I’m super interested in Barnard College, but it requires 3 years of foreign language credit. Does this mean 3 years in high school, or just 3 years total credit? I have a credit from middle school, and 2 from high school so I have 3 total, but I want to make sure that qualifies.
Most colleges consider it in terms of level completed. But if that is not specifically stated, you may want to ask the college directly about it.
Note that Barnard has a foreign language graduation requirement of the fourth semester of college language course (which is often equivalent to fourth or fifth year of high school language course) or equivalent proficiency shown by testing. See http://catalog.barnard.edu/barnard-college/curriculum/requirements-liberal-arts-degree/nine-ways/ (scroll down to “7. Language”). So completing a higher level in high school can help you make more progress toward the foreign language requirement to graduate from college.
Thanks @ucbalumnus! I would take another year in HS, but the way my schedule’s set up I wouldn’t be able to take any electives. I will likely suffer in college though, but oh well.
This has all changed. Barnard does not use the Nine Ways of Knowing anymore. This fall, the class of 2020 is going to be the first class using the Foundations curriculum. It is different than the Nine Ways of Knowing. It does have a language requirement that requires you to take two semesters of a language and it is not possible to test out of, no matter how good you are at a language. You can start a completely new language and fulfill it, or go into a language you’ve been taking forever to fulfill it, but you will be taking two semesters of language.
I’m assuming you’re talking about the recommendations on classes when you’re applying. The 3 years language thing is not a requirement, but a suggestion of what should be part of your high school curriculum. Your middle school credits and level in the language does not matter, but more so that you took three years of language in high school.