D was researching U of Delaware requirements and was surprised t learn that they do not accept any foreign language credits earned prior to 9th grade. Most middle schools (6th-8th grade) offer foreign languages as electives with high school credits. Most complete either 1 or 2 years of foreign language in middle school.
Has anyone seen any other schools that do not accept foreign language credits earned prior to 9th grade?
In our experience any courses taken in middle school that met high school graduation requirements became part of th high school transcript that was sent to colleges. In daughter’s case she had taken foreign language, algebra 1, and geometry that carried over to her high school transcript. For us middle school was only 7th and 8th grade.
How many years of foreign language are required for meeting your child’s high school graduation requirements?
It is useful to be fluent in a language because many colleges have placement tests for foreign language and if a student is proficient they can be given credit or exemption from having to take a language as a college requirement.
It is important for her to verify the specific admission requirement for foreign language. Is it that she was in a certain number of foreign language classes while in grades 9-12, or is it that she at some point completed foreign language through a certain level? Also, is the requirement waived for a certain score on an exam such as the SAT subject exam or AP exam or CLEP exam?
Colleges generally look for a certain number of high school level language classes. Middle school language classes do not count towards those requirements/recommendations just as other middle school academic classes do not count as high school level courses.
In our middle school the honors foreign language 8th grade class is a HS level 1 class and the course as well as the grade appears on the student’s HS transcript. This is made clear in advance to students who sign up for the 8th grade honors foreign language class. Students not on the honors track start with level 1 of the foreign language in the HS. Of course each HS will do things differently, but that was my kids’ experience.
For most colleges, it is the level of FL that counts, not the exact year. If you take it in a CC ib summer or DE, one semester equals kne HS level year too. So if you finish French 2, you fulfill the 2 year FL requirement. It does not matter if you took French 1 in middle school, appeared on your HS transcript or not.
This is pretty common. Classes taken in middle school may or may not appear on the HS transcript; either way, most colleges require 2 years of foreign language (the same language) and expect it to be completed in 9-12.
Yes, but very rarely. UDel is the most high profile college I’ve seen that has that requirement.
Here is the link to the U of Delaware requirements. http://www.udel.edu/apply/undergraduate-admissions/first-year-students/admissions-requirements/
Clearly states “Foreign language courses taken before the ninth grade do not count”.
If ypur child is not going to be able to meet that requirement because the high school schedule now is full, check with the admissions office to find out if there is any way to waive that requirement.
It says it requires 2 years…that is easy to do in HS.
My kids don’t have any MS classes on their HS transcript nor were they/will they be referenced in their college application. It is apparent by their placement in 9th grade that they took classes in some subjects (math/FL) prior to HS.
Ask the college directly if they mean N actual years of high school foreign language course work, or completion of level N. I.e. if you take middle school FL 1, then high school FL 2 and FL 3, does that count as two or three years for the purpose of the requirement or recommendation?
Other posts about foreign language requirements talk about two years of foreign language in high school as a minimum expectation. Three years of foreign language seems to a better choice. Four years of foreign language over high school and college may be a college graduation requirement. In my experience, requesting waiver of requirements suggests requirements are negotiable and they are not for the most part. The waivers I am familiar with are given for such things as not having two years of lab science at a small, rural high school. Rather than seek waivers, two years of foreign language in high school is pretty standard and college graduation will likely include foreign language requirements also. Two years of high school foreign language for admissions is the smooth path and four years for foreign language for college graduation is challenging.
Note that U of Del actually recommend 4 years. If you are still tryng to meet the minimal requirement, your chance is not good.