<p>So In my freshmen year of high school, I decided that I would not pursue a 3rd year of foreign language in my sophomore year so that I could have room for classes that I had more interest in and that I would have time to self study Korean ( English was my first and only language), the language of my ethnicity, as it was not offered at my school.</p>
<p>However, most top universities "recommend" students to complete 4 years of foreign language. I find this somewhat unfair to people who are not Hispanic/Spanish/French/German (tradition languages taught at public high schools) because people who are of these origins may have a stronger foundation and more interest in their own heritage. For example, a Hispanic kid who already knows Spanish can breeze through all levels of Spanish while receiving help from his/her parents and is perhaps not learning anything but just taking a class that he/she is well-acquainted with. In contrast, a kid who is not of Spanish origin may have increased trouble with the language, a lower level of interest, and a dearth in resources compared to the student of Spanish origin.</p>
<p>In my case, I would be possibly penalized for not taking 4 years of language at my and instead learning Korean to come closer to my heritage from which I have strayed far. Would the top universities penalize me for such endeavors? Is the foreign language recommendation there so that a student would know at least 2 languages? or is there another reason? If these universities have these recommendations in place so that students would know at least 2 languages but still would have to complete 4 years of language despite already knowing a language, I would find that slightly discriminating to non-Spanish/Hispanic/French/German people. However, this is not to say that I have anything against the Spanish, French, or German language or culture and this post is not intended to offend anyone.</p>
<p>@ucbalumnus How would I let the admissions office know of my circumstance? And to prove proficiency, would I need to take the Korean SAT II? Finally, would my circumstance of only taking 2 years of foreign language adversely impact my admissions?</p>
<p>Yes, you would need to prove proficiency by taking an AP test or SAT 2. Each school will evaluate that differently. Some will just see you taking a heritage language with the implicit advantage that usually brings (think Chinese SAT2). <a href=“SAT Suite of Assessments - College Board Research”>http://professionals.collegeboard.com/testing/sat-subject/scores/average</a> The goal for the language is to provide a mental broadening IMO. That’s why colleges generally want something other than a native tongue. You may want to have your GC address this in your recommendation.</p>
<p>But in the overall scheme of applying to top schools, this will not keep you out. The schools make a recommendation - but it isn’t a requirement. What they want is people with outstanding academics who challenged themselves intellectually and otherwise, not people who check all the boxes every time. So rather than wasting energy on this, focus on presenting yourself at your best and why that best self would be an asset to their community.</p>
<p>@mrmom62 I would like further mention that this post was not meant to offend anyone or come off as a bitter rant as I was simply inquiring while providing some background; I am sorry that you took it that way.</p>
<p>You seem to be making several assumptions that I do not state nor support. First off, you are insinuating that I believe that the absence of certain foreign language classes at schools will inhibit a student’s admission chances at Ivy/top schools–an extrapolation of the very subject I was inquiring about. As other people have stated in this thread, admissions offices do a holistic review, meaning that foreign language is certainly a component but not deciding factor of admissions. Additionally, though I might have stated that the ubiquity of these foreign languages being taught at high schools may present a advantage to some students, I never stated the magnitude of such advantages and their influence on admissions decisions. </p>
<p>I agree with MrMom62. I took Spanish and my sisters took French in high school. We are from German ancestry. My daughters took 4 years of Latin; they are from German/Welsh ancestry. Our choices of languages to study had nothing to do with our heritage, and I doubt that it did for many of my kids’ or my classmates.</p>
<p>My daughters have friends with no Spanish ancestry who became very fluent in Spanish, as one of my kids did in college. </p>
<p>It is not unfair to require languages in high school as a basis for college admission. The US population is one of the least fluent in second languages than most developed nations. Taking languages in high school can help develop discipline and other skills.</p>
<p>Except that it did come off that way whether you intended it or not. And I rarely call people on it, except in cases where it is glaringly obvious, and on CC, that’s saying something, where people make all sorts of silly posts. It’s not often a post can be both politically correct and racist at the same time, but you managed it. </p>
<p>I’m not even saying I disagree with you on all points, but if I were a college admissions officer and I got even a whiff of your attitude based on how you wrote the original post, you’d be in the reject pile pretty quickly. Clearly you’re highly intelligent and a good writer, but you’re also off-putting in how you stated your argument, so please be careful about that in the future or less than desirable consequences await.</p>
<p>@ricck1 Is there a source for this? And I do not believe that 3-4 years of language is “required.” </p>
<p>@MrMom62 Well, I appreciate that you are able to give a candid, honest, and respectful opinion,which is often hard to find these days, of me. I also apologize for coming off as racist–I truly did not intend for that–and will keep this in mind and have a wider perspective for future statements I make. </p>
<p>Well, my three kids each took a different language from each other for all four years (with honors even) and none of them is fluent, even the kid who took French who has a French heritage. He’s the least fluent!! I think the 4 years for proficiency thing is a crock. The reason Europeans are so good at languages is that they start very early in comparison to Americans and it’s taken seriously as a core subject, not as an ‘elective’. We could really learn something as a nation!</p>
<p>OP, your best course of action is to document your fluency via a test like the SAT II or AP and have your GC document that this was not a language spoken at home. That should more than qualify you as the equivalent of the four years of foreign language and/or Level IV. I think you’d also get extra consideration for having taken the initiative to doing it on your own.</p>
<p>Europeans tend to learn a foreign language (usually English or French) because those are the most common international languages of commerce. It’s easier to learn the lingua franca than it is to say find a Swedish-Italian translator. Since our native language is the lingua franca, the value of a foreign language from a practical standpoint for most people is debatable, although from a liberal arts perspective, it does make sense.</p>
I am not saying a student needs to be bilingual, but a minimum of three years of the same language is required. Remember the ivies are giving their lowest requirements as a suggestion. If you do not meet the most basic requirements, you will be passed over. Languages are also considered much more highly than electives or even APs in non core subjects.
@rickk1 Do you have any sources or credentials to support your claim? or are you just speculating? I did some further research on server of the tops schools and and Harvard states that “This overview is not intended to provide a formula that will ensure admission to Harvard. Our admissions policies are based on many criteria. Some are academic; others are not.” The overview means the “recommended” courses, which include foreign languages.
@bomerr Would taking a level 3 or 4 equivalent class of Korean at a local 4-year university suffice as 3/4 years of language credit? Or would I need to get 3-4 years worth of Korean language credit?
Do colleges want me to just display that I can speak 2 languages? or do they want me to be in language classes? as Rick said
@dallascowboys1
1 yr of HS foreign language = 1 semester at a university. So year 4 HS would only be Intermediate Korean 2 at university.
Most colleges just want you to fulfill the foreign language requirement, college credit does that.
In most cases you wouldn’t take the class, instead you would take a test and get credit that way (credit by examination).
Just do you know, intermediate level language at a university is no joke. I would advise getting the actual textbook they use for instruction in the class and go through it on your own. Also getting more advanced material–even stuff for native speakers–to go above the intermediate level before testing would be beneficial. Reading the news / watching the news in Korean would be a good idea as well.