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All undergraduates must attain proficiency in the study of a foreign language. Some have done so before arriving and have demonstrated their competence in a language other than English by means of a standardized placement test. For the incoming class of 2013, scores of 700 or above on the College Board SAT II, a 5 on an Advanced Placement language exam, a 7 on an appropriate higher level International Baccalaureate exam, or a score designated as passing in one of Harvard’s placement tests administered during Opening Days will meet the language requirement.</p>
<p>If you have not yet satisfied the language requirement by the time you enroll, you will study a year of foreign language during your freshman or sophomore year. The Harvard faculty offer instruction, from beginning to advanced levels, in over over 45 languages, ranging from Arabic to Spanish to Russian to Vietnamese to Igbo. Most students find that the emphasis on oral and aural skills in the language courses taught here is far greater than that in their high school classes.</p>
<p>Students whose native language is not English are eligible to have the foreign language requirement waived if all of their secondary school instruction was conducted in the native language; otherwise, proficiency in that language can be documented on one of Harvard’s placement exams. The Freshman Dean’s Office can often arrange special tests with members of the faculty in languages for which standard tests are not routinely offered. Your adviser will explain how to begin making those arrangements during your advising sessions in the first week of your arrival.
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<p>my source? [Harvard</a> College Freshman Dean’s Office Foreign Language](<a href=“http://www.fdo.fas.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=k3806&pageid=icb.page40309]Harvard ”>http://www.fdo.fas.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=k3806&pageid=icb.page40309 )</p>
<p>I have a question. I am taking AP Japanese, without having taken the lower Japanese classes. Will colleges consider that as if I took 4 years of Japanese, or only one?</p>