<p>I am trying to decide on whether to minor in Chinese or Spanish (at GA Tech, majoring in Biochemistry) because I know both are imperative when working abroad in science research.</p>
<p>Ga Tech has great programs where I take courses and research in Singapore and Hong Kong, and it has an awesome program where I can take courses and research in Spain (Valencia) and Mexico (UNAM in Mexico City) </p>
<p>Can those who have experience with either or both enlighten me on the advantages and disadvantages of Chinese and Spanish?</p>
<p>I’m sure there are decent Mandarin classes in Hong Kong and Singapore (not to mention many of their residents do speak Mandarin), but the primary language used isn’t Mandarin. To get the most out of the experience, if you are really interested in studying Chinese, I would suggest going to an area where most people will be speaking Mandarin. </p>
<p>But, otherwise, I would definitely pick Chinese over Spanish. 20% of the world population is Chinese and their economy just keeps going…But I don’t know anything about your field, so I’m not sure what the better call is from a Biochem standpoint.</p>
<p>@ keepittoyourself, well, considering the international cooperation in biomedical research and my goal to work for the CDC, either languages are native to the areas that I hope to work in one day. @guanyin, thanks much for your views. They really help, and as I stated above, I am just trying to familiarize myself with one of the major world languages before I get top job, maybe working with other scientists that speaks those languages, especially Chinese.</p>