<p>I am NOT a native Spanish speaker. I will be taking AP Spanish, my 4th year of it in high school, next year. I've gotten A's so far. I did NOT take Spanish as 1 of my 3 subject tests.</p>
<p>So where the app asks if you're fluent, do the qualifications above justify me being fluent in writing, reading, speaking?</p>
<p>If not, am I fluent if I get a certain sat ii score?</p>
<p>I guess many people must be in the situation above...so are we all fluent (yay!) :)</p>
<p>bump bump : </p>
<p>No, taking a class for four years does not qualify you as fluent. You have to be able to speak the language without having to stop to consult a dictionary or think about conjugations</p>
<p>yes I know that "fluent" means being, well, fluent. However, what does the question mean?</p>
<p>Are they really asking if you are a native speaker or totally equivalent to one in ability,</p>
<p>or if you've got the basics. I was told by a friend that if you do well on the sat ii for that language you can say you read, write.</p>
<p>Is that so? What if you don't take the sat ii?</p>
<p>oh, ok, here's the exact question on the harvard supp:</p>
<p>"Which languages other than English can you speak, read, or write?"</p>
<p>I'm sorry, i was wrong to use "fluent" in my 1st post. </p>
<p>However, for the question above, could I say i speak, read, write Spanish?</p>
<p>I'm also taking my second year of another language (latin) next year. So can I read, write latin?</p>
<p>It's implied that you can read and write it like a native.</p>
<p>I can't learn one word from every language, write it down, and then say I can read and write in every language there is.</p>
<p>It doesn't matter how long you've studied it. It matters if you know the language. If you don't know whether scoring well on an SAT II lang. test qualifies you as fluent, then take the test and let the admissions people decide.</p>
<p>How does Harvard look at languages? Like, if you've learned a few languages that your school doesn't offer, does that look particularly unique or not really ? Is it seen as any other passion, such as music, sports ?</p>
<p>Ask your GC -- they'll probably be able to tell you what's acceptable and what's not.</p>
<p>I disagree with the idea that "it's implied you can read and write it like a native." Since they don't specify on the application, give yourself the benefit of the doubt. This will definitely not come back to bite you, they will not test you on it before you are admitted and once you are admitted, they would never rescind over such a trifle.</p>
<p>Well, I lived in Spain for a short while and scored an 800 on the Spanish SAT Subject test, so I felt justified in saying I was fluent on my college applications even though I am not a native speaker.</p>
<p>However, I also got A's in 3 years of Japanese, but... I am certainly not fluent. I put it on my applciations, but made sure to clarify I was "conversant," not fluent.</p>
<p>Just my 2c.</p>
<p>Mitchell, an 11% acceptance rate and you don't think Harvard would rescind an applicant for lying about something as large as being fluent in a second, non-native language? If you feel you need to lie to get in, then maybe you've missed the point. Why don't you just tell them your situation?</p>
<p>But since I am only going by my own logic...</p>
<p>General University telephone listings 617-495-1000 </p>
<p>Call them and tell us what they say.</p>
<p>magicmonkey, did you read my post? the word fluent is NOT used in harvard's question.</p>
<p>everyone, thanks for your suggestions. I'll be sure to ask my GC in september, call admissions, and specify my level of mastery :)</p>
<p>Yeah okay... the word fluent is not in the application but</p>
<p>Do people generally say they can speak, read, and write a language with only 3 years of high school level mastery? I think not...</p>
<p>And I think you are smart enough to know that you would probably be deliberately misleading the adcoms to put that on your application.</p>
<p>That said... there are really more important parts of your application to be concerned with... really. Good luck. :)</p>
<p>ouch. I am directly asking what people on this thread think and will call the admissions office to ask the same question, because i particularly do not want to mislead the ad com or anybody. </p>
<p>i am concerned with all parts of my application, and want to clarify this point, which was unclear to me.
misrepresenting my knowledge was never my design; that is why i fully and accurately specified my credentials at the beginning of this thread.</p>
<p>i already took your point on specifying "conversant" or whatever level you're at.</p>
<p>My comment was not meant to be offensive. Sorry, I always end up sounding harsh online.</p>
<p>But seriously, good luck :)</p>
<p>Let me clarify my comment. I would never advocate lying on an application. I'm only saying that because they don't use the word "fluent," there's no reason to be overly cautious. You should not mislead, but if you have taken a language for several years, there is a good chance you might consider yourself to be able to read it, write it and speak it, and not necessarily be fluent. As I recall, the application also asks you to specify which of these three (read, write, speak) apply, so there is plenty of room for honesty and specification.</p>
<p>As for the comment about having an 11% acceptance rate (actually it's closer to 9% I think), this has nothing to do with their reluctance to rescind. They are <em>very</em> reluctant to do so, and almost never do. Yes, they very well might rescind if you lied on your application. But I'm only saying that there is no reason to be overly cautious and hair-splitting about what they asking for in fear that you will be accused of lying.</p>