If you are a rising junior, I’d do everything I could to take a foreign language this year and next.
Agree with @menloparkmom. OP are you saying that your high school does not offer a progression of multiple years of FL? Does it say that in your school’s Profile (should be online)? Business electives are not an adequate replacement for FL.
Asking for your GC to help sounds like the best idea. Because frankly the more times you explain it, the more I keep returning to the feeling that you chose to take a program where the electives associated with that program replaced FL, which is the same as you choosing something else rather than FL. Hopefully your GC can help put a more positive spin on it than that so the AOs don’t interpret it like I am.
then your guidance counselor will have to be VERY clear in his letter of recommendation that students in your program could not take a FL in addition to the requirements of the program.
that said, it will NOT make a difference to colleges that want to see 2-3 yrs of FL on a transcript.
IMHO, you did not receive good guidance regarding program/ class selection from your GC.
bottom line-you need to look for colleges that DONT require 2-3 yrs of FL.
period.
You appear to be wanting us to say that you will have no problems with one year of FL. We will not say that and you now that you have an issue. Take another year of FL or apply to an unselective college.
That isn’t really an option to at my school unless I take somehow at a community college or on an online course.
Then your school is unique in America or a small rural high school in the boonies.
I didn’t realize that my program took out foreign language until after freshman year and I chose this program randomly (I know stupid of me)
If you want to go to NYU, you will need to take it through a CC or online. Competitive schools get plenty of applicants with 4 years of language so you will be at a major disadvantage,
Actually my school is in an area of a major city lol
OP, for example, NYU’s 2016/17 CDS states in C5 that 3 years of FL are required, 4 recommended. Talk to your GC about this, because if your school really only offers level 1 of any given language, the GCs must deal with this issue constantly. But if your school does offer Levels 2, 3, etc. of a language. and you have chosen to not take those classes, I would encourage you to take a CC or online class to get at least a second year of FL (assuming you are a rising senior) so that you have a more competitive application.
My school offers higher levels of foreign languages, but the specific program I’m in makes me only take one year of foreign language then you have to take a business elective for three year afterwards in place of that foreign language. (Currently a rising Junior)
- What school/city?
- Doesn’t your state require more than one foreign language?
I won’t tell you my school for privacy reasons, but I live in NYC and NY only requires one year of foreign language for a dergee.
^^Got it. Then you have a choice to make - if you want to successfully apply to more selective schools, change the program you are in and take FL for the next 2 years. Talk to your GC ASAP about your options and your current program’s college outcomes.
Definitely talk to your guidance counselor ASAP. If this is the school policy they have run up against this issue before.
What level of foreign language did you reach? My daughter only took Spanish through sophomore year but she had high school level in middle school so ended with at dual credit college course that ended transferred for her college.
I’ve only took up to Spanish 1 at my school
Is the high school program/track you’re in a non-college prep program? Is is a business program designed to give students who are not likely to go on to 4-year college employable skills straight out of high school? If so, you should re-think your participation in this program (if you can still change) because it doesn’t seem conducive to admisions to a compeitive University, if that is your goal. It’s time to look at reality straight-on before it’s too late. What have other students in this HS track done after they graduated?
Op’s situation is not unusual.
This is where your GC must write a really good school profile. They me tionnin the profile what the graduation requirement is in foreign language (in NYC it is only 1 year 2 credits). At some schools especially small high schools with limited resources it is impossible to take 3 years of foreign language because the resources are not there.
I have worked in my share of schools where there was only one foreign language teacher. Everyone needed one year of foreign language in order to graduate (that is where the priority is- making sure everyone has what they need to graduate).
The GC will write it in the profile. I have written school profiles explaining a school’s foreign language situation. A student is never going to be penalized for something a school is unable to offer. For students at those schools it did not hurt them in the admissions process regardless of what the school recommends. Yes, I have sent kids to NYU for close to 2 decades including those who did not have 3 years of foreign language because the school did not offer it
Remember there is s difference between you not taking something that is offered because you want to take something else and not taking something because it is not available.
Even for online courses in NYC public schools you cannot get credit unless
- Your school approves it in advance and the course is given through a NYC DOE approved vendor, and most importantly
- it is overseen by a NYS licensed foreign language who works for the DOE and your principal has approved them overseeing the course (and will pay for it).
@sybbie719 OP’s school does offer FL classes beyond level 1, OP has seemingly chosen some type of business program in lieu of FL beyond level 1