<p>I am going to be a senior in high school this year and am pretty interested in foreign languages. I am planning on doing a double major in International Relations/Affairs and a foreign language. What are some good schools that have good foreign language programs? I am considering taking either Chinese or Spanish during college.</p>
<p>I am in the top 10% of my enormous class of 900+ but have a pretty low ACT score, and I am sure I don't have much of a chance at any of the Ivies or top LAC's. Currently I am considering UW-Madison, U of Minnesota, or the U of Washington (Seattle).</p>
<p>Here is a list of top national universities sorted by the proportion of bachelors graduates who majored in foreign languages. based on 2004 IPEDS data.</p>
<p>university, SAT 75th percentile, total bachelors graduates, number of foreign language graduates, proportion of foreign language graduates</p>
<p>GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY 1470 1670 120 0.07
UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO 1530 1014 72 0.07
BROWN UNIVERSITY 1520 1490 93 0.06
DARTMOUTH COLLEGE 1550 1064 63 0.06
BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY 1320 6829 312 0.05
WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN ST LOUIS 1520 1634 78 0.05
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK 1560 1804 72 0.04
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY 1560 1114 48 0.04
UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA-MAIN CAMPUS 1430 3207 121 0.04
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON-SEATTLE CAMPUS 1310 7194 315 0.04
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON 1390 6336 239 0.04
VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY 1440 1514 57 0.04
COLLEGE OF WILLIAM AND MARY 1440 1418 37 0.03
DUKE UNIVERSITY 1530 1539 39 0.03
HARVARD UNIVERSITY 1580 1797 49 0.03
SOUTHERN METHODIST UNIVERSITY 1300 1397 36 0.03
STANFORD UNIVERSITY 1550 1713 47 0.03
THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN 1340 8917 245 0.03
TUFTS UNIVERSITY 1470 1336 44 0.03
TULANE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 1435 1452 49 0.03
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-BERKELEY 1450 6650 179 0.03
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-SANTA BARBARA 1300 4564 144 0.03
UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO AT BOULDER 1280 5196 175 0.03
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA-TWIN CITIES 1280 6049 170 0.03
UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH-MAIN CAMPUS 1330 3861 97 0.03
UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER 1410 1174 34 0.03
BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY 1440 816 18 0.02
CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY 1420 790 14 0.02
CLARK UNIVERSITY 1305 449 8 0.02
CLEMSON UNIVERSITY 1300 3020 61 0.02
INDIANA UNIVERSITY-BLOOMINGTON 1220 6172 111 0.02
MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY 1280 1549 26 0.02
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY 1240 7783 126 0.02
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY 1410 4492 91 0.02
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY 1500 1999 36 0.02
OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY-MAIN CAMPUS 1280 8288 204 0.02
PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY 1310 800 19 0.02
RICE UNIVERSITY 1540 716 17 0.02
RUTGERS UNIVERSITY-NEW BRUNSWICK 1310 5734 116 0.02
SUNY AT BINGHAMTON 1340 2285 39 0.02
THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE 1240 4035 84 0.02
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-DAVIS 1280 5608 134 0.02
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-IRVINE 1310 4633 86 0.02
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-LOS ANGELES 1410 7026 170 0.02
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-SANTA CRUZ 1280 3053 57 0.02
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 1360 8574 135 0.02
UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA 1320 5769 139 0.02
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN 1410 6763 106 0.02
UNIVERSITY OF IOWA 1240 4015 86 0.02
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND-COLLEGE PARK 1370 5959 139 0.02
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN-ANN ARBOR 1390 5923 145 0.02
UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME 1470 2052 37 0.02
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA 1510 2797 60 0.02
