<p>Though I am notoriously a college flip-flopper, I have been resolute for a record two weeks (GASP) about applying ED to Smith... in true CCer fashion, I'm beginning to consider what classes I'll take if I get in, so I just have a few questions...</p>
<p>I want to take a whole slew of languages, but I don't want to ONLY take languages. Is the typical Smith course load 4? If so, do people break this mold? If NOT, what is it? </p>
<p>Also, my friend is a Smithie and she takes Arabic at Amherst. Does this mean that Smith doesn't offer Arabic, or did she simply choose to take it at Amherst? What other languages doesn't Smith offer that are offered through the consortium*?</p>
<p>Yes, a typical course load is four classes, but a few people (myself included) do take five courses per semester. Some classes aren't as difficult as others, and you'll learn once you arrive which ones to take when.</p>
<p>Arabic is offered at Smith, but only at the elementary and intermediate levels. There is a Five College program that also offers Arabic, but I couldn't tell you why she's chosen to take it elsewhere. </p>
<p>The typical courseload is four and believe me it IS plenty. Especially if you plan on doing extra currics. Some people, like smithiegr do take more than 4, but it's not that common because it is taxing, and often those 5 classes are a mix of heavier and lighter courses. </p>
<p>Smith offers Arabic, and it's better than taking the Five College program because it's more structured. The teachers at Smith are very good, and the program continues to grow. Right now we offer just intermediate and beginning, both courses are a year long and you need to take both semesters in order to get credit for either. I anticipate that next year a third level will be offered, once there's a large enough cadre to support it. </p>
<p>Wanting to take a lot of languages is a common desire, but honestly, I would discourage it. Intro language courses are very intensive, they take a lot of time and have a lot of homework. One is more than enough. Also, most require a year long time committment, so that means that both first and second semester you will be booked up. And they usually conflict in terms of meeting time. I'm not trying to rain on your parade, but it's important to be realistic. </p>
<p>There will always be more Smith classes available that you want to take than you will have room in your schedule. It's really hard to make those choices, beleive me I've done it for four years. Prioritize, be focused, and remember that you don't need to do it all right away. </p>
<p>One more thing about the Five College language program. </p>
<p>I know this is true with Arabic, I'm not sure about other languages, but they don't all use the same book. Smith and UMASS use different teaching systems (UMASS uses the orange book, Smith uses Al-Kitaab) and they're not very compatible. I'm not sure what Amherst uses, but overall I would reccommend taking the language classes at Smith because that way you'll be in the same learning system the whole way, and for Arabic that makes a big difference. </p>
<p>The Five College program I was referring to above is the Five College tutored language program, which is run out of the Five College Language Center at UMASS and allows you to individually enroll in a self directed language course where you work partially with a tutor, but mostly on your own. It sounds good, but in practice, it's hard to maintain the discipline you need to learn a language without the structure of a formal course. Also, Smith's rules for granting credit through the tutoring program are really screwy. You don't get full four credits and you don't get any credit unless you stick it for several semesters. </p>
<p>Again, not to be a killjoy, just letting you know. But htis program does offer languages like Hindi and Urdu and other languages that are hard to find in the college system. </p>
<p>Smith offers French, German, Italian, Spanish, Arabic, Russian, Latin, Greek (ancient), Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and I think a few others (maybe? not sure), which is quite a bit to choose from IMO, but I'm not sure what you're looking for precisely.</p>
<p>Thank you both, and thanks SmithieandProud for the advice! I would like to take Spanish AND Arabic while continuing French... ha, I guess it's not all that realistic. I'll choose either Arabic or Spanish but if I do then I don't know if I'll start in my first year, because I know I want to work abroad but am not sure where...</p>
<p>Hey Bustles! I'm a first year at Smith and I wanted to mirror what SmithieandProud said about the language courses. I'm taking an Intro to Japanese course right now and believe me, one language course is plenty. Not only that, but language courses here at Smith are usually five credit hours a piece, and tend to be four to five days a week.</p>
<p>As far as studying abroad, if you want to do JYA (Junior Year Abroad) you'll probably have to start taking language classes in either Arabic or Spanish your first year. Smith usually requires four semesters of language to go overseas, this is regardless of level. For instance: if you test out of Spanish 110, you still have to take Spanish 220 and Spanish 300 to be qualified to go overseas. </p>
<p>It's true that if you want to go abroad to a program with a language requirement, you need to consider that early on. </p>
<p>However, Smith only requires four semesters of language for its own JYA programs (Florence, Paris, Geneva, Hamburg). The programs that are in other countries and run by other schools or independent programs, often don't have a language requirement or one that's as stringent as the 4 semester rule for Smith programs. </p>
<p>Intro language classes are five credits, and they usually are five days a week (intro arabic however is three days a week and four credits). But after that, your language courses will be twice or three days a week.</p>
<p>I love Smith and want to take a slew of language classes there, too, Bustles! Maybe we'll be in a class together :-)
I'm taking French, Spanish, and Latin this year, but I'd love to drop Latin and pick up Russian.</p>
<p>Most students take 4 classes per semester. My d. often took 5 (and one semester 6), but that certainly wasn't the norm (and one semester, she went over the credits limit, and they made her drop one.)</p>
<p>I hate to burst your guys' bubble, but I can honestly tell you that I doubt you'll be able to fulfill a major and take three languages. Or that you'll be able to keep up with three languages especially if one is new. Unless of course, you only want to take language classes or foreign language literature classes and never study anything else. That's a choice of course, but it won't let you take the best advantage of what Smith has to offer.</p>
<p>My D often took 20 units but that load included 2 2-unit courses. The killer about the 2 unit courses isn't the work load per se but just the amount of <em>time</em> the courses gobble up, time that can't be used for other things, like your other classes or sleeping. Taking a load of 5 4-unit courses is not something I'd recommend for all but the most masochistic and sleep-immune student.</p>
<p>As for taking multiple languages, I suppose it's possible but only if you don't care about your GPA. I heard more "it killed my GPA" stories about languages than any other group of courses, including English and Math.</p>
<p>I know that taking three languages isn't a good use of my time and that it would be difficult... but I love them so much, and I really do feel like I have a talent for them. I don't know. If my GPA were only evaluated based on my languages, I'd have a 3.98 or something like that. Unfortunately... it's not.</p>
<p>One of the hard truths about college is that you can't do everything you want. Every semester wonderful classes go by that I wish I could take, but it's just not possible to do it all. It's not that languages are a waste of your time, it's just that there is so much to explore, you really have to prioritize.</p>
<p>I know, it's hard. But just think that you have four years to explore and learn all kinds of exciting stuff, and when you get to college I 100% garauntee you that you're going to drastically change all of the things you're interested in as you become exposed to subjects and ideas that you never really considered in high school. Plus, you'll always have the chance to study abroad or do a post-graduate fellowship to learn more languages, but when else can you take "The History of Fascism Through Propaganda Art" or "Victorian Medevialism" or "How the Internet Works"? Take advantage!</p>