Is 3 Years of Foreign Language Really Necessary for Engineering Major?

My freshman daughter is making her schedule for next year. We are in Texas, and she will have completed the two years of foreign language necessary to graduate. She does not want to continue in Spanish, and currently has AP World History, AP Statistics, and AP CS principles on her schedule (in addition to the core curriculum - chemistry, precalculus, English,etc.).

She wants to major in engineering, and we will not be applying to Ivy Schools. (We will not qualify for financial aid, and I don’t want to pay $60,000/year for school.) Her counselor suggested that she take Spanish III, but I don’t see the point, if she takes accelerated math/science classes. Junior year she will take AP Chem, AP Calc BC, and AP Physics I. Senior year: Calculus III, AP Physics C, and possibly Organic Chem. She will probably take another year of AP Computer Science and AP Env. Science.

She is a bright kid - scored 1470 on the PSAT; SI 219. So, do any of you think that Spanish III is necessary?

Look at the colleges that she’s likely to be interested in. If they say three years of foreign language “suggested” then they really, really, really mean that absent extenuating circumstances, they want to see three years of foreign language.

UT Austin specifies two years of foreign language: https://admissions.utexas.edu/explore/prerequisites/general-requirements . However, automatic admission to the school does not necessarily mean to the desired major, so that may be a concern. But the recommendation for engineering does not mention additional foreign language: https://admissions.utexas.edu/explore/prerequisites .

You and she may want to check all of the possible colleges (and their engineering divisions) she may apply to in order to see what they require or recommend.

What kind of engineering is she interested in? Organic chemistry is only likely to be useful for chemical engineering or bioengineering, or if she is also a pre-med.

I htink most colleges only require 2 years of FL. It looks as though that is the case for UT. http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/index.cfm?objectid=B70D4020-D326-326A-475000FF55560470

Would she rather take another year of Spanish now in high school when it’s still fresh, or in college if the college requires it?

My D’s university does not require her to take a foreign language because she took three or more in high school.

*years

If I were in your shoes I would not spend time on it.

I would consider the fact that she might change her mind about elite schools, or become eligible for scholarships, etc. She sounds like a great student!

Some schools used to consider “CS programing” a language. I don’t know if that is still true. Because kids rarely learn languages well enough to use them, and because they take a lot of time, I think it can be a lot of wasted time to take language beyond the 2 years she already has taken. The 2 years gives her understanding of the components of language which I think it important to learn. If I were in your shoes, I would have my daughter (or I would) call a one of the more competitive schools your daughter is interested in and talk to a admissions counselor. You don’t have to use your actual name. But discuss the issue and get a sense for how the school thinks about language. Kids have too much on their plate today to take classes that don’t give them some return on their time. Spanish is useful in the US so I would say it is a total waste of her time to continue (which I would not say for every language .Es-tu d’accord avec moi?). But a brief talk with the school could help you with her decision. I noted you said “we” in terms of applying, you mean she, right?

I hate burning bridges. Have you run a net price calculator for Harvard? You might get more financial aid than you think. (Not that I’d recommend it for engineering, I wouldn’t, at least not yet, but a few years from now she may not be thinking engineering any more even if she’s still thinking science.) I think she’s plenty accelerated already and would choose Spanish over AP Stats or AP Env or Organic Chemistry (which is usually a second year college course.) I know too many people who wish they spoke more Spanish - heck I’d just like to be able to have a real conversation with my cleaning woman who is a lovely woman, but barely speaks English.

I would advise taking Spanish III over APES and Organic Chem. Many colleges expect to see at least 3 years, and the most selective ones want 4 years.

I understand for University of California that taking a language to its third year is considered having taken it to “a high level”. This is viewed favorably for admissions. I’m not sure how the Ivies or UT see it.

Look at the recommendations/requirements for the colleges your D is considering and be sure to meet them. I would probably take one more year of Spanish.

She has taken 2 years in HS…was that Span 1 and 2? Or did she get credit for middle school spanish…and is taking 2 and 3? It is really the level you get to that counts.

Is not it useful to know Spanish in texas?

But look at the colleges of interest and see which ones require a FL as an applicant, and also to graduate.

I let my HS junior (and would be engineering major) pass on Spanish III. I’ve check our target schools (mostly large state schools and some smaller “engineering” focus schools) and they only required two years of a FL.

Thanks for the feedback. I will look at the requirements for some of the colleges in which she is interested.

Spanish I is a high school class that is offered in 8th grade here. So, students can take Spanish II in 9th grade.

Spanish III is useless for conversational Spanish. My older daughter took it last year and is already starting to forget it.

Even if it is not required for admission to college, knowing Spanish may be very helpful for her when she is looking for jobs. I know that foreign language education in high school won’t make her fluent but it will provide her with a solid foundation in the language, making her foreign language college classes easier (if she has to take one in college).

UT, Rice, and Texas A&M only require two courses in the same foreign language. So, I think we are good.

Thanks again, everyone!

Also, Cornell requires two. Colorado School of Mines requires one.

If she had Spanish III last year then she’s already HAD three years of FL.

She didn’t have Spanish 3. Her sister did.