<p>llllllllllll</p>
<p>All four high school years or to the highest offered</p>
<p>no way
that would be a burden</p>
<p>Yes. Take 4. Shows dedication. Only take 2 if you take a REALLY REALLY good full schedule and don't have room to take it.</p>
<p>If you have a free class Jr Year and you dropped your Language, it won't look good.</p>
<p>I took Spanish III and IV over the summer, school offered AP (fourth year), but I had my schedule full.</p>
<p>take the classes you want when you apply to most schools, but take what you need when it comes to the ivies...</p>
<p>The ivy schools do like to see 4 years of foreign language, and 4 years would be best. It won't keep you from getting in if you only have three, but all other areas of your transcript had better be strong and maxed out. Two years of foreign language would be a definite weakness, no matter how strong the rest of your transcript is. </p>
<p>Remember, the top schools prefer students who challenge themselves in all core subjects, even in subjects they don't like. If you want the best shot at a top school, you will have to make some sacrifices to get there, including taking classes that you consider a "Burden".</p>
<p>i.e. English, History, VPAs, and Languages.</p>
<p>The problem is that if I took spanish for all 4 years, I wouldn't be taking the toughest courseload possible because I would only be in spanish 4 by senior year when everyone else is in AP Spanish. Furthermore, there are other AP courses available in senior year that I could take in place of Spanish 4.</p>
<p>The reason for my impediment in Spanish is because I chose reading class over spanish class back in middle school. 6th grade adv. reading class was extremely difficult. In 7th grade when they first offered a foreign language in place of reading class, I continued to take reading class. To my dismay, it was a class with an extremely light courseload compared to 6th grade reading. By freshman high school year, I took my first spanish I class...</p>
<p>hmm, this question comes up a lot. It's not about how many years you take the language, it's about how well you do. I only took French for three years in high school, but I skipped French 2 and 4 and got an 800 on the SAT II French after two years of learning the language. I'm pretty sure my three years of French didn't hurt me. So if you're really worried about this and want to make it up, I'd suggest you prep for the SAT II Spanish and do very well, to show you're no slacker in terms of language. </p>
<p>And in my opinion, I doubt that language makes much of a difference at all. I can't envision adcoms at Ivies really caring that much about the whole matter, unless you're really passionate about languages and make them a focus of your application. Could be wrong though.</p>
<p>As I said: three years won't keep you out, as long as all other areas of your transcript are very strong. That means 4 years of math, 4 years of science, 4 years of social studies, etc.. One weakness can be overcome (especially if you have a great score on the SAT II like aster's to demonstrate your level of mastery), but two weaknesses make getting into the most selective schools dicey.</p>
<p>thanks carolyn</p>
<p>hey asterstar, how hard was it to skip French 3? I am skipping Spanish 3, but many people say that skipping a year of a language will really put you at a disadvantage. I am not a native speaker (asian. . .), and I did not take Spanish in middle school. The only reason I am doing this is to go to AP Span. Did you find it exceedingly challenging? (I am woried because I have six Ap's in addition to Spanish. . .)</p>
<p>YM:</p>
<p>if it's a choice between Span IV and a traditionally year-long AP class, such as Calc, Lit, Euro Hist, or hard science (Bio, Physics, Chem), then the AP would probably look better to me if I was an adcom (which I most definitely am not). But, if its Span IV vs. one of the AP semester courses (e.g., Psych, Enviro Sci, Govt, Micro/Macro, Human Geography), I think I'd rather see Span IV (assuming none of those subjects are required for graduation). IMO, the adcoms are looking for a diverse student body, which includes folks who are proficient in other languages and cultures.</p>
<p>fwiw: Span IV is typically considered an Honors class in Calif by the UC's. Further, the Span Subject Test has a tough curve, according to those knowledgeable, due to the proliferation of AP kids taking it, and thousands of native speakers. The head of the SoCal PR office counsels against non-native speakers taking the test unless they are in AP Span or have successfully completed Span IV. But, that may not be relevant if your Span sequencing is different than ours out here.</p>
<p>I still have a couple of questions</p>
<ol>
<li><p>If I take Spanish 3 in my sophmore year, will it count as 3 years?</p></li>
<li><p>If I want to major in something like economics, physics or engineering, will 3 years be considered the norm/ok?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>DR:</p>
<p>yes, and yes. </p>
<p>But, selective liberal arts colleges and uni's prefer to see 4 academic years of everything. Look at it another way.... we have several strong math/science types at our competitive HS aiming for name brands in engineering programs, but they quick foreign language after two years. You, OTOH, could take four, and help differentiate yourself from the others.</p>
<p>I see your point. I might try to wait a year, and next summer I will take the equivalent of Spanish 4 at a CC. I just can't take it next year, because of the engineering class I am taking, and the dual-period nature of AP Calc.</p>
<p>When they say 4 (or 3 or 2) years of foreign language, they mean <em>in high school</em>. So if you've taken Spanish 1 in middle school, it doesn't count. But if you skipped Spanish 2 over the summer, it would.</p>
<p>Theoneo, I disagree. If you begin Spanish II in 9th grade (after taking level 1 in middle school) and then take Spanish III is 10th, it counts as 3 years of a language. The key is the level you attain, not how many years you took it in high school. It is best to make it to Spanish IV (or French, Latin, German, whatever). S quit Latin after III (soph) because he switched schools and he was tired of learning all new methods. It isn't a strong point on his transcript, but it isn't a deal-breaker.</p>
<p>Well some colleges said my sister shouldn't bother applying because she only took French 2 and 3 in high school (level 1 in middle school) and they required 3 years.</p>
<p>Maybe it depends on the school?</p>