<p>My son is a 10th grader. He is in a unique situation with his world language program. He will be completing the highest course offered at his school this year which is AP (Advanced Placement) French. This proficiency is thanks to out stay in Switzerland for a few years during his middle school. Now, most colleges require 3 years of the same language.
Can you recommend a college level online course that he can take to get college credits and complete the 3 year obligation?</p>
<p>Actually, “3 years” for a FL indicates level reached, ie., the minimal level required is French 3 (or FL3). Since AP = 5, he’s completed the minimum requirement. However, he may want to show he’s trying to challenge himself and/or not forget his language skills by taking a dual-enrollment class in it. First, it’ll show colleges he’s able to do the work and withstand the pace; second, it’ll ensure he doesn’t forget it! And third, it’ll make it very, very easy to add it as a minor and it’ll distinguish him from the majority of applicants by showing he did not waste the benefits of spending time in Switzerland. :)</p>
<p>One thing many parents don’t realize in 10th grade is SAT subject tests are required for admission to many colleges. There is a French subject test offered and colleges are very impressed by high scores in language subject tests. If he decides not to continue with French next year and he thinks he could do well on it, he might want to sit for the French subject test at the end of this school year while it is fresh in his mind. We didn’t realize subject tests were required until our S was a senior and by then he had forgotten a good bit of his language.</p>
<p>I too thought that “3 or 4 years of a FL” meant the level you reach; but at some of the “highly selective schools” they want to see actual YEARS of a foreign language, and when possible “in a continuous language”. Clearly, if your school doesn’t offer anything above AP French, then he can demonstrate that. But we were told that our D should then switch to a first year of a second language that our school offered. Background - Several of our D’s prospective colleges recommend or require four years of a foreign language and our D had already completed AP Span as a junior. The only option was AP Span Lit or a new language - and the schools, in their responses to us, used politically correct words to basically state she needed to take a 4th year of a foreign language to be competitive with the other applicants.</p>
<p>Since your son is only a sophomore and probably doesn’t have a list of schools he is interested in, I would protect himself worse case and take another year of foreign language somehow, somewhere until he can determine the colleges he is interested in.</p>
<p>Check around at the community colleges and 4-year institutions in your area. Some might have an evening or weekend class he could fit into, or a course offered through distance ed. Your own home state public Us may well have decent distance ed offerings.</p>
<p>And while he’s taking those exams, have him squeeze in a CLEP if it is offered. Depending on where he ends up in college and his CLEP score, he might receive two full years of foreign language credit.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the valuable info. My S’s guidance counselor is also trying to get him to do Spanish 1 and 2 after he finish AP French. He’d rather take another elective than learn another language at this point. Besides, he wants to puruse French in College as well as a minor.
I think he wants to do an online course and get credit. I’ve looked at University of Wisonsin’s (Madison) Independent Study program for high school students especially for world languages. I can’t seem to find any reviews on their program although they are listed on many of the online/distance lerning forums and web sites.
Does anyone know of this program?</p>
<p>And yes - my S plans to take the AP exam and SAT subject test at the end of this year.</p>
<p>Note that once he is in college, he can/should consult the French department about correct placement in French courses, regardless of whether he has prior AP or college credit in French. College language departments know that students with knowledge of a foreign language from life experience or heritage learning are hardly unusual or unique and generally won’t make such students waste either the student’s time or the school’s time in beginner level courses that the student is already beyond in language skill.</p>
<p>If your son wants to learn another language quickly, s/he could go to the Concordia Language camps.
However if he plans on minoring in French, he should take as many college classes as possible. That would allow him to minor/major very quickly since he’d likely bypass the first 4 semester (at least).
AP is B1 level, SAT2 is A2 level, so it should be a piece of cake for him. Right now if he has reached a certain level of fluency, in order to “work on his skills” at his age-level rather than at the age he was in middle school, he should be working at B2 level (equivalent to 4th/5th semester college), read novels (they can be ya novels - if you need recommendations just ask :p), watch films etc.</p>
<p>Other ways to practice French reading skills:</p>
<p>[url=<a href=“http://news.google.com/news?ned=fr]Google”>http://news.google.com/news?ned=fr]Google</a> Actualit</p>