<p>Could anyone share their experience with spanish at Penn State University Park (or any other schools)? I'm interested in taking a foreign language elective in college, especially spanish. In high school, I took German and didn't do particularly well due to a bad foundation, so I would like to start at the bottom of a new language. Any hints on what type of classes I could expect? Thanks!</p>
<p>I cannot speak to Spanish in particular, but I took Russian I and II at PSU many years ago. Most language courses (to the best of my knowledge) are much more intensive but otherwise pretty similar to high school courses. There is early focus on vocabulary and grammar, with increasing work on conversation and more literary reading and writing. One thing that surprised me with Russian (unlike, I suspect, Spanish) was that I was one of only two people in the class who were not already fluent - the majority of the class were 2nd generation immigrants who already possessed conversational fluency and were taking the class to become literate in the language!</p>
<p>One last note - I would strongly recommend that you plan on completing at least the 3 “basic” language courses, make an effort to attain a reasonable level of fluency, and then plan on activities (professional or otherwise) where you will continue to practice the language. It is far too easy to quit and then lose what you have attained.</p>
<p>I took four years of Spanish in high school and i am now taking Spanish 003 right now, which is all I have to take for my language requirements. Honestly, if you got an A/B in high school, it’s pretty easy to get an A for Spanish here at PSU. It’s basically all review, so I find it very easy. I just got an A on my midterm and I barely studied.</p>