Lets say that you are a freshman in HS and took Spanish II,
and then you transfer to a WAYYYYY (top tier HS) better HS and take Spanish I, how will Ivys and T20s think about this?
Most colleges would consider that inappropriate.
It depends
For starters, if you transferred to a top tier HS like, say, Exeter, you’d have to take a placement test. If you placed into Spanish I, then the college would likely think that all your freshman grades are suspect because that first HS must really suck if you could not even place out of Spanish I.
Alternatively, if you try to tank the placement test (which said top tier HS will see right through and end up placing you in at least Spanish II anyway) in order to get a GPA boost by retaking Spanish I, then the college would likely (and correctly) assume that you are challenge-averse.
There’s no upside here for you.
Why would you do such a thing?
What you’re suggesting is that your work in Spanish II at the first school did not qualify you to take Spanish II or higher at the new school? Since you attended the first school during high school, you would be sending both transcripts, so they will see what was done. I don’t know for sure, but most likely they will look at the profile of both schools and recognize that your preparation from the first school was not adequate. What you might need to look out for is any language requirements in the application process, because if they are looking for “3 years of language,” that typically means up to level 3 or more, If they are looking for 2 years, and you stop at level 1 in the new school, I’m not sure how they will treat that. You also need to ask the new school how this impacts your ability to graduate on time, as they might not accept that Spanish II as credit - or may treat it as elective credit. If you need two years of language, you might need to complete THEIR Spanish II class. If the second school is that much better, the guidance counselor at that school might also be that much better, and might already be familiar with such situations.
Okay, what if I took Spanish II again (Again, Spanish II at this school is very challenging)
Also, I will be going up to Spanish III by senior year if I took Spanish I sophmore, and Spanish IV if I take Spanish II
Also is previous HS is still top 70 in the US
Top 50*
If the previous school was top 50, you might be OK retaking Spanish II if the new school in known for a tough curriculum. But as suggested above, dropping back to Spanish I would raise red flags. If you had completed Spanish II in 8th grade, it might work, because nobody would see your 8th grade transcript. If you want to start at a lower level, I would pick a different language, though you won’t have the advantage of previous study.
You see I had to self teach spanish I, and had a lot of gaps in my knowledge, also if anyone is curious, this school is Stuyvesant.
Your dates and High school ranking do not add up.
How so?
I think you need to progress according to where you would have been in your old HS. That means if you’ve already taken Spanish II, you need to move to Spanish III. Work hard, get tutors. Catch up as quickly as you can.
At that point I already knew about my acceptance
If I was to do that I would need to learn ~2 years of spanish in like a month lol, and I have many other classes to worry about
How about switching to another language at level 1, as previously mentioned? My daughter freshman year was place in Honors Spanish 2, but never enjoyed Spanish so dropped it for Latin 1. You can still get in 3 years.
If you feel stuck, what about switching languages, or if your HS will let you, skip a year and then spend next summer in Spain studying and resume an upper level Spanish next year?
It is not uncommon if a student moves to a top HS as the new high school’s curriculum may cover more than the old HS. So if the new HS thinks that Spanish II is the correct placement, it’s not an issue.
Foreign languages, like Math, build on foundational skills. If a student was not adequately prepared to move into another school’s second year language class, then they should repeat the first year in order to get that foundation. That is why kids starting boarding school often repeat a year in order to adjust to the higher rigor and expectations at the new school.