Hi. My son is a current 7th grader about to choose classes for his last year of middle school. He went to a classical elementary school where he began learning Latin in grade 2. His current middle school allowed him to take Middle School Latin 2 in grade 6 and this year he has taken HS Latin 1 and has done very well. So next year, 8th grade, his choice is to continue with HS Latin 2 which would put him in line to take Latin III, IV and then AP Latin in high school OR he could switch to HS Spanish I or HS French 1, which would put him on a track to take through level 4 (but likely not AP but I guess its possible, it is likely he’ll be taking higher level math). I feel like this is so early to be considering what will look good for college applications, but it seems this is a pretty significant decision point. For what its worth, he’s an excellent Latin student and has pretty much no interest in Spanish or French. I just don’t know which is better, the Latin thru AP or switching and taking a modern language. Thanks for any advice.
If he likes Latin, he should take Latin.
Just as awesomepolyglot put it, if he likes Latin he should take it. Taking languages in HS you’re not interested in is a recipe for disaster (from what I’ve seen, language is the hardest thing to learn if you hate it). If you’re concerned with colleges wanting him to learn a “modern” language, don’t be, because colleges know how challenging Latin is.
An issue is that modern languages can be linked more easily to personal uses (ie., to travel to Montreal or Paris, to volunteer in Little Haiti, to volunteer in Spanish-speaking communities, to travel to Costa Rica…)
Is there a way for him to take Latin 2 and start one other language? Since they’re both romance languages and he’s had an exposure to Latin, it shouldn’t be too taxing. The ability to maintain both till 11th grade would definitely be a differentiator for him in terms of college admissions since so few students have that.
Latin complemented with a DE class in classical history or classical literature (taught in English), or French or Spanish complemented with a DE class that relates to these cultures/literatures, would also be good.
However, there’s no preference for one language over the other in terms of rigor.
In terms of level, he could always try the AP French/AP Spanish Language exam after Level 4 and reaching level 4 is perfectly okay.
In terms of soft factors, not choosing the “default language” ie., not being one more student to accomodate in Spanish but taking French or Latin classes at his college of choice can be a factor, especially at smaller colleges that try to avoid having too many classes with too few students. (Many colleges have a foreign language graduation requirement, although having a good AP score can typically waive it except at the tippy top universities.)
I agree with all of the above. In addition:
Any time is the wrong time to do something with the view of what will “look good” on college applications. Chances should be made, whether for academics or EC’s, with the student’s interests in mind, with the hope that the interest can be expressed in the college applications. The subject or the EC alone will not “look good.” Good luck.
If he likes Latin enough, and is not planning on being a language major or international relations, then continue through at least Latin 4. At that point he can decide if he loves Latin and wants to major in Classics and take AP Latin (if that exists) or stop taking it if he has checked the boxes for doing 4 years of foreign language that most selective colleges require but isn’t particularly interested. That will free up time junior and senior years for more classes.
I say stick with the Latin as it will 1- help him complete 4 years of Foreign Language in 3 years, better understand the derivation of more advanced English words, and can also be of help in understanding many scientific terms and words.
Having a strong Latin base can get him into AP Latin by his JR year. and once he takes the AP latin test and Latin subject test, he will be good.
He likes Latin, and is good at it, so there is no compelling reason to “change horses in mid stream”…