I’m currently a sophomore and I took AP Chinese (5) my freshman year. I went to a Chinese immersion elementary and middle school so I’m very fluent. All my school did was make me take the Chinese SAT subject test and I did well (780). Even though I have a Chinese last name, I only speak English at home. Because I only took 1 year, will colleges look down on me and think that I’m slacking off because I was already fluent going into high school? Should I take Spanish over the summer just to get the credit?
Some schools require multiple years of a world language so I would look at the requirements for the schools that you are interested in.
What colleges are you thinking of? Many (most?) of the most selective ones recommend you take 4 years of foreign language. And, to my knowledge, proficiency as a heritage speaker isn’t really regarded as highly as proficiency in another foreign language.
OP claims not to be a heritage speaker but is concerned that surname might suggest that.
The intellectual challenge of learning another language and the mental flexibility it promotes is one of the reasons for this requirement. It differs from school to school, so you have to weigh, even if you meet the requirement in the strictest sense, whether you think you have achieved this and can demonstrate it.
Taking Spanish to learn it could be good. Taking it just for the credit, less so.
Some will require X # of years. Others will make you take at college or test to place out. You need to talk to your guidance counselor. One year of Spanish is unlikely to help. Your counselor will know if you need more than AP Chinese.
In your bragsheet, indicate you attended Chinese immersion elementary and middle school.
What type of colleges are you targeting?