<p>I know Huntsman requires it, but for an IR major in CAS is it necessary/recommended to delve into another language beyond just the foreign language requirement? I'd imagine that you would have to know the language pretty well if you wanted to spend some time abroad, but how many IR majors don't bother becoming fluent in something else? And also, would it be advisable to start a new language from scratch, or would it be better to just continue what you studied in High School?</p>
<p>From the official Bulletin:<br>
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<p>I started a new language from scratch (Chinese). Since Penn’s offerings are far more broad than what was in your high school, you may as well take advantage of learning a bit more “exotic” language than Spanish or French…</p>
<p>i think for your own personal development it’s a good idea to start learning a language you are interested in and take it as far as you can.</p>
<p>It will probably help you out in the future if you decide to pursue IR, so why not. I am a native-speaking Chinese, and it is supposed to help me a lot when I go into business because of how fast China is rising in the global economy. I suggest Chinese, Spanish, or French. It is probably better to keep your language unless you plan on studying the new one rigorously. You want to be pretty fluent, or else a language probably won’t help you much.</p>
<p>I honestly doubt that all foreign language majors end up being completely fluent in their language of study, so I wouldn’t worry about it.</p>
<p>I didn’t become fluent in Chinese, but I did learn enough to land a sweet internship in Beijing, and successfully go on dates with actual conversation.</p>