Hi guys. I am a junior in high school and beginning the whole college search process. One of the admission requirements for one of my top schools is two years of foreign language. Unfortunately I only have one year of foreign language. Otherwise, I have good grades and am looking to study music in college. My question is: How rigid are colleges with certain things like this? Will I be immediately not accepted because I don’t meet this one requirement?
The word “requirement” means pretty much what it says. If it’s not required, schools use terms like “suggested” or “highly recommended”. If you don’t meet a “requirement” you should assume that you will not be admitted. Exceptions might be made if you were otherwise spectacularly overqualified for the college or if they didn’t have enough applicants who met their standards that year. Two years of a foreign language is not an overly tough requirement though so you shouldn’t bank on that.
Is there a community college in your area where you could take a summer course in the next level of your foreign language? Or is it possible to take year 2 at your high school next year? As long as you are in the process of taking the second year of the language, that will count as meeting the requirement.
Be sure, whether you take it at your high school or at a college, that you take the second level of the language you’ve already taken. Colleges don’t count a year of French 1 and a year of Spanish 1 as “two years of a foreign langauge”.
Having a second year of a foreign language is just a good idea. You are really limiting your choices otherwise.
Why not take the second year of language in your senior year of high school?
And again a requirement is required.
If you are in foreign language level 1 this year, can you take foreign language level 2 next year?
If the college says “required”, then you need it to be eligible for admission there. If it says “recommended”, you will be less competitive compared to others who do meet the recommendation, except possibly if not meeting the recommendation is due to something out of your control (e.g. not offered at your school).