Foreign Language requirement

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Wisconsin
1

<p>Currently a Junior
ACT: 31
GPA 3.96
Somewhat involved in school activities
A lot of community service</p>

<p>My main issue is that I only have one year of foreign language
(I skipped Spanish 1 and took Spanish 2 freshman year, but I haven't taken any since)</p>

<p>I'm taking AP/honors courses in Science, Math and English and I've taken many History/Social Studies courses (But not AP)</p>

<p>Is that fact that I only have one year of foreign language going to keep my application from even being considered?</p>

2

<p>I believe Madison requires that you have had a minimum of 2 years of the same foreign language (in a classroom)
If you do not meet the min requirement then yes you will not be considered</p>

3

<p>Would the fact that I had Spanish in 7th and 8th grade help me at all?</p>

<p>Or am I going to have to drop an AP science course next year to fit in Spanish 3?</p>

4

<p>Middle school doesn’t count at all. Need two years, and they usually want to see four years.</p>

5

<p>[Freshman</a> Applicants: Requirements and Expectations - Office of Admissions at the University of Wisconsin-Madison](<a href=“http://www.admissions.wisc.edu/freshman/requirements.php]Freshman”>http://www.admissions.wisc.edu/freshman/requirements.php)</p>

6

<p>Okay, so I would have been better off taking Spanish 1 and 2 in high school and ignoring the fact that I tested out of 1?</p>

<p>I’m just trying to figure all this out.</p>

7

<p>If you have high school credit for Spanish 1 then you should be okay. You need to make sure you have the real credit. If you just randomly skipped it then you probably won’t be considered. However it got a lot more competitive this year and two years of foreign language might not stand up well against those who have more.</p>

<p>I got in with two years of foreign language last year though, so it’s possible.</p>

8

<p>Alright thanks for the info, I’m going to meet with my counselor tomorrow and get this figured out. Thanks for the info :D</p>

9

<p>

</p>

<p>This is not true at all. I had this same question when I applied, as I had taken French in 7th and 8th grade and then only one year of French in high school (French 2). I e-mailed admissions to ask and they told me that the 7th and 8th grade French did count for one year of French so I met the minimum requirement of two years.</p>

<p>For questions like this, it’s really better to e-mail admissions than ask in an online forum. They respond quickly and definitively, so there’s no reason not to ask them.</p>

10

<p>I think peachyone means that classes such as “pre spanish” and “middle school spanish” do not count towards the language requirements. In MS, they let you know whether a class gives you HS credit or not (or at least they did for me). My spanish 1 class that I took in 8th is on my HS transcript.</p>

<p>However I do agree with what you said about calling and asking. There are just some things I people do that baffle me… but it’s just best to point them in the right direction and let them figure it out…</p>

11

<p>If the middle school foreign language is followed by a year of HS level 2 foreign language then you will have the 2 units/years of it. It isn’t necessary to get HS credit- doing well in the next level in Hs means your middle school course counts. However, most students will have more. Meeting minimal requirements can work, but makes you less competitive. L&S at UW requires 3 of one foreign language for a BS degree, 3 of one plus 2 of another or 4 of one for a BA. Many students will complete their college foreign language requirement in HS. You have to balance this with taking an AP course. Discuss with your HS guidance counselor. With a 2 year gap in taking the language you’re probably better off sticking with the AP course you want.</p>