I took Chinese for freshmen and sophmore year of high school. (high school graduation requirement is 2 consecutive years) Is it better to take it a third year of foreign language (junior year)? The class would be really hard for me next year.
Questions that will help us answer:
- What are your goal schools?
- What is your desired major?
If you are going into a BA degree that will require language, you are better off taking 3-4 yrs in HS. If you are looking at a BS it’s less important. You could also take a year off and take year 3 as a Senior when it will be less stressful… It depends on how you feel about the retention of the material with a gap year. My son did not want to continue in Spanish, but after advice he received here, he is going to take Spanish 3 & 4 (we have 4 classes per semester instead 6-7 a year) his senior year with a gap year for his Junior year. He is going into international relations of some kind and has to have second language. I had an admissions counselor suggest he take year 1 & 2 of a different foreign language as an option to show width instead of depth. But it really depends on those two questions above. Also there is a FAQ foreign language thread pinned to this forum.
You need to look at the requirements for the schools you are interested in. Top schools (HYPSM) are going to look for 3-4. Mid and lower-tier schools often don’t put as much emphasis on foreign language.
However, a college may have a foreign language graduation requirement that is higher than its admission requirement. Completing a higher level in high school may allow you to start in a higher level in college, so that you can complete the requirement in fewer courses in college.
Agree that you should look at the recommendations/requirements of colleges you are considering attending. The top colleges do want 3-4 years of language – and that means reaching that level in one language.