<p>I was wondering, of the students currently admitted, how many years of foreign language did you take in high school? My oldest son is starting UF this fall and he took three years. My youngest son is getting ready to take his third year and it's something that he struggles with....I'm wondering if it's really necessary?</p>
<p>Thank you for your input. :)</p>
<p>I did two years, but I wish I had done more. </p>
<p>He will probably have to take it again when he gets to college, so he might as well get as much practice as he can now, IMO. Some pain now might make his life a little easier when he gets to college level work.</p>
<p>Thanks propwash. I guess I’m just kind of wondering if it makes a difference in the admission process? He took high school level Spanish I and II in middle school and is heading into 9th grade and Spanish III this year. The teacher so far doesn’t look too promising and he’s really stressing about it. I’m wondering how much Spanish he’ll even remember by the time he gets to college anyway…</p>
<p>4yrs. I think he just needs two.</p>
<p>He has to take two years of foreign language in high school, so I don’t think the two years in middle school would count.</p>
<p>Auburn, it’s common to take languages in Middle School for High School credit. So as long as it shows on the HS transcript, it’s counted. </p>
<p>So for the OP, my D had 3 years and I think that’s fine. Anything in their curriculum that shows they went beyond the bare minimum is helpful. I don’t think there are any strikes against an applicant if they took 3 years versus 4 of a foreign language.</p>
<p>Yes, the Spanish my son took in middle school was high school level and shows up on HS transcript. And I agree that classes beyond the basic requirement are helpful but I’ll probably have to have a tutor to get him thru Spanish III with a decent grade. I’m just wondering if it really matter to UF one way or the other? He’s still taking all Honors courses and will probably start AP or Dual Enrollment next year in 10th grade.</p>
<p>I think taking more than the requirement looks better on your application. I took Spanish I-III at my high school and Beginning Spanish I at my local community college. I was signed up for Spanish IV senior year but dropped it because I knew I would struggle with it (I was the only one who wasn’t a native speaker). So I would consider dual enrollment. My class was online and really easy!</p>
<p>I was just admitted to UF and I am about to start classes as a freshman, and I was accepted only two years of high school level spanish</p>
<p>I would assume that three years is the safest threshold for application. It doesn’t sound like your son will bother taking AP Spanish, so there is no point in taking Spanish IV.</p>
<p>I took three years of Spanish and I was admitted. Will two years be sufficient? Most likely, but if you’re worried about it, have your son take Spanish III and then be done with it. If he is cautious about taking it, perhaps reward him for his endeavors. He’s only 14 years old, he can be easily persuaded.</p>
<p>“It’ll be your last Spanish class, and you’ll be done forever.”</p>
<p>Sentences like these are encouraging, because of the “light at the end of the tunnel” approach. </p>
<p>I don’t normally approve of rewards for quality grades, but perhaps provide him an incentive for taking the class and doing well in it. If you take in interest in his struggle with the class, he’ll be more likely to try to do well. However, you have to be prepared if he get’s a lower grade than normal. If you berate him for low marks in a class that he is timid on taking, he will be undoubtedly be angry at you and blame you for his grade.</p>
<p>I was kind of in the same boat. I took Spanish 1 in middle school and did alright in it. Went into high school and took Spanish II Freshmen year and got an A and a B in semesters 1 and 2 respectively. I hated Spanish, but from what everyone told me it looks really good to have 3 years of a foreign language on your transcript. It doesn’t just look like you did it to get it over with. So I took Spanish 3 and continued by B average in foreign languages. Got the chance to take AP Spanish and didn’t even consider it.</p>
<p>I say go for it. Just make sure he studies.</p>
<p>It didn’t kill my GPA by any means but I definitely do think it helped in my acceptance.</p>
<p>I took four years in high school, but i also had years from middle school that went on my transcript because they were of such a high level. I think that UF wants to see a good amount of time spent on perfecting a language, not just jumping from one to the other… probably 3 years worth of coursework will be perfect.</p>
<p>All of my friends who were accepted (10+) took two years.</p>
<p>I took 4 years because Deutsch is awesome! And the extra AP credit doesn’t hurt.</p>