college's requirement for foreign language

Colleges and Universities A-Z California Institute of Technology
1

<p>Do colleges have certain requirements for foreign language? The high school here requires two years of foreign language study to graduate, however, I heard that some colleges require three years of foreign language study, is it true? Any one know if colleges have any special requirement? Does it look bad on your resume when you only have two years of foreign language study?</p>

<p>Thanks in advance .</p>

2

<p>It depends on the college. Caltech's recommendations for high school coursework, as found at <a href="http://admissions.caltech.edu/admissions/faqs/#frosh_hs_qa1%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://admissions.caltech.edu/admissions/faqs/#frosh_hs_qa1&lt;/a>, are:</p>

<pre><code>* 4 years of math (calculus recommended)

  • 1 year of physics

  • 1 year of chemistry

  • 3 years of English (4 years recommended)

  • 1 year of U.S. history/government (waived for international students)
    </code></pre>

<p>Various other colleges specifically recommend some amount of foreign language study. However, struggling through four years (where not required) solely in an attempt to show "commitment" is a waste of time and energy that could be devoted to a true interest.</p>

3

<p>Liberal arts college will be more likely than science/technical schools to expect a certain amount of foreign language. You should look at the requirements for a selection of colleges in the areas your child is interested in. It definitely won't look bad (at least for science/technical schools) to have the minimum language courses required. It'll be understood (and should be obvious) that the time was probably used for science/math courses instead.</p>

4

<p>Better yet, your child should look at the requirements ;)</p>

5

<p>Thanks for all the responses.</p>