<p>I am from hong kong, and have studied chinese for pretty much all my life. So for the foreign language class i have to take in the school i am going to attend, i decided to choose chinese. But after taking the placement test they said that i was too 'advanced to be placed in a class' and i could either join a class they called 'advanced chinese reading' or start a new language. I am not sure whether i should complete the advanced chinese reading course and take my AP, and spend the last 3 years taking a new language, or whether i should just start a new language from scratch, and if i do i am not sure whether i should take spanish or latin/greek. I am trying to keep in mind that a lot of the ivy league have a 4 year foreign language requirement. so if i do one year of chinese and 3 years or another language, will i still be able to say that i have studied 4 years or chinese since i have studied it in my previous school?</p>
<p>Well most people cant take an AP in 9th grade so you could take another foreign language and if you do take latin/greek</p>
<p>but why latin/greek? will it benefit me more?</p>
<p>they just want 4 yrs, not 4 yrs of one lang. Latin and greek will benefit you b/c 1. either is actually not a real language so you can learn it in 3 yrs, rather than a real language that you could only learn once you immerse yourself in it. 2. great for those pesky SAT sections</p>
<p>Latin and Greek are “easier” in that the focus is not on writing and speaking and listening, but only on translation. Grammatically, they’re arguably more difficult than most languages if you have trouble dealing with the structure. On the other hand, they do help with English vocabulary, though so would French or German. I’ve found Greek to be harder than Latin, German, Italian, Spanish, French, and even what little I’ve learned of Japanese, while Latin is more likely to be offered. It may not be your thing, though.</p>
<p>Why not discuss this with the Director of College Advising at your new school? That person is familiar with ivy admissions, and is in the best position to start you in the right direction.</p>
<p>Some people find 4 years of Latin boring. With Spanish, you can not only read and translate, but also speak, watch television/movies, read newspapers/magazines, study abroad, etc.</p>
<p>I think that you should be guided by your interests. If you want to take the readings in Chinese class, do so. If you want to learn another language, decide if there is an area of the world that interests you, and take their language.</p>
<p>Whether you take that Chinese class or not, you should take the AP Chinese test as well as the SAT II Subject test in Chinese next year. If you end up “only” having 3 years of a third language after receiving a “5” on the AP Chinese exam, I doubt if any college would look down on that. My son is doing that, having earned a 5 in Spanish, and is now taking Chinese.</p>