I will be a Junior next year, and I took Latin 2 and 3 my freshman and sophomore years. Latin 3 was an easy class for me, and my teacher noticed and let me take the Latin 4 final (in my school, if you get an A on a foreign language final, you can skip to the next class up). I got the A, and am now enrolled in Latin 5 for next year (my school does not offer Latin classes after Latin 5.). I know many selective colleges prefer four years of foreign language, so will this “count” as four years as I will be in the class with the seniors? Or should I figure something out for next year? Any input would be appreciated.
The number at the end of language course (e.g. Chinese 3=3 years) indicates the “years” you have taken the language. When I entered HS, I started off in Chinese 4, going into AP Chinese the next year and finishing my language credits. My GC said this was not going to be a problem, and that AP was fine because it looked like I had 5 years experience already. It also helped me get another subject off my back so I could take more advanced classes.
Latin 5 will usually be counted as “five years”.
If you’re concerned about it, then you should try and Dual Enroll at a local community college that does offer Latin 5 or equivalent if your school offers dual enrollment. I was kind of in the same boat as you, having reached the highest level Spanish by Sophomore year, so now I’m going to begin studying Chinese 1-4 (language not offered by my school) through dual enrollment.
For the vast majority of colleges, Latin 5 “counts” as 5 years. For foreign languages, the level counts. You’re fine.
@ucbalumnus @SenChihiro @skieurope Thank you!