AP in More Than One Foreign Language?

Pre-College Issues High School Life
1

Good chilly evening to all,

I am a sophomore currently self-studying for the AP Latin exam. Due to foreign language being my stronger suit rather than say math or science, I decided to double up this year and take two non-AP language classes: Spanish I and Chinese 101/102. I have also self-studied French to a rather proficient level in the past, and do consider some interest in doing the same for Italian in the future. Given that this is my stronger area (I wouldn’t stand a chance in the AP science/math classes), would it be ideal to take other AP foreign language courses, such as AP French or eventually, AP Spanish, even though I’m doing AP Latin now? Or would this be a waste of money?

Thanks,
Langoid

2

Can you try and plan a study abroad stay (see with the Rotary for true immersion)?
Having two languages at AP would be valuable.
Add some 700+ subject test scores in other languages and it’d strongly support your profile.
See if you can take AP Latin and AP French tests, then take subject tests in Spanish and continue dual enrollment in both Spanish and Chinese.
However depth is more important, show that you can handle high level foreign language - don’t stop at the AP level: see if you can take post-AP classes in culture, history, literature at a nearby college.

3

Clearly you want to go with your strongest skills, and world language seems to be your thing. However, you still need to know the requirements of each of the colleges you want to apply to attend. That likely means taking 3-4 years of math and science, although you don’t have to take them at the AP level.

4

^Good point.
You’d take six academic classes each year, including:

  • 4 years of English (and since you’d be going for Humanities, AP English Lang, AP English Lit or their dual enrollment equivalents, in which case recommendations would be Freshman Composition, Communication, Philosophy, Literature)
  • 4 years of Maths, preferably through precalculus (regular if need be) + AP Stats or regular stats
  • 4 years of history/social science, including 2 from AP World History, AP Euro, and/or APUSH if available
  • biology, chemistry, physics (regular or honors) + APES or one more science
  • your 2 foreign language classes pushed to the highest level you can, including through post-AP level

In addition, make sure you participate in national language competitions, see if you can earn scholarships to language camps (Middlebury? Not sure Concordia has scholarships?) Run the French Club, the Ancient World or Classics Club, and actually DO something beside meetings where 6 kids talk - organize a trip to a restaurant, to see a film, to an exhibit…

5

From my perspective, it matters what colleges you’ll target and what major.

The more competitive the college, the more it all has to make sense to them. In addition to self studying Latin, and taking Spanish and Chinese, you’re thinking of completing self French and starting Italian, plus AP Euro. Other than your own facility for langs, why? How will you present this to the colleges? And know that the study of langs is more than to the test.

You might be better off seeing how far you can take the Span and Chinese. If you can get to AP, at school, this might show more than a vast number of langs. (The extra langs might then be a little extra.) That might need a summer course.

If you have any competitive colleges on your radar, running a club won’t be an “it” that boosts you ahead of others. The way summer camp can make sense is if you can define that “Why?”

Never forget the basics (as MYOS covered.) Look at what your possible targets expect. And have a plan. That’s not just, “I love lang study,” but how language facility ties to your poss major.

On top of all that, if you do have competitives on your list, don’t give them the impression you might be scattered, going after all sorts of things, having decent scores, but not focused on some plan.

6

Whether or not I’m going to self-study AP Euro or not, I’m not necessarily sure—it was only a thought. I plan to study History and Classics in college, for which reason I WANTED to self-study Latin, having taken four courses of Latin previously in school, rather than only doing it for credit. I would like to be a teacher, and obviously there are education credentials for this too, as I would like to teach these (probably one or the other, depending upon availability of jobs). Self-studying Italian also probably wouldn’t be AP, just something of personal interest to do, as French was. And I do understand that language is something more than a test, in fact it’s far from it. I believe it’s sort of a lifestyle and a habit, which is strengthened through almost daily study (I mentioned this in my interview to be president of the Foreign Language Club at my school). Also, as for requirements, I’ll get those—in fact that is the first thing we put on our schedules, then electives. But I have enough room for Chinese and Spanish, and in fact I still had an open slot to fill with other non-language electives. It appears that the opportunity of studying Chinese and Spanish will happen again next year.

Thank you all for your responses.

7

Lifestyle and habit, yes! I do get that. See how this one explanation/history and classics does clarify for us? And will, for adcoms.

If they don’t offer Span and Chinese your fourth year, have an idea how you might continue. That’s where DE may help. I’m assuming you mean teaching high school. But if you do get deep into history and classics (and come to consider grad school,) yup, French and Italian will be a benefit.

D1’s dept offered a medieval and classics program. The former relied on Latin, the latter required studying ancient Greek (in college.) She ended up in classics, with minors. Other colleges handle it differently. Look into this, check course catalogs, when the time comes to choose targets.

I think you get my former point. Best to you.

8

I’m a sophomore.* So I would only be able to complete 3 years in each language (though I’ve done 4 formal years of Latin learning in school, and +AP on my own technically equals 5) even though my school doesn’t do another year of Chinese past year 2. This is because students can take dual credit for Chinese and get the language requirement out of the way (which I chose not to do, because I prefer Latin, and AP Latin is something I’ve wanted to do since 8th grade Latin II). Also, my first post was copied from another board, on which I wasn’t having any luck, and since I asked my teacher what other Spanish courses we offer, and he said we only offer up to a third year of Spanish. Here’s what we’ve got:

Chinese:
Chinese 101/102
Advanced Chinese (probably next year for me)

Spanish:
Spanish I
Pre-AP Spanish II/Spanish II (Block)

(Students who want to take Spanish III take Pre-AP Spanish II, even if we don’t have AP Spanish, as it’s year-round and more material is completed, according to our teachers)

Spanish III (Dual credit, which I probably won’t pay for unless I fail the AP Latin exam. More than likely senior year for me)

Latin is the one that I want to study to the greatest possible end, but there aren’t any local colleges offering Latin. My school’s online Latin program was canceled, for which reason I’m doing AP alone (a lot of online courses are very expensive).

But then I’ve still got personal interest to study on my own those subjects of French and begin Italian, and any other languages I want to take to the next level (I’ve done self-study work in conjunction with school courses).

The reason I am skipping dual credit on these languages because of AP Latin and considering other AP French was because I considered it a way to test my French and show colleges my self-study of languages (it may not be to be accepted, but perhaps it would put me at an advantage at taking electives at a higher level than beginner in French).

Best to you too, @lookingforward and I appreciate your responses.

Langoid.