<p>Looking through posts it seems like a lot of SFSers are planning on taking Arabic as their language. Is this one of the most popular languages? Also, how difficult is the program at Georgetown (does anyone ever have a hard time meeting the proficiency graduation requirements if they take Arabic?)</p>
<p>Arabic is definitely the "hot" language right now, followed by Chinese. The program is extremely difficult, as there are only intensive classes (meet 6 times a week at 8:50 am). If you take Arabic, it pretty much takes over your life. If you take 4 years of Arabic and/or study abroad, you should have no problem meeting the proficiency requirement, especially since they lowered the standards a lot for proficiency (if you study abroad in a direct-matriculation program in an Arabic-speaking country, you automatically are granted proficiency, and if not, the exam is only pass/fail now).</p>
<p>What are some of the other popular languages at G-Town? Why is it that a school with what is supposed to be one of the best foreign services school not have more languages? I'm currently taking Spanish, and I took Latin all through high school. However, I want to take a language like Hindi, which is not offered. I just find it strange. I guess a lot of schools don't offer it. May be I'll pick up Chinese or Japanese or something.</p>
<p>Georgetown does actually offer Hindi now, and have been for the past year. I don't know what you mean by, "does not have more languages?" Just off the top of my head, I know that they offer at least 24: Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian, Catalan, Basque, Latin, Modern and Ancient Greek, Hebrew, Arabic, Turkish, Farsi (Persian), Swahili, Hindi, Russian, Polish, Ukranian, German, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Sanskrit, Quechua, and I'm probably forgetting a few (Hindi and Swahili are offered through the International Affairs department). If that's not enough languages, good luck finding a school that offers many more than that!</p>
<p>My bad, I went to the FLL website, and I couldn't find Hindi. It seemed just from the standpoint of majors (and there not being like a Southern Asian Language Dept that I could see) that there wasn't many. That's good to know. Thanks.</p>
<p>I'm looking at taking Korean. That's an intensive program as well, right?</p>
<p>Yup, Korean is intensive, along with most of the other non-western languages (French, Spanish, German, etc.).</p>
<p>I'm going for Japanese. I wonder how many students are in each language division?</p>
<p>im a freshman in the sfs studying Arabic. If you want a challenge, study Arabic or Chinese as many SFS'ers do - it requires hours upon hours of homework - almost as much as my other classes combined. However, many other SFSers continue their spanish/french from HS to acheive profiency quicker. If you are truly insane , try taking one of each...</p>
<p>shadekeiko: you could check on the course enrollment from first semester of the Japanese courses. Like I checked the elementary Korean class, which had 7 people first semester this year. I love small classes so that's awesome.</p>
<p>I plan on taking the proficiency test for German as soon as I get there so that's out of the way, then I can focus on learning Korean and not just to pass the test.</p>
<p>my understanding is that you're not allowed to take a proficiency test unless you complete at least one higher level course in your language (unless you're a native speaker)... am I wrong?</p>
<p>I don't really understand why that would be. If I know it, I know it; what's the difference if I learned it in a Georgetown class? I have a 760 SAT German with Listening and a 5 on AP, if that matters.</p>
<p>My interviewer advised me to take the test right when I get there because she said she waited a year to take the Spanish test and didn't do well. Unless things have changed (she was class of 2001), then I'm not sure. But that doesn't make any sense if it's the case.</p>
<p>This is from the SFS website:</p>
<p>"A student may only request [the proficiency exam] when he/she has taken one course beyond Advanced II or Third Level II in the language, or received permission from the language department for an exception."</p>
<p>So you can theoretically do it. any current SFSers know what you would need to get permission from the language department?</p>
<p>You'd probably have to place higher than the 3rd level of the class on the placement exam given during orientation, or show that you have studied abroad/taken summer college classes, etc., though I don't actually know for a fact.</p>
<p>The comment by Falcon is exciting but frightening for me - since I plan on taking both Chinese and Arabic at whichever college I end up attending. But if Georgetown's programs for those are intense, all the better, I guess!</p>
<p>I wouldn't recommend taking both of those together at Georgetown, unless you plan on having them as your majors. Each intensive language class counts as 6 credits (=2 classes each), so you would really only be able to take one other class per semester, unless you can place into a higher level (usually past 3rd year) in one of them.</p>
<p>jangel86, I believe they will let you take 4 or even 5 classes even if two of them are intensive languages. One of the deans told me I could definitely take 4, but he suggested I not go over that. So there doesn't seem to be a limit.</p>
<p>I do want to clear up a slight error left earlier. Arabic classes only meet 5 times a week and not all meet at 8:50 am (Though some do. Mine is at 11:40, however, and I know there are other times too.). </p>
<p>Still, it's a pretty difficult class and does require at least an hour (I never have more than two), but you get used to the workload and so long as you constantly practice your vocabulary it is not as difficult as everyone makes it seem. I have one of the toughest professors in the department with a pretty good grade and it by no means controls my life.</p>
<p>Taking both Chinese and Arabic would likely be suicide, however. I think it would be that way at any school, too.</p>
<p>I also want to clear up something discussed earlier. I learned this directly from an admissions officer during an accepted student chat: you MAY take a language proficiency exam as soon as you get there if you want, without having taken a higher level class at Georgetown. Though the SFS website says otherwise, she told me that many students do this.</p>
<p>what about taking Arabic and a European language such as French? Would this be manageable?</p>