<p>My current schedule for junior year is as follows:
1) Spanish 3
2) AP Language & Composition
3) AP US History
4) Algebra 2
5) Anatomy/Physiology
6) one semester of Genetics/one semester of Biomedical Science</p>
<p>What I WANT my schedule to look like:
1) Advanced Choir
2) AP Language & Composition
3) AP US History
4) Algebra 2
5) Anatomy/Physiology
6) one semester of Genetics/one semester of Biomedical Science</p>
<p>I am a sophomore in high school, and I am taking Spanish 2 right now. Since my school requires only two years of a foreign language, then I don't have to take a third year. However, if I do decide not to take Spanish 3, will it look bad when I apply to colleges (specifically UCLA), considering they recommend 3-4 years of a language? I am planning on replacing Spanish 3 with Advanced Choir.</p>
<p>I am currently in a medical program at my high school, I will be taking 2 AP classes, I am doing volunteer hours at a hospital, and I am taking Anatomy/Physiology class (which, in my school, is one of the more challenging science classes among what's offered). So, if I decide to drop Spanish 3 for Choir, will all those things be able to back me up on my college apps?</p>
<p>I go to a private, Catholic school, so I also take Religion class. But colleges don’t take that into consideration, so I only wrote the main 6 classes.</p>
<p>Although the UC’s require 2 years of a language, 3 is recommended which means you should take Spanish 3 to be competitive. You might want to leave Anatomy/Physiology for Senior year and replace it with AP BIo or Chem.</p>
<p>If I currently have a B in Spanish 2, do you really think it’s in my favor to do a third year? The reason why I want to drop Spanish 3 is because I don’t enjoy it, and when I don’t enjoy something, I don’t do well in it. I’m afraid that I’m going to struggle in Spanish 3, which will then affect my Junior year GPA. With Choir, I will be able to balance things. Taking that one non-academic class (which is Choir) will really help decrease the amount of stress I have so that I can focus a lot more on my other classes.</p>
<p>Both my sons had B’s in Spanish 3 and still got into UC’s although neither was interested in UCLA. Most prospective UCLA students will be taking a much more rigorous course load of 3 or more AP’s their Junior year. How many did you take Sophomore year? To be competitive, look at the thread of Class of 2018 UCLA acceptances to see you what type of classes you need. If you want to take Advanced Choir then I would drop either Anatomy/Physio or Genetics and take them Senior year. Also since you are taking Algebra 2 Junior year, you will be behind in your Math. Most applicants would already be in Pre-Calculus or AP Calculus. The universities not only want to see you maintain a good GPA but also take challenging classes. </p>
<p>In my Freshman year, I took three honors classes: Algebra I, Biology, and English I. In the first semester of my Sophomore year, I also took three honors classes: Geometry, Chemistry, and World Literature. In the second semester, however, I had to drop Honors Geometry because I got a C. So for the second semester of sophomore year, the honors classes I have are Honors Chemistry and Honors World Lit.</p>
<p>Also, I am required to take both Genetics and Anat/Phys next year because I am in a medical program at my school. That program has a specific “track” or course of study that we have to go by. And since I was interested in Choir, and Spanish 3 is somewhat of a “not-so-important” class compared to other subjects like math and science (albeit, all classes are important), I was wondering if it’s really and truly “feasible” to replace Spanish 3 with Choir. </p>
<p>In other words, my main question is this: Does the amount of years of foreign language that I take really affect my chances of getting into a UC school? Yes, Spanish is definitely more outstanding than Choir. But is it REALLY going to affect me, considering I have 2 AP classes, volunteer hours, and ECs (medical program, choir, and California Scholarship Federation)? </p>
<p>I would check with your Counselor since they would have a better idea regarding your “medical program track”. I do not think Spanish 3 will be a deal breaker, but dropping Honors Geometry with a C may be more of a problem. Having a C in Geometry will be more detrimental to your chances than 2 years of a language. Just from the information you are posting, you will need to reexamine your possible list of colleges. I do not know your GPA currently, but if you need a boost, Choir will not do it for you. Remember, the average GPA for all but UCSC/UCM and UCR is a 4.0+. The majority of your Honors classes will not be considered “Honors” by the UC’s and you will not get the additional GPA points. Check this website to see which classes qualify: <a href=“https://doorways.ucop.edu/list/app/home/”>A-G Policy Resource Guide;
Good Luck</p>
<p>Foreign language is one of the “core” classes (ie., you need to have one each of English, Math, Social Science, Science, Foreign Language).
For UCs, you also need one art class, so choir would count, but it wouldn’t excuse you from a 3rd class of Spanish unless you score 520+ on the SAT Subject test. (For UCLA, you will have to have 3 years).
You could also take Spanish 2 at the local community college over the summer, and then you could take choir during the year.</p>
<p>I would take Spanish for all 4 years… my counselor told me that many colleges like when students take core classes even when they don’t have a school requirement for them. However, if you have previous EC history in music, then you may want to go with Advanced Choir because it would reveal more about who you are as a student than taking a generalized class like Spanish would.</p>
<p>Personally, I think that you could still get into one of the UCs, even without taking Spanish 3, as long as you replace it with something that shows more about you (like Choir or Theater). But make sure to check your top colleges’ requirements to see how many years of Spanish you must take. If its more than 2, than definitely take Spanish (I’ve tried taking summer courses but they’re so expensive and can actually be more challenging than the class).</p>
<p>Don’t forget that if you take only 2 years of foreign language in high school, you will likely have to take more foreign language courses in colleges which have foreign language graduation requirements. I.e. you may end up with a lower placement, resulting in needing an extra semester of foreign language course.</p>