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 1440 4344 77 0.02
WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY 1410 1000 23 0.02
YALE UNIVERSITY 1560 1339 21 0.02</p>
<p>Here is a list of top liberal arts colleges sorted by the proportion of bachelors graduates who majored in foreign languages. based on 2004 IPEDS data.</p>
<p>college, SAT 75th percentile, total bachelors graduates, number of bachelors in foreign languages, proportion of foreign language graduates
DICKINSON COLLEGE 1370 512 65 0.13
BRYN MAWR COLLEGE 1410 299 32 0.11
SWEET BRIAR COLLEGE 1255 132 13 0.1
HAMILTON COLLEGE 1420 457 43 0.09
GRINNELL COLLEGE 1490 367 31 0.08
WELLESLEY COLLEGE 1460 603 46 0.08
AMHERST COLLEGE 1550 428 32 0.07
BELOIT COLLEGE 1300 261 19 0.07
BOWDOIN COLLEGE 1460 414 31 0.07
MACALESTER COLLEGE 1450 428 30 0.07
SMITH COLLEGE 1370 688 49 0.07
WELLS COLLEGE 1230 91 6 0.07
COLLEGE OF THE HOLY CROSS 1350 675 39 0.06
EARLHAM COLLEGE 1340 249 16 0.06
HAVERFORD COLLEGE 1460 323 18 0.06
HOLLINS UNIVERSITY 1280 189 11 0.06
KNOX COLLEGE 1340 265 15 0.06
MIDDLEBURY COLLEGE 1500 632 40 0.06
REED COLLEGE 1460 310 19 0.06
SWARTHMORE COLLEGE 1530 364 23 0.06
AUSTIN COLLEGE 1340 310 14 0.05
CARLETON COLLEGE 1480 455 24 0.05
COLBY COLLEGE 1430 486 25 0.05
COLGATE UNIVERSITY 1430 646 32 0.05
DAVIDSON COLLEGE 1440 426 22 0.05
DEPAUW UNIVERSITY 1320 522 26 0.05
FURMAN UNIVERSITY 1370 643 32 0.05
HOPE COLLEGE 1260 638 30 0.05
LAWRENCE UNIVERSITY 1340 314 17 0.05
SEWANEE: THE UNIVERSITY OF THE SOUTH 1320 313 17 0.05
UNIVERSITY OF PUGET SOUND 1355 579 31 0.05
WABASH COLLEGE 1310 181 9 0.05
WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY 1450 398 19 0.05
WHEATON COLLEGE 1420 604 30 0.05
WHITMAN COLLEGE 1440 337 16 0.05
WILLAMETTE UNIVERSITY 1340 420 21 0.05
AGNES SCOTT COLLEGE 1300 204 9 0.04
AUGUSTANA COLLEGE 1300 540 22 0.04
BARNARD COLLEGE 1430 600 24 0.04
DENISON UNIVERSITY 1330 514 18 0.04
GETTYSBURG COLLEGE 1340 597 25 0.04
GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS COLLEGE 1260 703 31 0.04
HANOVER COLLEGE 1280 217 9 0.04
KALAMAZOO COLLEGE 1380 285 10 0.04
PRINCIPIA COLLEGE 1270 113 4 0.04
RANDOLPH-MACON COLLEGE 1210 235 9 0.04
TRINITY COLLEGE 1400 492 18 0.04
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND 1390 757 32 0.04
WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY 1490 722 30 0.04
BATES COLLEGE 1420 450 14 0.03
BENNINGTON COLLEGE 1300 129 4 0.03
CENTRE COLLEGE 1340 258 9 0.03
COLORADO COLLEGE 1380 523 16 0.03
CONNECTICUT COLLEGE 1400 452 14 0.03
DREW UNIVERSITY 1320 359 10 0.03
FRANKLIN AND MARSHALL COLLEGE 1360 433 14 0.03
HENDRIX COLLEGE 1340 230 8 0.03
KENYON COLLEGE 1420 399 12 0.03
MILLSAPS COLLEGE 1290 225 6 0.03
MUHLENBERG COLLEGE 1320 595 18 0.03
OCCIDENTAL COLLEGE 1360 459 14 0.03
PITZER COLLEGE 1330 207 6 0.03
POMONA COLLEGE 1530 394 13 0.03
PRESBYTERIAN COLLEGE 1240 268 8 0.03
RHODES COLLEGE 1370 334 10 0.03
SAINT OLAF COLLEGE 1340 708 24 0.03
SCRIPPS COLLEGE 1440 172 5 0.03
SKIDMORE COLLEGE 1340 597 19 0.03
ST LAWRENCE UNIVERSITY 1250 499 14 0.03
URSINUS COLLEGE 1320 361 12 0.03
VASSAR COLLEGE 1460 614 21 0.03
WILLIAMS COLLEGE 1520 531 17 0.03</p>
<p>My Uncle double-majored in Psych and IR, with a minor in Spanish at Stanford… </p>
<p>Depending on how fluent you are, have you considered going abroad? I don’t know the caliber of the universities in Latin America or Spain, but that is my natural reaction to someone wanting to learn a language… Or, perhaps, just a year of study abroad would suffice…</p>
<p>Have you studied either or both languages? How close to fluency are you?</p>
<p>You’ll need to consider both the cost of the college you attend and whether the foreign language majors are required to study abroad and for how long. If you’ve never taken a language before, it’s difficult (but not impossible) to develop full fluency while in college. Studying abroad in a program designed to increase fluency in the target language is better than simply studying abroad in a country that speaks the target language.</p>
<p>Look into Pepperdine. Many students minor/major in foreign languages here due to the international programs offered. About 70% of the student body takes part in study abroad opportunities in Argentina, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, China and England. </p>
<p>The Argentina program, based in Buenos Aires, has a Spanish intensive summer session.</p>
