Okay so my school’s program only allows me to take foreign language for one year in order to add another elective would my chances at college admissions be ruined because of that?
Look at the Common Data Sets for schools to which you are applying. You will see under section C the number of years of FL required and recommended.
For top schools, pretty much.
That doesn’t sound right. What school would only teach 1 year and make you ineligible for most schools programs?
Ouch
If my school explains my circumstances of my schedule would I still be impacted?
Unless it’s been waived because you speak another language flawlessly, or you tested out of another language, then yes, they will notice that you didn’t take it and will not admit you because you didn’t read or meet the admissions requirements.
You need to look at each school’s admission requirements. If it says “3 years required, 4 years recommended”, then yes, you have a problem. Your GC usually advises against omitting the foreign language requirement.
If your school “explains” it, then your school may have to contend with a bad rep of disregarding expected admissions requirements. If a school does admit you, you will have to make up that foreign language requirement at your university, where it will be tougher, and cost you more.
I can’t speak another language fluently. Most of the schools say the most challenging curriculum that was offered to you and if more than one year of foreign language was offered would ot still impact me?
Check the common data sets but if more than one year of foreign language was offered to you and you did not take them, that has a chance of impacting your application negatively. Two is usually the requirement but it depends on the school.
“I can’t speak another language fluently. Most of the schools say the most challenging curriculum that was offered to you and if more than one year of foreign language was offered would ot still impact me?”
This will be interpreted by the college AO as “you had foreign language available to you but chose not to take it.” That will be a problem if the college’s requirements include foreign language.
The additional year of foreign language wasn’t offered to me at any point in order to make additional time for an elective.
Keep asking the question, but no matter how you restate, reorder or rearrange the facts the bottom line is you were able to take a foreign language and chose not to. Colleges will not like that.
If you CHOSE to take the elective, instead of taking additional years of a foreign language, then yes, you need to find colleges that dont expect or require 3 years of FL.
Sorry to say but its time to get real and forget NYU.
I wasn’t able to take another year of foreign language was the point I was trying to make with my previous comment.
“I wasn’t able to take another year of foreign language was the point I was trying to make with my previous comment.”
Really? I could be misunderstanding this, but it sounds like you could have taken another year of foreign language but chose to take an elective instead. Can you clarify?
Let me try to state it differently. Foreign language is a core subject area, not an elective. Having only one year of a FL will be a disadvantage at many schools, fatal at some. It is not ok to substitute electives for a core subject area. Some students only take 2 or 3 years of FL, but either those are advanced years of FL or they double up in another core area.
OP, you don’t say what year you are, but if you can rectify the situation, you should.
I’m sorry for my wording making it seem that I opted out of taking foreign language. My school is broken up into different programs and the program I’m in replaces foreign language with a business elective after 1 year of taking a foreign language.
^well if that’s the case then you need to look for colleges that DONT require 2-3 yrs of FL.
period.
I’m currently a rising Junior and I didn’t substitute the foreign language for an elective instead it was my school’s program that made take another elective in place of foreign language after taking it for a year.
First I would speak to your guidance counselor when you return to school and ask again if there is any way to fit in foreign language. If you can’t take it in the HS ask the guidance counselor AND do research on your own to see if there is a way to continue taking foreign language — perhaps with an accredited online program, at a local college, or over the summer. It will be a negative in your application if you don’t get to the recommended/required level of foreign language.
If there is absolutely no way to continue foreign language be sure to ask your guidance counselor to describe the issue in his/her letter of recommendation to colleges when the time comes. Any explanation of why you absolutely could not take additional foreign language would have to come from the guidance counselor to carry any weight.