Hi,
I am going to be a senior this year and having a difficult time deciding what classes to take. As of right now, I can’t fit Spanish IV into my schedule and am worried that this might hurt my chances of getting into competitive colleges/universities (because I wouldn’t have 4 years of a foreign language). However, I did take the AP Chinese test last spring and got a 5, but I never actually took any Chinese classes at my school (mainly because my school doesn’t offer any but also because I speak Chinese at home and was confident I could score well if I self-studied). Do you think colleges will accept my 5 as four years of a foreign language, or would they rather see 4 years of actual foreign language classes?
Is Chinese your mother tongue?
Yes, I think so? I’ve spoken both English and Chinese since I was young.
I am only familiar with the California University system (UC and Cal states). A 5 on any AP Language test fulfills the minimum 2 year requirement not 3 years as recommended and definitely not 4 years.
I would check with each school you are targeting.
Ok, got it. Do you know where I could find that info? I’ve tried before but couldn’t find much.
For which schools would you like the information?
This is the UC policy which is listed under the UC subject requirements:
E) Language other than English
UC-approved high school courses
Two years, or equivalent to the 2nd level of high school instruction, of the same language other than English are required. (Three years/3rd level of high school instruction recommended). Courses should emphasize speaking and understanding, and include instruction in grammar, vocabulary, reading, composition and culture. American Sign Language and classical languages, such as Latin and Greek, are acceptable, as are Native American languages. Courses taken in the seventh and eighth grades may be used to fulfill part or all of this requirement if the high school accepts them as equivalent to its own courses.
SAT Subject Test
The following scores satisfy the entire requirement:
- Chinese With Listening: 520
- French/French With Listening: 540
- German/German With Listening: 510
- Modern Hebrew: 470
- Italian: 520
- Japanese With Listening: 510
- Korean With Listening: 500
- Latin: 530
- Spanish/Spanish With Listening: 520
AP or IB examination
Score of 3, 4 or 5 on the AP Exam in Chinese Language and Culture, French Language and Culture, German Language and Culture, Italian Language and Culture, Japanese Language and Culture, Spanish Language, Spanish Language and Culture, Spanish Literature and Culture or Latin; score of 5, 6 or 7 on an IB Language A2 HL exam.
Colleges are interested in grades in classes. Self studied APs provide little to no boost to an application. An exception might be if a student intends to study that subject and the AP course isn’t offered at the high school, or if the student wants AP credits for college.
My big question is why didn’t you try self-studying AP Spanish? That might have had more impact.
I didn’t self study for AP Spanish because I’m not as familiar with the language and didn’t feel like I could get a good score.
Like maybe Stanford or University of Michigan?
Although the plural of anecdote is not data. when I was going through the process, I asked several colleges that have a 3-4 year recommendation, including Stanford and UMichigan, if my preparation at the time was sufficient (2 years HS Spanish through level 3 + 0 years HS Italian + 5 on the AP Italian exam albeit as a non-native speaker) and they all said it was fine. In the end, though, I did end up taking a 3rd year of Spanish, completing the 4th level.
As with many questions, the answer is basically “it depends.” Nobody here can give you the definitive answer on your college choices; you need to ask them directly.
Ok, thanks so much!
Elite schools like Stanford generally expect four years of FL. Getting a 5 on the AP Chinese exam (when you are a native speaker) won’t turn three years of Spanish Language into four.
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If they do think about it, might an AO wonder why you bothered to self study AP Chinese when you already have several years of Spanish on your record? Just playing devil’s advocate.
If you’re aiming high, don’t expect a self studied AP score to hold much weight with admissions officers, especially as you are a heritage speaker. The challenge of taking the AP Spanish exam might have been more noteworthy.
To answer your question, you can put it on your application. It won’t be any kind of deciding factor.
Got it. Yeah, I guess that does make some sense.
Can you maybe take Spanish 4 online? Honestly, if it doesn’t fit into your schedule and its not related to the area you want to study and you have a rigorous schedule, that one year of Spanish is not going to be what causes you to be denied unless the college REQUIRES 4 years of high school foreign language. The 5 on AP Chinese isn’t going to make a difference to admissions though.