Common App Language Proficiency

As I’m sure many of you guys know, on the Common App, it asks about language proficiency. I have a couple questions on that subject.

  1. I’m more or less fluent in Spanish. My question with regards to this one is about speaking the language at home. My dad is fluent in Spanish as well (he lived in Mexico for a few years), and we converse in it whenever the conversation doesn’t involve my mom or brothers. Does this count as speaking at home? Or is that box intended for native speakers?

  2. I can read Russian and Hebrew but I’m far from fluent in either language. Should I check off the “Read” box and include these languages?

Thanks!

Please help!

How regularly of a basis are you communicating in Spanish? I think speak at home is intended for people who speak Spanish at home a majority of the time (i.e. you’re speaking it every day and more frequently than English or any other language). Are you proficient in reading Russian/Hebrew? Not just being able to read most of it or if necessary, but truly fluent in reading it. For me, proficiency in reading means you see a sentence in either of the languages and can understand it without translating every word in your head. Not sure if that makes sense, but hopefully you get what I mean.

Thanks so much for the help @virgosun! I understand what you mean about the proficiency and in the house I’d say I speak probably two-thirds English and one-third spanish so I probably wouldn’t check that box.

No problem @Ben180 . You can also check with a college counselor if you have access to one.

This is self-reported, and gives the admissions offices a little more information about you, but it is not going to make or break any admissions decision.