean it’s not possible. It is. You can do it. But will it be easy? Naw. Will you be happy? Probz not. In the end, I’d suggest reflecting on WHY you exactly want to learn both (in grad school it does help to know a foreign language but knowing two might be a bit much) and maybe craft a plan that’s a bit easier (maybe studying one of the two slower and on your own time so that you can read it with a dictionary).</p>
<p>And another thing: only taking one or two classes of each won’t make you fluent or near fluent. Without immersion, it’ll definitely take you a while. </p>
<p>What is the normal course load per semester at your school?</p>
<p>Six classes is a lot, especially if you want to have a social life. At my school, the norm is 4-5. I took four, and I had plenty of free time for my job and social life (and even a little sleep). Six classes will make you very productive–I have found a strong correlation with drowning in work and getting my work done efficiently–but very stressed as well.</p>
<p>If you’re taking two language classes, I would caution you against the six-class load. Five should be manageable, though.</p>
<p>I think six classes is too much, especially if any of them are language or science+lab classes.</p>
<p>And why are you only doing 9 credits per semester? Isn’t 12 the minimum for full-time? </p>
<p>I know it depends on your major requirements and how many credits you transferred in, but I’d shoot for AT LEAST 12-15 credits per semester. If you’re an academic all-star (which I was not) you can probably manage 17 or 18, but if you don’t HAVE to do that to yourself- don’t.</p>