Hi~ I’m a sophomore and I’m taking yearbook so I can become editor-in-chief in the long run and I’m taking two maths courses so that I can take AP Chem(11th grade) and AP Physics (12th grade)(there is a math requirement in our school to be in an advanced math course). But since I’m taking two maths and yrbk, I have to do my language requirements in junior and senior year of high school? I’m planning to major in chemistry or anatomy and use yearbook as a boost for college apps (I’m also doing Medical Students of Bay Area, Medical Volunteering to help people in Bangladesh, & volunteering/shadowing at local hospitals, soccer throughout all 4 years of highschool), but I’m worried about my language. Most colleges need two years but three recommended. I’m aiming for UCs since I live in California but I am open to others just as good ones outside the state or country. Will colleges dismiss me for my language skill or will they look at my other accomplishments and high science & math level? And is there a way I might be able to boost my language level like by taking college courses or online classes?
UC’s require a minimum of 2 years of a foreign language but highly recommend three years. Many of the top schools recommend 4 years so I would at least consider taking at the minimum 3 years to make sure you have a good chance at many of the colleges.
There are many very good colleges that dont’ require much in foreign languages, but many do.
Look at the requirements for admission at some colleges of interest.
You could also ask your GC if they have online courses you can take.
I would NOT take a college level course as they are very intensive.
I wonder if having only 2 languages will stand out on your transcript, in a negative way. Is it too late for some course change?.As posters above said, many colleges prefer 3 or more langs even if the requirements are a min of 2.
We had a similar issue with my D17. She was planning to take 4 blocks of French her junior and senior year at her public school, French 1 thru 4. Then she transferred to a private school as a junior that had year-round courses and not a block schedule. So she took French 1 (with freshmen) as a junior and was placed in French 2 as a senior. But early in the school term she asked her teacher if she could be moved into French 3, which was a self-study class with only one other student. She was able to do this. Having French 3 on her transcript was far more important than her taking only 2 years.
So maybe that is an option for you? Excel in French 1, maybe do some work over the summer, and see if you can place into French 3? If none of this is possible, maybe you could have your college/guidance counselor explain why you are taking two languages in the letter in your common app
Most selective colleges will expect you to reach level 3 and the most selective colleges expect 4.
For UCs 3 will generally be okay.
Foreign language is a core class. It matters more to colleges than yearbook.
What’s your full schedule this year?
I can’t change any of my classes so I thought of taking BYU Independent Study study , but I have pe , English honors, chemistry , alg2, geo, American history and yearbook
Unfortunately you can’t do that
Can you take year 1 language as a summer course or this year at a CC?
No our school won’t count it as credit , so I’m looking towards BYU Independent Study
If you have an idea of what colleges you want to attend, look at their admissions criteria. While many colleges require 2 years, and some suggest 3 or 4, others don’t require any at all. Unless they require more than 2, not having more will be considered in the context of the rest of your transcript. You say you are planning to major in chemistry or anatomy, you will be expected to show focus in science, which you are doing. I’m not sure I understand why your school is requiring you to be in PreCalc in order to take AP Chem, and I’m also a bit concerned that your guidance counselor didn’t talk with you about delaying foreign languages until Junior year. You should have been advised to put yearbook off, as it is an elective - language is often considered an elective too, but it is an academic elective, and as you note, often required for college admission. Why didn’t you take a language in 9th grade?
@bopper BYU has an online high school program.
For 9th grade you can only take 6 periods not 7 and we had to take a year of health so my schedule was biology , health, algebra 1, pe , yearbook, english
that is strange…usually health and PE are in the same period.
You should really make sure you can take Science/english/Social Studies/Foreign Lang/Math…those shoudl be priorities over Yearbook
I feel for the original poster, because public schools around here only have six class blocks, and they make you take health, PE, personal finance, and some other course (I forget). If you are wanting to stay on the advanced math/science track, they squeeze you such that taking any sort of elective becomes difficult. Doable, but difficult.
Note that, for UC purposes, level completed in foreign language is what counts.
Also, for UC purposes, college foreign language courses count. You can check their equivalency at https://hs-articulation.ucop.edu/agcourselist#/list/search/institution (“LOTE level 2” means equivalent to high school year 2, for example).
BYU Online high school is UC approved for foreign language. A number of the courses on their website only go through 2 years. Have people at your high school successfully moved between starting with BYU then taking their third year of language at your high school? Getting three years of language in is not easy at this point so it would be good to start something as soon as you can.
We are also a 6 period school and so yearbook and such is out for honors/AP kids.
Many school districts encourage students to have level 1 FL in 8th grade. That way, you can still reach level 3 in two years of high school. Nevertheless, it is not good to have a year or two gap in between. On the other hand, you may talk to your GC to see if there is online or summer course you can take. You may also take it in a community college in the evening or over the summer. Each semester course would be equivalent to one year level of FL in HS. It is actually quite crucial for top colleges to exceed the minimum two year requirement.
We are also a 6-period school in CA. My son was in a HS engineering program that took up one period a day, so he had to do things to get in the requirement expected by colleges beyond the UCs.
Misc strategies:
– If you can take a sport that practices after school, some schools will count that as PE and may let you take a 7th class. Does your school count soccer for PE, or do they start practice during 6th period?
– Many 6-period schools have a zero period at way-too-early in the morning. Typically 9th graders can’t take a 0 period class. My son actually got through without taking any 0 period classes, but that was because he finished the math sequence early.
– Health is usually one semester. Is yours really a full year? (If not, think about what you can take the other semester in that slot. Possibly you can take AP Gov’t or an AP Econ, but while those are easy for seniors, they are tough for most 9th graders.) (Health is not the same as PE in CA.)
– For people who are wondering, yes it is normal for 6-period schools in CA to not even offer a social studies class to 9th graders. Dumb, but normal.
– My son took World History at the local community college in 10th so that he could fit in a science class in addition to the engineering class. Some students do the same for US History. But, I think it’s good to show colleges that you can handle the workload of a class like AP US History, which is typically higher than the workload of a community college history class. Technically, one semester of CC history counts as one HS year of history for purposes of UC/CSU applications.
– Many students here take foreign language at the community college. Community college foreign language classes move a lot faster than HS classes. It looks like the BYU classes move at HS speed, so that is probably better, though online classes require more discipline than a class you attend in person. It looks like BYU only has Spanish to Level 3. Typically the first semester of community college foreign language is equivalent to the level you’d get to after 2 years of HS foreign language (yes, it’s super fast!). The 2nd community college foreign language semester is at the same level as the 3rd year of HS foreign language.
– You said “I’m planning to major in chemistry or anatomy and use yearbook as a boost for college apps.” I’m not sure that yearbook is a boost for college apps, especially for UCs. It is a fun elective and I agree that kids should be able to take electives. But, the dumb 6-period day does limit the room for that. Yearbook is not an honors course, so will not help your weighted GPA.
– See if you will be able to take at least AP Chem and/or AP Bio while still taking regular or honors physics.
– Are any of your current classes honors classes?
yea that’s why the counselor told me to take BYU since other students in or school have taken it , im a hard working student and believe I can complete the three levels of uc approved Spanish BYU has to offer