Foreign Language at Prep Schools.

<p>I have a friend at Hotchkiss whos doubled on languages her entire time there so far, but she said it kind of messes around with her graduation requirements. </p>

<p>If you want to take two languages at Andover as a freshman you generally drop your science course, and they don't let you do that unless you qualify for chem as a freshman. </p>

<p>Sophmore year you can double up as well but you have to find a way to squeeze in the lower program (PE, theater, RelPhil, and maybe History 200, but I think you just don't take it) before you graduate. Or you can take it as a sixth course (for credit) if you received honors grades the previous term.</p>

<p>By uppper year you can probably fit it in with minimal difficulty (most people who take two langauges start upper year) and by senior year you can definitely do two (or more) since most of your requirements are done by then.</p>

<p>In short, taking two languages is definitely possible but a little tricky. But hey, if that's your thing why not go for it?</p>

<p>Hopefully the guidance counselors will help me out with this kind of stuff.. lol.</p>

<p>I have a while anyway. I haven't even been accepted yet, or even applied. lol.</p>

<p>What language background do you have right now, jk? How many years of what.</p>

<p>Barely any.</p>

<p>I know if I study hard, really hard, I could be placed in French II, or the equivalent, by the time school starts.</p>

<p>Emphasis on the 'really' probably. Languages at Exeter (and this I don't like so much, I find a little cruel) are really quite intense in the 100s level--at least, that's my impression, I never experienced it first hand. But looking at what people are taking in over the course of just one year, it's a huge amount of material. By the time people hit French 210, they've really done quite a lot. Call up and ask for a rundown of what you'd find on the placement test (they mail it to you) so that you'll know what you'll have to prepare.</p>

<p>If it makes you feel any better, French runs one term less than the other courses for completion of the required "language credit" level--i.e. what you need to fulfill your language requirement (I think it is 7 terms / complete any 330 level or above course). For French, it stops at 320, so that's one term less than Spanish or Chinese or what have you.</p>

<p>First year latin I saw my room mate suffer through--I knew what he was doing since I'd done latin through 9th grade, and it was pretty intense. Lots to learn first year languages...</p>

<p>I'm torn between learning French or Spanish. I really want to take both. ahhhh</p>

<p>It's not that easy to take two languages at my d's prep school. As a freshman
she wanted to double up and take French & Spanish for all four years, but
it required dropping a history course and then a science course later on.
So she took French only. She'll probably wind up with 4 years of French
(including independent study senior yr) and 2 years of Spanish (junior
and senior years). Don't forget you can also do some summer study
in a second language. Good luck!</p>

<p>I'm fluent at both Latin and Spanish (800 SAT subject test on both.) I know some kids who are taking three languages at Milton...</p>

<p>I know someone at Andover whose going to take 3 languages next year, two at the AP level. He had to rework his schedule though, drop math, and juggle a few requirements, but it's possible. I wouldn't recommend it though until at least 11th grade, and I doubt anyone would want to take just two years of a language. Then again Andover offers a 195 course specially designed for new seniors and interested uppers who want to take another language. They cover the first two years of the language in one, so you'd be able to advance to a 300 course the following year. It might be possible for a 9th grader to do this, but I've never heard of the facilty ever allowing it. Like I said though, it's possible, but you'd have to be really committed to learning two languages</p>

<p>To my certain knowledge it is perfectly possible to take two languages all the way through at St. Paul's and still do a full complement of math and science to an AP standard. If you do classical honours this would be the expected level of performance but you could do it also with two modern languages or a classical language plus a modern language which is what my daughter did.</p>