Language Requirement Question

<p>I was wondering if some Harvard students can answer this. My school doesn't really prepare students well in the language area; and although I will be taking the AP Spanish exam, I don't feel prepared for it at all. Are Spanish courses at Harvard extremely difficult (as compared to the norm)? Thanks!</p>

<p>You can get out of the language requirement by scoring a 600 on the SAT-II. Consider taking the June one.</p>

<p>THanks Martie. I considered that. However, my family already planned a trip during that time, and plane tickets have already been purchased. I looked to see if Collegeboard has testing locations where I am going, but apparently none are open for the June SAT. </p>

<p>Anyone else?</p>

<p>In general the language courses at Harvard are very rigorous and move quickly, but if you decide to continue your study of Spanish, you can always take an accelerated intro course if you think you aren't ready for a literature class. Lots of kids with high school preparation will go into intro language classes, accelerated or not, to solidify their foundation before they move on.</p>

<p>Just for reference, Harvard stipulate if you don't pass out of the language requirement with tests, you need to take four 1/2 courses in the language of choice (I think)...</p>

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<p>Amen. My daughter took Latin at Harvard and at first was helped by her roommate who had taken it in high school. But soon the roommmate was no longer any help, because the Harvard course had covered more ground in the first six weeks than the roommate had seen in 3 years of high school Latin.</p>

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<p>This doesn't surprise me. I had taken a year of Japanese at Haverford, but I had to start over after I transferred. Haverford and Harvard use the same curriculum, but Harvard moves exactly twice as fast...Book 1 is Semester 1 at Harvard, not Year 1, the way I studied it. That's REGULAR speed; they also offer an accelerated course, which covers the Haverford 4-year bachelor's degree in Japanese in the first year.</p>

<p>Don't let any of this scare you away from taking a language, though -- they're some of the very best courses at Harvard.</p>

<p>is this true?</p>

<p>"Just for reference, Harvard stipulate if you don't pass out of the language requirement with tests, you need to take four 1/2 courses in the language of choice (I think)..."</p>

<p>Nope. It's only one year. As per student handbook available at the Harvard website:</p>

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<p>Oops - my mistake :)</p>

<p>I know that D had to take a language test when she got to Harvard. Perhaps if you score high enough on that test, you will be able to waive the language requirement without having to take the SAT 2. I'd check it out.</p>

<p>Just curious, what happens if you have only 3 years of language, would they still accept you anyway?</p>

<p>For the SAT II, do we have to take a test with the listening? I looked at the online handbook, and Harvard just said "need to have a reading component," but I wanted to clarify. Thanks!</p>

<p>I don't believe so. The idea is that a foreign language is useful for research. Survival is a distant second. So after years of Latin, you could translate Vergil but you might not be able to ask "Where are the restrooms?" But if you got a 5 on the AP, you would be fine. Does the CB have a SAT-II Latin, by the way?</p>

<p>Yes, there is an SAT II Latin.</p>

<p>Ah, thanks, Lindsey! It could not have a listening component. The only people speaking Latin nowadays are the folks who just finsihed the papal conclave.</p>

<p>I was wondering if Harvard offers a placement test for Arabic and if so can it serve to fufill the language requirement and also would it count as 1 credit toward advanced standing?</p>

<p>Thanks.</p>

<p>I was under the impression that a 3 or higher on one of the AP tests is sufficient for the language requirement (I seem to remember reading this while looking at the AP policy on their website). Is this true?</p>

<p>Language Requirement</p>

<p>Degree candidates must meet a foreign language requirement in a language with a written component that is taught at Harvard or for which an appropriate examination with a written component can be given. The requirement can be satisfied in one of the following ways:</p>

<pre><code>* Earning a minimum score of 600 on a College Entrance Examination Board SAT II Test that includes a reading component,

or

  • Earning a passing score as determined by the department on a placement examination administered by certain language departments,

or

  • Passing with a letter grade one appropriate full course or two half-courses of instruction in one language at Harvard. These courses may not include foreign literature courses conducted in English. </code></pre>

<p>In addition, students who have earned scores on language examinations that would normally count toward advanced standing (for example, a minimum score of 5 on a College Board Advanced Placement Examination or a minimum score of 7 on an International Baccalaureate Higher Level Examination) will be deemed to have satisfied the language requirement, regardless of whether they have a sufficient number of such scores to qualify for advanced standing and whether they choose to accept advanced standing.</p>

<p>Any student who has not met the language requirement upon entrance ordinarily is required to enroll in and complete with a passing letter grade an appropriate full-year language course or two half-year language courses in a single language during the first year of residence. (An appropriate course is one for which a student qualifies by previous instruction or placement test.) Exceptions in the case of freshmen can be granted only by the Administrative Board upon recommendation of the Dean of Freshmen or, in the case of new transfer students, upon the recommendation of their Allston Burr Senior Tutor. Undergraduates who have been granted an exception by the Administrative Board and who fail to meet the requirement by the end of their second year ordinarily will be placed on probation. Students who fail to meet the requirement by the end of the third year ordinarily will not be allowed to continue until they have completed the requirement through enrollment in the Harvard Summer School. In cases where the College Entrance Examination Board SAT II Test is an option, that option may be exercised prior to entrance only.</p>

<p>Students wishing to take special examinations in any language in which an appropriate examination, including a written component, can be given by a member of the Faculty familiar with the standards of the language requirement should apply to the Freshman Dean’s Office by the beginning of the first week of class during their first year. Special language examinations will ordinarily be scheduled by the day that study cards are due. Students who plan to fulfill the language requirement by special examination should inform their Assistant Dean in the Freshman Dean’s Office or their Allston Burr Senior Tutor prior to the filing of study cards and should consult with them as to the advisability of enrolling in a regular language course pending the result of the special examination.</p>

<p>Students who plan to continue language study beyond the requirement level may wish to qualify for a citation in that language. See Citations in Foreign Language on page 69.</p>

<p>Language Requirement Waiver</p>

<p>The language requirement will be waived for any student whose native language is not English and who is proficient both in that language and in English. Petitions for waiver may be obtained from the Freshman Dean’s Office or the Coordinator of Transfer Student Programs and should be submitted to the Registrar of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, 20 Garden Street (hereafter referred to as the Registrar). No such petition will be granted unless the student has completed secondary school instruction in that language.</p>