<p>I've been taking Latin for two years and plan on doing it for two more to get 4 years. The only problem is that I hear that some colleges don't consider Latin a language because you don't really speak it. Is this true?</p>
<p>Most schools will recognize your study of Latin.</p>
<p>Latin certainly is a language. Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, and others all got their start as bad Latin spoken in a certain region. Don't worry. Most colleges will LOVE that you have mastered Latin. You will stand out way over the million or so kids who took Spanish.</p>
<p>Latin is not dead. It is immortal.</p>
<p>Let's see...</p>
<p>Math? No
Science? No
English? No
History? Yes, but only certain parts
Language? YES!</p>
<p>It's definitely a language, but it's not a modern language, many schools specify.</p>
<p>It's a language, but I don't think what coureur said is accurate.</p>
<p>"Most colleges will LOVE that you have mastered Latin."</p>
<p>It's a language, but not a modern language.</p>
<p>lol, latin is the foundation for english and a bunch of other romantic languages. tell me that latin is not a language and i'll call you an inept scholar.</p>
<p>during the reign of Rome, all educated people could read and speak latin.</p>
<p>I think we all know "it is a language" but the very real question is whether it qualifies as a language requirement at some schools. Okay, a lot of schools will specify (you may have to dig around the internet or call) "ancient or modern language" (those exact words). I have yet to read "modern only" so I think Latin is cool. I'm in my fourth year of Latin (and final after I graduate this spring) and seventh year of French (which I intend on continuing in college) so I never really had the problem of "is Latin considered a language?" Many schools don't offer Latin at all, and the masses enroll in Spanish--so while it may not be "oh my god we need to admit this kid who took Latin" I think it will be a very unique, nice perk. Keep with it!</p>
<p>I take AP Latin at the moment and I LOVE every moment of it. I hope NYU does too, hehe.</p>
<p>::You will stand out way over the million or so kids who took Spanish.::</p>
<p>Exactly, because someday, when you all need jobs, the ones who took Spanish will be out of luck, whereas you will be set with Latin. </p>
<p>o.o</p>
<p>^you're really naive</p>
<p>Yeah, you're actually going to use Spanish in the real world someday...</p>
<p>Don't tell me you believe that.</p>
<p>S only has Latin. In fact, he only went through Latin III, which at the awful school he attended briefly, was considered AP Latin. At the next school switch, he dropped Latin because it was too hard to keep changing methods and the AP Latin course (at the previous school) was a joke. So-all he has is the 3 years of Latin. It isn't a huge strength in his application, but early word is that it isn't going to hurt.</p>
<p>Naive, yes. The point of learning Latin is obviously not out of practical fluency in speaking. Latin is amazing for those learning law, medicine, it's great for better understanding English and of course, you can plunge into classical life daily. Seriously, we have more than enough Spanish speakers, native and non-native capable of translating (statistically speaking). However, when you have oodles of kids in Spanish and a small minority in Latin, I don't know, I think it's just puts them in a different light. Plus, most kids taking Spanish cannot or will never be able to communicate at the advanced level in jobs.</p>
<p>"Plus, most kids taking Spanish cannot or will never be able to communicate at the advanced level in jobs."</p>
<p>Maybe you go to a school where Spanish is a joke, or your Spanish teacher can't even speak Spanish correctly, but over here Spanish 4 AP will set you up for there "advanced level in jobs." It is college by the way. I took up to Spanish 3 here, and I can almost declare myself fluent; think about Spanish 5 AP! I don't think Latin sets you apart. Think about how many people think that it will set you apart. What you once thought was a minority, is now the majority. It doesn't help you in law and medicine. I hate that misconception! I go to a medical magnet high school, and I'm not in Latin, and my friends are. I either get the same grades, or higher than them, so it isn't Latin per se that is helping them. I know that you didn't bring this up, but it WON'T help you on the SAT. I think the Latin roots help, but when you're stressed for time, there is no way you can dissect the word, much less think. Latin isn't that useful in the long run. It isn't modern; I think that's its downfall. </p>
<p>As to the original poster, it is considered a language for college requirements. I haven't heard of a school that accepts only modern languages.</p>
<p>I have Latin, and Spanish, and Greek. Does that look good to colleges? I don't see myself using any of these later in life though...</p>
<p>Was your teacher a native speaker?</p>
<p>I think it looks good, but to me, it seems like you can't make up your mind; unless you are a language major...</p>
<p>I live in San Antonio, so the answer is yes, my teacher was a native speaker from Mexico.</p>