I’m a rising senior in high school and am going to be applying out of state and am wondering how important it is for me to take a third year of spanish. I took spanish 1 my freshman year & spanish 2 my sophomore year, but had intended not to do any further and didn’t during my junior year. Now I’m questioning if 3 years of spanish would be more beneficial for me in admissions ? I am considering doing something nursing or human biology related and am looking at schools like USC, SDSU, UCI, etc. Since I am thinking more stem related is it important to have that third year ?
The UC’s/CSU’s are very competitive for instate residents, so if you are applying as an OOS to California schools, you need to make your application look competitive.
When a school, like a UC says 2 years required/3 years recommended, they mean 3 years:
E) Language other than English
UC-approved high school courses
Two years (three years recommended) of the same language other than English. Courses should emphasize speaking and understanding, and include instruction in grammar, vocabulary, reading, composition and culture. American Sign Language and classical languages, such as Latin and Greek, are acceptable. Courses taken in the seventh and eighth grades may be used to fulfill part or all of this requirement if the high school accepts them as equivalent to its own courses.University of California Counselors
Don’t forget that the UC’s are $65K per year with no financial aid. The CSU’s are $42K per year with no financial aid. Most university funding, for these schools, comes from the State’s taxpayers. As a non-resident, you wont qualify for any funding from the State. It’s very expensive.
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Agree with @aunt_bea that to be competitive it is better to get 3 years under your belt than 2. You will not be rejected if you have only 2 years, but based on the schools listed you are targeting, Spanish 3 will definitely look more competitive on your transcript.
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At UCs and some other colleges, foreign language graduation requirements may be easier to fulfill if you place higher due to higher level completed in high school.
In nursing or other health care fields, proficiency in a common foreign language may be helpful on the job.
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USC is a private school and not a UC or CSU. USC asks for 2-4 years of foreign language. The majority of applicants probably have 3-4 years.
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