<p>First off, I'll start saying I'm currently a high school junior, so I have time to think. HOWEVER, I really love languages, and currently take German and French. That said, I would like to major in both but was wondering if that is A) possible at Dartmouth, and B) if it would be too hard to even attempt a double major in languages at Dartmouth.
Thanks!</p>
<p>I don’t think it would be too difficult to major in two languages, particularly if you have already started both of them. The D plan allows for taking two terms abroad, also, which gives you the opportunity to do FSAs in both languages. </p>
<p>S is majoring in a language and minoring in linguistics. At one point he was thinking of at least minoring in Russian, which he started freshman year at D as his third foreign language overall. The problem is that the dept only offers the first two years of the language in sequence: Fall 1, Winter 2, Spring 3, Fall 4, Winter 5, Spring 6. No basic courses during the summer. So if you are not on campus for a term, you have to wait until next year to pick up the sequence. It’s likely that this limits the number of people who are able to start Russian at D and major or double major in it. Another issue with the dept is the term abroad: the Russian term is only available in the summer. This means that if you wanted to go after freshman year, you would have to apply during your first term of the language, possibly before you even know if you really like it or want to continue in it. If you don’t apply then, the next time is Sophomore Summer. It’s a shame to miss that, which leaves you with the summer after junior year. If you have succeeded in somehow getting through two years of Russian by that point, you might be more advanced than is ideal. </p>
<p>I have no idea if this is the case with the other language departments–I think some of them offer basic courses in multiple terms–but if you were thinking of adding a new language you might want to look into it and plan accordingly.</p>
<p>BTW, S is a nevermore. :)</p>