Foreign Language Requirements

Colleges and Universities A-Z Princeton University
1

<p>I am facing quite a conundrum...</p>

<p>I am going to be applying to Dartmouth, Stanford, Princeton, Harvard, etc. I am currently a second semester sophomore. Now, this summer, I plan to take some classes at the Harvard Summer School if I am accepted. I am unsure about the foreign language requirements. My school (a small, private Christian academy in SoCal) only offers Spanish I-IV and American Sign Language I & II. Disregard the ASL. I am currently taking Spanish II. </p>

<p>For Harvard's Summer Program, should I be accepted God willing, I would take Statistics and Chinese I (I really want to learn Chinese... my mom is, after all, Chinese). </p>

<p>I would then skip Spanish III in the Junior year (since I would have a schedule crammed with AP/Honors Classes, as well as Honors Journalism and Honors Choir Accompaniment - Piano). Then, I would take Spanish III Senior Year. </p>

<p>But, will colleges like Dartmouth, Harvard, or Stanford be OK with me taking 3 years of Spanish and one year of Chinese, or do they want four years of Spanish? The requirements only call for four years of a foreign language. There is no indication that you have to stay with one language. </p>

<p>I believe three years of Spanish is enough to get by, and my mom and friends can help me with my Chinese once I have built a sturdy basis in Chinese I. But, I need your help.</p>

<p>Thanks so much!</p>

<p>PS: I am not concerned with academic or EC's as of now. I would appreciate answers focused on foreign language.</p>

2

<p>i’m pretty sure they would look more favorably towards 4 years of one language, especially if its clear you COULD take 4 years of one language, but you choose to do otherwise.</p>

<p>i have a similar problem. i took 2 years of french, then my school dropped the program entirely, so i did one year of independent study french III through the U of Nebraska, then i took online statistics this year. but i communicated with a lot of admissions officers and they all said similar things: take four years if you can. even if it will be hard. if you can’t, replace it with something good.</p>

<p>hope that helps :)</p>