<p>Do any med schools require a college level foreign language requirement? My son is a 12th grader next year, and would like to not take college level Spanish in 12th grade, and stay with band. His guidance counselor advises him to take the college level Spanish in 12th grade, her reasoning is that he could get the college credit for the language. I think most BS degree's do not have a foreign language requirement anyway, and I don't think he will be getting a BA degree. Any advice?</p>
<p>A lot of places don’t require knowing Spanish, but it is one of those “plusses” in an application, especially in urban areas (where there are often more Spanish-only patients). But if he isn’t planning on taking it in college, I would say just let him take band. If he’s taking band in senior year, that means he has likely taken it at least through high school and likely even before. It’s probably a second family to him by now. That would be more important to me than getting an extra class or two off the graduation requirements.</p>
<p>Unless you’re strapped for cash, and he’s going to try to graduate early. That’s a different story.</p>
<p>Some colleges still do have a FL requirement as part of their GE requirements for graduation. All our state universities do. Check the graduation requirements at the colleges your son will most likely be applying to. Esp check your state universities’ requirements.</p>
<p>If you live in a southwestern/Rocky Mtn state (CA, AZ, NM, TX, UT, CO) having Spanish will be asset when it comes to applying to med school. (Seriously, 2 years ago the ONLY question on our state med school’s secondary was “What language other than English are you fluent in?” And the answer they were looking for wasn’t German or Italian.)</p>
<p>I also know the JHU expects its applicants to be “fluent” in a language other than English.</p>
<p>But, AFAIK, no medical school has a formal foreign language requirement.</p>
<p>I don’t know of any med school that has a foreign language requirement, but would imagine many universities have foreign language requirements (for both BS and BA degrees) - my alma mater (UCLA) had a requirement of a year of foreign language as part of the general education degree requirements for all students.</p>
<p>Basically, med schools only “require” the pre-req courses and that you have a Bachelor’s degree and have taken the MCAT.</p>
<p>If your son ever plans on going to a med school or do a residency in southern California, it’s essentially an unwritten requirement that you know Spanish.</p>
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<p>Thats a bit too strong a statement - its not a requirement (unwritten or otherwise) that you speak Spanish to go to school or residency in SoCal. It is certainly a benefit and a desired trait (for certain residencies), but by no means a requirement.
There are some residencies in Southern California whose main hospital sees way more Korean-speaking or Chinese-speaking patients than Spanish-speaking (and even in those residencies, there is no de facto bilingual requirement). Don’t make such broad generalizations.</p>
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<p>Well, it’s a written “high recommendation” from UCLA Med.</p>
<p>Unfortunately for my daughter, I’m assuming there is not much need for Greek or Latin. :(</p>
<p>Or Polish or German, for that matter. (As D1’s BF found out.)</p>
<p>If you ACTUALLY want to UNDERSTAND all of the medical terminology, learn Latin.</p>
<p>Sent from my DROIDX using CC App</p>
<p>My big state school required foreign language for gen ed requirements. I’m sure you can find out whether your son’s future school will require foreign languages. Just look on their websites or call their admission offices.</p>
<p>At my school, the requirement was 4 semesters of the same language, which could be satisfied by 4 years or levels of the same language in high school. I took Spanish IV junior year of high school, and when I got to college, my requirements were met.</p>
<p>It is wise to find the FL requirements in the UG school. It could be a unpleasant surprise if the FL grading is very harsh in the college you plan to attend. The last thing you want to get is a “B” for the FL grade no matter how useful it is.</p>
<p>*Unfortunately for my daughter, I’m assuming there is not much need for Greek or Latin. *</p>
<p>lol</p>
<p>Is your D a Classics major?</p>
<p>That said, if she knows Latin, she probably could learn Spanish rather easily. </p>
<p>And, certainly knowing Latin is a big help with medical terminology…and gardening :)</p>
<p>^
Yes, a Classics major applying this cycle, but what the heck does gardening have to do with Latin? Both her and I could kill a fake tree…seriously.</p>
<p>OP:</p>
<p>carefully check the colleges your son might be interested in. My kid’s college does in fact require a FL for a BS; it’s a graduation requirement for both BA & BS.</p>
<p>Thanks all for your responses. I have checked a few of the schools he MIGHT be interested in, but as an 11th grader, I know that might change. I don’t see any foreign language requirement in any BS degrees in the schools I have looked at so far. To find the gen ed degree requirements in each school is so tedious! What schools do have foreign language requirements in BS degrees? And it seems to me, to get the language credit in college, you would need HS Spanish AP, which he does NOT want to take senior year.</p>
<p>My D’s major reguired her to take one semester of FL. It was very easy “A” and one of the best college classes that she took. She can speak! We have witnessed her communicating with native speakers and could not believe the level of her fluency after 2 years of not using language at all! She herself said that she was much more fluent right after class. She also has graduated with Music minor.
It depends on person. Languages are easier for some and harder for others. D. has 3 FL’s, language is very easy for her, she placed into 3rd year of college FL based on placement test that everybody is required to take before they can register for first semester classes at college. So, you need to assess your personal situation and requirements of your major and your UG school. Overall IMO Spanish is very useful going into Medicine. Also, D’s travels abroad and even in some cities in the US (like NYC) are enhanced by her knowledge of FL’s. She just starting to appreciate it. She is starting at Med. School in few weeks.</p>
<p>*but what the heck does gardening have to do with Latin? Both her and I could kill a fake tree…seriously. *</p>
<p>LOL</p>
<p>A plant’s real name is in Latin. As someone who likes to garden, I see Latin words all the time. </p>
<p>A rose by any other name… A rose is a perennial plant of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae…would smell as sweet.</p>
<p>dd:</p>
<p>some colleges will also waive the FL requirement based on a Subject Test score. Harvard, for example sets the bar at 590. Other schools I’ve seen range all the way up to 690.</p>
<p>I gotta ask, however, what’s wrong with AP Span at your HS?</p>
<p>bluebayou, Are you sure about that for Harvard regarding their FL requirement?! If it is true, it is a surprise to me and I learn something new here today. At a comparable school, Yale, no one can get away from taking at least one FL class, even with an 800 in SAT lang. subject test. If a student decides to start a new language, he needs to take like a year and a half of that language – a bummer is they make you get up early in the morning many days in a week as the class starts very early everyday (for some accelerated session, 5 early mornings a week! Only the bravest premeds dare to do take this version of class – maybe a good training for a future resident?!), making the taking of any early morning science class VERY inconvenient, if not impossible, for a premed. And most premed science classes also start early in the morning (but not that early.) </p>
<p>There is a rumor (or a myth?) that Y, as compared to H, tends to overwork their students (and there was a historical reason behind it.) If what you said regarding the FL requirement is true, they do work their students harder in the FL area.</p>