<p>Unlike other universities, Pepperdine’s study abroad opportunities are not exchange programs. You are taught at a Pepperdine facility with about 50 of your classmates.</p>
<p>pianoman - I mean this in the nicest way possible, but you question is out of sync with the reality at all good (USNWR top 100) universities. They will virtually all offer Spanish and Chinese in some depth. Now if you mean you want to study their history, society, etc. in some depth, that changes things some, although my statement is still largely true. It is much more important that you find a school that matches you academically, financially, and for lifestyle. For that last, what I mean is would you prefer large or small? Urban or rural? Warm weather location or cold? Big time sports? Greek life? Whatever is important to you. Let us know that and it will be easier to make recommendations, and don’t forget to mention any financial considerations there may be. The three you mention will certainly meet your academic desires. My intuitive guess is that Washington would have a strong Chinese program if for no other reason than the Chinese community there is large and influential.</p>
<p>I’ve heard tha Middlebury is strong in foreign languages. My guidance counselor mentioned it when I said that I was interested in learning a variety of languages.</p>
<p>Yes that is true. Both my kids looked at Middlebury and they are very well known for this and, related to it, study abroad. A lot of the programs other schools “have” are actually piggybacking on the Middlebury programs.</p>
<p>Might look at Holy Cross(don’t have to be religious) strong LAC-1 hour from Boston. HC is SAT optional and need blind for financial aid(same as the Ivies).</p>
<p>UW-Madison would be really good if you’re interested in foreign language. They have almost any language you could think of (I’ll be starting Norwegian in the fall) and from what I know, many UW students major in a language (and usually something else.) Additionally, I think they’re really into class rank. I think it would be a great choice! Go Badgers :D</p>
<p>I have taken four years of spanish, and planning on taking my fifth this upcoming school year. I like spanish quite a bit but I had a horrible teacher during my junior year and didn’t learn that much at all. I am pretty decent at spanish in my opinion, but I am probably nowhere near the expected level for fifth year level spanish. Plus, the only fifth year spanish course I can take this upcoming year is an AP class, which worries me a little bit as I am taking almost all AP classes my senior year. As for chinese, I have not taken it all. I only know a few simple phrases that I learned when I traveled there. My family and I traveled around China a few years ago, and stayed there for almost a month and a half. Ever since, I have always been really interested in Chinese as well as its culture. However, my school does not offer it as a course. But I am planning on taking a few chinese classes at a local community college to see if I like it or not.</p>
<p>I’m going to be attending the University of Washington in the fall! My major will be Business Administration, but I’m going to minor in Spanish as well.</p>
<p>In high school, I took two years of Chinese and five years (middle school, too) of Spanish. I became fairly fluent in Spanish and attended a full-immersion program. However, I knew that Chinese is becoming increasingly important. I knew I wanted to go to Washington and minor in a language, but I was stuck between Chinese and Spanish. Ultimately, I’m going for Spanish. I took the AP test in Spanish, not Chinese. So with the credit I earned from the test, it would take five more Chinese classes in college just to get to the level I am at in Spanish. It just makes more sense for me to continue with Spanish, even though I love both languages. Currently, I’m studying Arabic on the side and will probably continue with Chinese in this way too.</p>
<p>Middlebury has amazing languages. I actually looked at it, and the location killed it for me, but they have world-class departments for almost every language.</p>
<p>what fallenchemist said. Just about every top 50, and most of the top 100 unis will offer at least 5-6 languages, including Spanish and Chinese. </p>
<p>Among LACs, the pickings get thinner since the total courses offered are not nearly as broad as those offered at larger Unis.</p>