American universities and foreign language credit--2 years of French enough?

Student Lounge International Students
1

<p>I'm currently in grade 10, and I'm currently planning out my courses for grade 11 and 12. I'm majoring in an art at my high school, which occupies 2 credits each year. As a result, it's difficult to fit in other courses I want to take, even when I'm trying to compensate for this with summer school/night school. I'm interested in applying to American universities for undergrad.</p>

<p>Eliminating French from my grade 11 and 12 timetables would make things so much easier. However, I'm aware that many 'better' colleges require 3 years of a foreign language, like Brown, for instance. I'm not sure how seriously they take this 'requirement', though. Would two years of (enriched) French in high school be okay? I've taken French every year since kindergarten--enrolled in French immersion from K-Gr 4, 5-8 academic french, and 9-10 Enriched. Would schools take any of this into account? </p>

<p>If I decide to take French in grade 11, it would shift my courses over so I wouldn't be able to take Calculus. I'm not considering going into hard sciences, engineering, or medical school, but I do know that many universities look for more challenging courses in their applicants' course load. </p>

<p>Which should I prioritize more? Completing 3 years of a foreign language in high school or taking calculus to challenge myself? </p>

2

<p>You might want to check directly with the schools you’re interested in about this. Although only two years of h/s French might be less than they require, Canadian students will have more foreign language experience than any American student so I would hope that it wouldn’t be a problem. Check with the schools. A school like Brown is competitive enough to get into without putting yourself at a greater disadvantage if this is something that they’re going to care about. </p>

<p>I will say, though, that three of my Ds attended an arts high school and all were able to maintain four years of foreign language, in addition to having the competitive curriculum they wanted, with no problem.</p>