<p>Hey Guys,
I was wondering how hard it really is to complete 4 semesters of the foreign language requirement? Assuming I have to start from the rudimentary stages of the language given my minimal exposure to foreign languages, will it be difficult to achieve good grades in this requirement along with all the other exorbitant requirements?
I am just afraid that learning a completely outlandish foreign language will work as an impediment for me and resultantly my grades in other subjects will suffer.
Thank you guys for taking the time out to read this thread and I look forward to your responses </p>
<p>Did you not study a foreign language in HS that you can possibly place out of the requirement?</p>
<p>If you’re afraid of taking an “outlandish language” then take something like spanish, french, italian, chinese, etc. Things that will have plenty of aides out there to help you. I’ve heard it’s somewhat difficult but definitely not impossible to do well in your foreign lang class. They do, however, usually meet 5 days a week.</p>
<p>During the last two years of HS I did take French and believe that I am pretty good at it; the problem is I struggle with the most rudimentary elements of the language, mainly vocab and grammar, that it would actually be a disservice to place out as seldom do my written sentences actually reflect the intent. I would have to solidify all the irksome conjugations and what have you that I would have to start from the beginning.
As exaggerated and unwarranted as it may sound, I have actually contemplated transferring contingent on whether I would have to complete a foreign language because I am actually godawful at attempting to speak a second language. Any advice on what I should do?</p>
<p>Ohh and the only reason I used outlandish was to emphasize my ineptitude with the languages. I have respect for all languages and come from an eclectic background myself, which in part stymied my ability to learn multiple languages. I infact revere and have the utmost admiration to bi and multilingual savants.</p>
<p>You have to complete a foreign language. Either place out with AP credit or through the test or take a new one. You have to. It’s part of the core. If you’re willing to transfer to another school simply because you have to fulfill one of it’s requirements, I don’t think there’s very much you’d like at Columbia anyways.</p>
<p>Stick with French. Switching to another language will only lengthen the requirement. Try CD based audio courses or Rosetta Stone. Language immersion courses are generally the easiest way to pick up a foreign language.</p>
<p>I learnt French at school and added German at university and really, the challenging bit is finding the motivation to learn long lists of vocabulary. Grammar and learning grammatical rules is fun, the trick with conjugation is repetition and learning to understand the flow of a language, the relationship between two words and sentences as a whole eg . to get the feel of the relationship between an adjective, the noun it is describing and the associated article (european languages). This comes with time and exposure. Vocabulary on the other hand is a long, boring slog. I was the one that got grammar questions wrong not because of lack of knowledge of the rules, but not knowing the words of the sentence we had to form. </p>
<p>Place out if you can. I did. I heard much kvetching from those who didn’t. Friends who took Chinese or Yiddish were particularly miserable.</p>