I have looked on College board, and many colleges require AT LEAST 3 years of consecutive language. I have taken two years of consecutive language, and am seriously considering not taking it junior year, as spanish is my worst subject, and I feel as though it is the last class I want to take… ever.
However, if I stop now, will this seriously hinder my chances of going to schools such as U of Rochester, Northeastern or Carnegie Melon? Should I just do it so I don’t deal with the consequences later?
Read each college and university’s own website very carefully. Is this “required” or is it “recommended”? Is the requirement specifically for “consecutive” years of language study, or is it through Level X?
If your application is otherwise strong, and you can’t fit more years of foreign language into your schedule because of the other courses you are taking, provided you do meet the minimum that is specifically absolutely “required” you are OK.
What level have you completed?
Spanish has been my worst subject throughout high school and middle school (7 and 8 combined averaged out is a high school grade) My grades were in the 83-88 range. I just took pre ap this year and got a 83 (bombed the final) Will this prevent me from getting into the high end universities like Georgetown, UNC, Brown?
@ucbalumnus I’ve finished Spanish 3
Most colleges will see completion of level 3 as equivalent to 3 years. However, the most selective ones will be more impressed if you complete level 4 or higher.
Some colleges REQUIRE 3 years, in which case if you wish to apply to them it is mandatory. Otherwise, it is recommended to have at least 3 years and if you’re opting out of that you should have good justification for replacing it with whatever you do.
At my school, although only two years are required to graduate, everyone takes three, because there will be at least a few colleges on your list that really really really want to see three years.
If it interests you, another option is taking two years of another language instead of continuing what you’re doing now. I had a friend who actually found a sign language course online, and my school said she could take it as an elective after finishing her required two years of a language. Colleges are probably a lot more likely to look nicely upon that, especially because it shows you went out of your way to learn something you found interesting.
I definitely relate to you, as I hated the language I took (Latin), and the teacher who taught the language, but I didn’t want to be stuck doing level 2 French or something my senior year with sophomores. I had a lot of other more interesting electives I wanted to fit in anyway.