<p>For the top, "elite" schools that is. </p>
<p>If you stopped after level 3 when level 4+ was available, that looks worse than if you stopped after level 4, 5, or AP as a junior because there are no more advanced courses offered in that language.</p>
<p>Your first situation is my predicament, I have completed 3 years of honors for the language and am not taking it for the 4th year, though there is a college level course for the language offered in the 4th year.</p>
<p>It depends on the colleges. My daughter faced this scenario - she took AP Spanish junior year and did not want to take AP Span Lit senior year. She wrote to four “very highly selective” schools and asked for their feedback. From 2 she got the “we look at each applicant independently”, one wrote back that they prefer four years of foreign language, and the other one wrote back “take AP Span Lit.” You need to look at each of the colleges on your list.</p>
<p>This is a common question that has a lot of confusion attached - when they say “4 years of a foreign language” what they often mean is attaining Level IV in the language. If you can do that in less than four years of HS, because you took in in elementary and middle school, that is often perfectly acceptable. Our HS offers Spanish from kindergarten on, so our students are often completing Spanish IV as sophomores. The GCs will recommend top students take Spanish V because it looks better to have three years at the HS level, but report no difficulty even into HYPSM if kids don’t take Spanish senior year because they’ve met the Level IV requirement.</p>
<p>I’m sure there are cases where schools really do want four years at the HS level, even if that means going way beyond Level IV, but I’ve not heard about it from the GCs.</p>
<p>MrMom62 - we thought the same as what you wrote. Our daughter had taken 3 years of Spanish in middle school, then Span 3 and Span 4 in 9th and 10th grades and AP Spanish in 11th grade (with a 780 on her SAT II in Spanish). And yet one Ivy and one highly selective LAC both said she should take Spanish in her senior year as well… This being said – the vast majority of colleges we checked into, very good LACs, only require four years so I think the Ivys and the top level of LACs are among the minority.</p>
<p>I think in part it depends on what you’re taking instead of more language; my kid decided to focus on art instead, taking art junior year and AP art senior year; he’s going to write about his interest in art in a supplement, I think. So he’s only got two years of high school language, plus another 2 years (considered one) in middle school. He did also attend an immersion summer program, in a different language, but we’re not sure that helps much. Fundamentally, I think you have to make a choice about what you really want; it’s usually better to take the language, but if you can’t stand the teacher, or you’re really bad at it, or you just want to do something else, accept that there might be a cost, but do what will make you most successful and happy. I do think that’s more important.</p>
<p>Many of the other applicants will have the language up to AP level. Some will have two languages, or have lived abroad. So if you only have up to level3, you need to compensate by something really great - multivariable calculus in high school, or all 3 AP science classes, or all art classes in your high school complete with exhibit junior year, etc.
However, if you completed level4 after 3 years, or, better, AP as a junior, that would NOT be detrimental. What matters is the level you reached.</p>
<p>I’ve got a question about this…
So my HS is only offering two years of Spanish (the only language they offer), and since I figured I would need more, I’m doing an online version of Spanish 3. I’ve never even had the opportunity to take a Spanish 4 class let alone an AP Spanish class, so would my circumstances be different based off what I had the chance to take?</p>
<p>Well, when a tippy top says or recommends that high school prep should be X years of language they mean X years in high school. Harvard, as a easy example, discusses "choosing high school courses " and recommends, “four years of a single foreign language.” </p>
<p>You can get around that, sure- but they can look at what you ostensibly replaced it with, why, and how that seems to mesh with your possible academic plans in college. Some super STEM kids run into a schedule conflict between that 4th year and MV calc or a local college class. Likely fine.</p>
<p>If your hs doesn’t offer four years (some don’t,) they will recognize that. In some other cases, online or summer can show the intention. See what your target colleges recommend. </p>
<p>Likewise, when H says, “The study of science for four years: physics, chemistry, and biology, and preferably one of these at an advanced level,” thousands of other candidates will have done that.</p>
<p>I know I’m taking the hard line here, but for an elite, if you didn’t or couldn’t, make the best of the rest of what you do have.</p>
<p>@lookingforward I looked at the Cornell admissions information for each school, and 4 of the schools require/recommend foreign language. However, none of them indicate that they require or even recommend 4 years of foreign language, and 3 of the schools do not say anything about foreign language at all. You can see it here: <a href=“http://admissions.cornell.edu/sites/default/files/2014%20Freshman%20Admission%20Requirements.pdf”>http://admissions.cornell.edu/sites/default/files/2014%20Freshman%20Admission%20Requirements.pdf</a></p>
<p>So does this mean foreign language is not required in the 3 schools but is recommended or what?</p>
<p>The only succinct answer is, as far as FL goes, you’re good with 3 years. Even Arch says 3 or 4.</p>
<p>I agree, calling it “Requirements & Recommendations” makes it confusing. (Which is which?) </p>
<p>
You’ll generally never go wrong with just substituting the word “recommendations” with “requirements.” Obviously, if circumstances prevent an applicant from meeting the requirement, it is unlikely the school will hold it against him/her.</p>