I want to go to a highly selective college, are two years of a foreign language enough? Due to the block schedule at my school I can only take 2-3 years. If I take two years of a language, both being AP (Span Lit and Lang) will it look “good” on my college applications as opposed to someone who took multiple years of a language.Note: I am a native Spanish speaker so I am sure I will do well on both the class and the exam. Thank you.
If you took 2 years of a foreign language, but they were both AP, and you’re surely proficient in both english and the other language, I think you’re fine. Take Spanish subject test if you feel necessary but I think the 2 years of AP foreign languages stand on their own
While you may fulfill the foreign language requirement being a native Spanish speaker, and by taking 2 years of AP’s in Spanish, it likely will not look as good as someone else who is a native speaker and took an additional language offered in their high school. Don’t get me wrong, it will fulfill the language requirement, but it may not be as competitive as someone else who goes the extra mile to learn another foreign language.
If you haven’t started taking spanish I highly advice against it. Being a native speaker and taking AP does not equal rigor because they assume it comes naturally to you. I suggest you take another language offered at your school and go past 2 years for a highly selective college.
My school does not offer another language
Taking AP will fulfill your language requirement. It’s too bad your school doesn’t offer another language.
That’s a shame, but passing the AP exam will fulfill your entrance requirements. Good luck.
Highest level completed generally matters the most. AP level is seen as level 4 or 5.
Your school does not offer AP for other language or no other world language course at all? Anyway, if you take AP Spanish, it would fulfill the requirement, but it may not as competitive as those non-native speaker taking the same AP in the eyes of AO.
Asked and answered. That said, the AO’s will view it in the context of the school’s offerings. If only Spanish if offered, there is no expectation that the student should make up shortfalls in the HS curriculum. Although if interested in pursuing another language, there are online options and community college options available.
AP Lang and AP Lit will be considered equivalent to Level 4/5 so you’re good, but for highly selective colleges (we’re talking HYPSM, Amherst, Williams, Pomona, Harvey Mudd) it’d help if you took both of these, and 2 community college classes in another language (perhaps over the summer and online?) because native speakers are supposed to demonstrate knowledge of a foreign language (outside of their native/heritage language).
If you’re truly bilingual and successfully complete AP Span Lang and Lit, you’re in great shape as far as foreign languages are concerned.
I agree that schools don’t like to see your foreign language as being one you are a native speaker of. I would ask your guidance counselor to include in your recommendation that Spanish was the only option available in the school and that the number of classes you could take were limited by the school’s block schedule.
For someone with truly native fluency and literacy in a non-English language, the AP level courses are probably a waste of time. But whether colleges will accept 5 scores on the two AP tests (without the corresponding courses) as fulfilling their expectation of foreign language work (in the absence of any course work in a third language, due to lack of offerings) is another story, and one which may vary depending on the college.
Alternatively, you could ask the colleges to which you plan to apply. 
I don’t know about the being a native speaker part…But my son (not a native speaker) took only 2 years of Spanish in high school but got to level 3 (because he took some in junior high). He was ready to be done (wanted to fill his schedule with more STEM classes), so we checked websites of schools he was interested in and/or emailed the admissions offices. In general it seemed it was acceptable to get to level 3 (so certainly AP would be!), in 2 years to count for the suggested 3 years of a foreign language.
So it seems generally acceptable, but you should probably follow skieurope’s advice and check with the schools you are interested in.
(By the way, he was admitted ED to Harvey Mudd, so it certainly didn’t hurt him!)
Many schools offer the Level 1 world language in middle school. Same case in my school district, otherwise, one would not be able to complete the AP level within high school as there are 4 levels before that.
Depends on the school. Many have AP Language as level 4 and AP Lit as level 5.
If this was in response to my post…I didn’t mean to imply that this was unusual. I was simply offering to the OP that having only 2 years of a language but getting to at least level 3 is sufficient. Some college websites say they recommend 3 years of a foreign language and do not clarify whether it means 3 years (regardless of the level) or simply reaching level 3.
But again I recommend the OP ask the schools of interest.
And by the way, my D did 1-3 and then AP (skipping level 4) as a senior, so she was able to get to AP in 4 years.