<p>I'm planning on being a Math/ Bio major as I'm still not sure if I want to go to med school or into math, so which language would be best? I've heard a lot of Math grad schools want you to know either German, Russian, or French, true?</p>
<p>Hungarian: [Study</a> Mathematics in Hungary - Budapest Semesters in Mathematics](<a href=“http://www.budapestsemesters.com/]Study”>http://www.budapestsemesters.com/)
Never mind, the courses are taught in English.</p>
<p>Actually, I don’t know that many graduate schools require a language anymore in STEM fields, but it can’t hurt. Back in the day (a long time ago) when a family member started out in chemistry, German (or, sometimes, Russian) was required.
If you ever meet Perelman, maybe he’d talk to you if you spoke Russian.<a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/22/science/22cnd-math.html[/url]”>http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/22/science/22cnd-math.html</a></p>
<p>The only language I’d recommend as a math major is computer language - i.e. learn to program. These 2 majors go hand in hand. You don’t need any other foreign langauge for med school - from personal experience.</p>
<p>Unless you alreadt have a good start in a foreign language (i.e. AP language) and you with to continue this langauge in college - I’d back the foreign langauge and do a double major in Conputer Science.</p>
<p>IMHO</p>
<p>CJ</p>
<p>That’s “bag” the foreign language - not back. Sorry for the typo.</p>
<p>CJ</p>
<p>Harvard requirements:</p>
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<p>[Mathematics</a> - The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences](<a href=“http://www.gsas.harvard.edu/programs_of_study/mathematics.php]Mathematics”>http://www.gsas.harvard.edu/programs_of_study/mathematics.php)</p>
<p>MIT requirements:</p>
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<p><a href=“http://www-math.mit.edu/academics/grad/timeline/language.html[/url]”>http://www-math.mit.edu/academics/grad/timeline/language.html</a></p>
<p>I wonder why… for the international cooperation?</p>
<p>^ Perhaps…but since the requirement specifies a reading knowledge, the reason is most likely to read research that is not published in English.</p>
<p>French, then German, then Russian, all for historical reasons, big mathematics producing countries, back in the day. Fermat, Descartes, Bernoulli, DeMoivre, Pascal, Poincare, Bourbaki, Borel, Cantor, Euler, Hilbert, Gauss, Leibniz, Riemann, Kolmogorov, Chebyshev, Markov are a few of the names that may appear in many mathematics classes.</p>
<p>The way math is going, it would probably be in your best interest to learn Chinese.</p>
<p>Chinese students are rapidly filling up quantitative grad school programs.</p>
<p>But only the Chinese read Chinese journals, and the quality isn’t there yet. And it’s much tougher to go from English to Mandarin than to go from English to another indo-european language. At least in pure math, there are still a number of strong publications in Europe in French, German and Russian that are regularly read by the experts in the field.</p>
<p>Kolmogorov is <3 Saved my butt many times!</p>
<p>As per Coolweather’s post - Some Grad Schools require foreign language “competency” - so it is well advised to keep that in mind.</p>
<p>However, Med School does not require a foreign language and not all Grad Schools either.</p>
<p>As said above - it doesn’t “hurt” to be competent in a language other than English.</p>
<p>Reserach your possible career paths and plan accordingly. If you already have foreign language experience - continue in college and complete the rquirements quic wker that way.</p>
<p>IMHO, you will never be “Fluent” in a foreign language unless you “immerse” yourself in that language and culture. That can be at home if someone in your family speaks German, Russian, Italian, etc. Or - study abroad.</p>
<p>You will likely have to take a foreign language test/competency exam in Grad School to prove you knowledge.</p>
<p>CJ</p>
<p>For mathematics: French. German and Russian may be important for historical reasons, but many French mathematicians are still publishing predominantly in French today.</p>
<p>I would say Russian or French. </p>
<p>Germans tend to be fluent in English and don’t have qualms about publishing in it. Also, most people who want their work to receive the most global attention publish in English anyway. </p>
<p>Like the previous poster said, French mathematicians (or any body else) tend to still publish in French. </p>
<p>Russian is great for accessing the literature of the great scholarly works of Russian mathematicians, particularly from the Soviet era.</p>
<p>Would a university in the US have math books in Russian in their libraries? How about the chances of that for LAC’s?</p>