This may have been already mentioned on here, but I believe that learning a second language is essential in today’s interconnected and cosmopolitan society-- no matter what the major. So, yes, a student needs at least a third year of a foreign language.
I know that college admissions is stressful (as a high school junior, I, too, am feeling it), but sometimes CC needs to step back and consider the value of learning itself (and I think colleges would appreciate that).
For many engineering colleges a foreign language is not required because the engineering core curriculum is so full. In the real world employers pay a premium for bi and trilingual engineers and managers.
U of Texas only requires 2 years. Check all schools that you are considering before deciding against Spanish 3. My oldest only took Spanish 3, not 4, and I was worried a bit about that decision. But so far, it hasn’t hurt him. The U of California only required 2 years, but “recommend” the third. Who knows what “recommend” means anyway?
No doubt this has been addressed, but my dyslexic, dysgraphic son, who otherwise does all honors classes as a 9th grader, will not continue Spanish into a third year. He hates it, it is a struggle for him, and there are other courses he would much rather do. We did get him to agree to complete the second year, after a bit of drama with him nearly failing. He also has zero interest in top schools so we will let the chips fall where they may.
If I take the SAT Subject test for Chinese or the AP exam, would that be enough?
I cannot take the class because I am selecting the more accelerated math/ science courses.
Would that be equal to taking the language for 3-4 years and having no proof of how much I learned? Or should I self-study and take an exam?
(I have taken the I and II for two years, so I have a basis to continue for III and IV)
I would take the class - it’s not only something that will distinguish her from similar applicants but also something that enriches her and will (hopefully) stay with her for the rest of her life. Besides, to graduate with the Distinguished Achievement Diploma in Texas High Schools, you need at least three years of a foreign language, among other things.
@micgeax
“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.”
Taking Spanish 1 (HS Course) in 8th grade and Spanish 2 in 9th grade (actual HS) could be recognized differently depending on the University. Check with your HS that the 8th grade Spanish will be listed on the HS transcript. Kids at my DD school (TX) that plan to go out of state for college (and took Spanish 1 in 8th grade) usually take a 3rd year of Spanish in HS to have 2 years for sure during 9-12 grades.
@SirPepsi The distinguished achievement diploma is gone for classes after 2017. HB5 did away with it and replaced it with a multitude of endorsements.
For me it was useful to take a third year of french because it meant I could skip the fine arts requirement and didn’t have to take an art class.
@ccsouth I agree that some school outside Texas might not count the eighth grade course.
We had similar discussion last year and Junior daughter (will not be an engineering major) is taking fourth year to avoid closing a few doors. She won’t take fifth year as Senior though.
@micgeaux you mentioned Rice, UT, and Texas A&M. As I don’t have a feel for how only one year of language while actually in high school would be looked upon, I’m not sure I would “burn this bridge”.
After 30+ years in the US my husband’s fluency in his native (Indian) tongue has decreased he tells me- my vocabulary in his home state language is limited to 2 or 3 short phrases. Use/disuse.
Required versus recommended. If the school tells you most successful applicants have more than the minimum it makes sense to take more to be competitive for admissions. And some schools admit to the whole university regardless of intended major so one needs to consider all students, not just STEM students.
The bottom line- unless the student struggles it certainly does not hurt to exceed minimum requirements, plus the benefits of learning more about how languages are constructed (to put an engineering twist on it).
The 3 years of language are more about checking the boxes to satisfy the requisites than personal preference (from my college application experience). I went through 4 years of Spanish and feel that it has helped me with STEM thinking processes and conversions. IMHO if your daughter really dislikes Spanish, then of course do not take it. But if she has room, let her know that it is a nice skill to have
It means that for the most competitive campuses, its a de facto requirement, but for Merced, the bare minimum will be just fine.
“Recommended” means that non-disadvantaged students are expected to do it.
@gettingschooled, thank you for the update.
Saw this topic and just had to jump in the water. I teach Spanish at a private High School. We offer Spanish 1-Spanish 4 and then AP Spanish Language and Culture. The competition level in life and post-graduate is real! My students that come back for a visit often cite Spanish and mission trips/philanthropic work done in Latin America as what was singled out as the reason for getting acceptance to: Medical School, Law School, and even after Med School (Medical Residency Programs at certain hospitals). It has only ever been cited by former students as a regret when not continued. Food for thought.
Being bilingual or more is a big pro these days. Even if she can only say some basic phrases in broke Spanish, that can be a plus. She could take Spanish at a CC, to complete more years.
I am a senior now and I have taken French since 7th grade, and it is my third language (english, native language, french.) I’ve really enjoyed learning another language and have found the experience to be rewarding.
It all depends on the reasons/how you explain to colleges why you dropped the class. If she’s doing well and isn’t going to replace the class with something she is more interested in, I would stick with it. If you want to drop it, you need to show colleges that not taking another year of language was beneficial. I stopped taking a language because it was bringing my GPA down and I replaced it with a class I was serious with.
TBH, just in case, I would do at least three years of a foreign language. Even if all planned on colleges do not require or recommend more than 2 years, you never know what colleges you might be applying to in 3 years. As a senior, I can 100% vouch for that.