<p>Do language classes from 101 to 202 include speaking or is it just writing?</p>
<p>haha. did you ask that. its speaking and writing of course.
there are 100 level german reading classes that dont count towards the req though.</p>
<p>How hard are language classes really because I've heard they are not easy. I just don't know what that exactly means.</p>
<p>i personally thought they were very hard. i took 4 semesters of italian. now i won't lie - i didn't exactly kill myself in the class, but i did more work in italian than any of my other classes, and got the worst grades. its a lot like a high school class--you'll have a workbook and be expected to do stupid assignments every night. 101 and 102 courses meet 5 days a week and only allow 3 absenses before your grade drops (at the tune of 1 point off ur average per additional absense, and auto failure at 7 absenses). i recommend doing everything in your power to place out of the language requirement.</p>
<p>Latin doesn't involve any speaking, but you do have to scan a little poetry.</p>
<p>I'm so nervous about foreign language. We didn't have any foreign languages in my school...only Filipino, which is for us a native language already. So I'm definitely gonna be having a hard time with this.</p>
<p>Can you guys give me any tips in choosing a language to take up? I'm thinking of enrolling in some classes this summer so I can get a head start. I have a five month summer (hopefully) since school ends here in March. :p</p>
<p>In a foreign language you communicate with other people with that language so I assume you would have to speak it. Unless it's Latin, which is a dead language, you don't have to speak it. If you are worried about speaking the language, I would take Latin but be careful. I bet that Latin compensates for not speaking by doing more translating.</p>
<p>If you took a language in high school, which you should have, and be at least in 4 or 5 or even in AP, then it would be easier just to take that one. I'm in AP French right now but my AP teacher told me that in college they cover almost 3 years in high school in 1 semester in college.</p>
<p>Is there a language requirement for the CAS, and if so, what is needed to place out of it? Would a 4 or 5 on a language AP do the trick?</p>
<p>you have to take 4 semesters of a foreign language. don't quote me, but i believe the only way to place out is to take the university's placement tests--which are really hard. I remember my sister took 5 years of italian in high school, and only placed into 102. i took 3 and didn't bother even taking the test--just started in 101. by the end of 101 i felt like i had done everything i had done in high school.</p>
<p>also, a side note, 102 and 202 are generally considered much harder than their 101/201 counterparts.</p>
<p>Thanks. D has taken Italian since 7th grade and is AP Italian this year. She was hoping she had enough but I guess not. Next question--math requirements? I have been unable to find out this info on the UVA website so sorry for the continued inquiry.</p>
<p>Ugh. Foreign language is my most hated subject. I took 3 years of French and 2 of Latin but I've probably forgotten all my french. I hated the speaking aspect so I think Latin may be a better choice for me. 4 semesters seems kinda harsh considering most will just forget it and the time could be filled with more useful classes. 2 semesters would be easier...oh well. Can't you get an exemption from the SAT2? How hard are those? What about getting into Echols second year? Maybe theyd grant an exemption for someone trying to major in astrophysics and math (lol).</p>
<p>JohnRoss,
You can satisfy the foreign language requirement with the SATII test or with the AP exams. For Italian, the web says that a score greater that 650 on the SATII satisfies your language requirement. They do not have information about an AP Italian test on the site. As far as math, students have to take a certain number of courses in the "natural sciences and mathematics" to satisfy degree requirements. Some majors will also require certain math courses.</p>
<p>Thanks for the information.</p>
<p>that 2nd one was even linked from the front page on the clas website. come on people. we're not your info hunt dogs. ive posted these and similar links so many times i cant even count. please search the forum before you ask these kinds of questions it gets really annoying.</p>
<p>also as far as for lang classes here
i took german since 7th grade but dropped ap half way through sr yr. with my sat ii i placed into 201 (so... 5+ years equaled 1 yr here). the german department is really strong here though.</p>
<p>i decided instead to take hebrew, which i had taken a year of in high school. for those who didnt know the alphabet it was really intense but for me i kind of did nothing for the 1st month. it really depends on what language you're taking.</p>
<p>also the absences thing is true and its soooo annoying. some days i just want to sleep in but you can't afford to miss more than 3 absences. in my class your grade drops by a full letter after 3 and for each absence or 2 thereafter as well. there is homework every night. but you definitely are learning.</p>
<p>my advice is to take a language that will be useful to you later on. the reason i hated german all through high school (even though i got excellent grades - i didnt drop ap bc of the difficulty but rather the workload - i think i even had the highest grade in the class on the latest test right before i dropped the class) was because it was so pointless and i would never have a place to use it. actually since then i have realized that when i take yiddish here it will really help me. and thats why i keep learning hebrew, because since im jewish i always have a place to apply it. but if youre taking french and you never want to go to france, youre gonna have a hard time enjoying the class.</p>
<p>People here are suggesting to get the language out of the way as soon as possible but I remember reading in another thread that if you want to go to graduate school you need to take a language. This whole thing confuses me.</p>
<p>You need to have the experience equivalent to 4 semesters of a language, but Echols scholars are exempt from this. That thread was for Echols scholars. If you're not Echols, you have no choice but to do the equiv of 4 semesters of a language. If you are Echols, you still should do it for grad school (specific to what your prosp grad school requires... IE science/math needs German/Russian/etc, Classics needs Greek+Latin+some more I think... etc)</p>
<p>Also I am not putting down the for lang depts here - my placement into 201 of German was accurate - they even use the same book in 201 that my AP class was using when I dropped it. It is just for lang classes here are intense, esp for non-lang ppl, so if you have the opportunity to get it out of the way quickly you should do it. It allows freedom in your schedule and/or an opportunity to major/minor in that language if you so choose/study abroad reasons...</p>
<p>Why would science/math want german or russian? Latin fits better with those...</p>
<p>Thanks for clarifying that.</p>
<p>at least for math, this is from the uva grad math website:</p>
<p>doctorate:</p>
<p>Language: Facility in reading mathematical literature in one language (French, German, Italian, Russian, or substitutes acceptable to the department), as demonstrated by an examination administered by the department, in which the students are required to translate passages from mathematical works in the given languages. The language requirement should be satisfied by the end of the student's fourth year, or by the date of the Ph.D. defense, whichever comes first. </p>
<p>masters:</p>
<p>Language: Facility in reading mathematical literature in one foreign language (French, German, Russian, Italian, or a substitute acceptable to the department) as demonstrated by an examination administered by the department, in which students are required to translate passages from mathematical works in the given language, or by two years of undergraduate credit (in one of the languages listed above) will meet this requirement.</p>
<p>Introductory foreign language courses are not difficult. Most people seem to find them a breeze, although I've heard from several sources that italian can be difficult.</p>
<p>sigmacentauri, german and russian are important languages to know in science and math because huge volumes of important research are published in those languages. Latin, not so much, unless you're interested in published research from 500-2,000 years ago.</p>