<p>I am planning on learning a 3rd language over the next few years. I am currently taking Japanese and was wondering what other language would help me get into an Ivy League school. I am leaning towards Mandarin, Arabic, Farsi, or another extremely difficult tier III language and I was wondering if the extra effort would be worth it... and please don't say, "do what interests you." :-)</p>
<p>not really a speaking language buttt. . . . Latin? I have just heard it looks good.</p>
<p>hell yea thats 1 for latin</p>
<p>English. </p>
<p>From Princeton</a> University | Tips for International Students
[quote]
If you attend a secondary school where English is not the primary language of instruction, and if English is not the primary language spoken in your home, you are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). To register to take the test in your country, go to TOEFL:</a> Test of English as a Foreign Language.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>LOL I took Latin and only latin. Gosh, really that was a bad idea for me cuz I was running the risk of being asked "why aren't you taking a modern language?" and I was ASKED. Honestly, I don't know if latin does help at all, but most of my interviewers did not really look at latin in a positive light, not that it's really bad, it's just that it is a dead language and can't be very helpful in reality (unless it's for medicine). (They even advised me to choose a modern language in college LOL.)
So my advice is to go for a modern language (lol), a language that may be helpful to you (in the future).</p>
<p>this is a ridiculous thread. take what language interests you. all languages look good to colleges if they're not native to you.</p>
<p>do things for the pure joy of learning something, not for getting into college.</p>
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<p>heyyou :-)</p>
<p>Anyone speak Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, German, or Persian (Dari, Farsi, Tajik)? If so, how is it?</p>
<p>^^^^ Agree with Heyyou. Just because you are gifted in languages won't get you in. Become a real learner and hope your teachers can see that.</p>
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<p><3 korean
not too hard to learn, but then again i'm korean, and i went to school there for a bit</p>
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Anyone speak Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, German, or Persian (Dari, Farsi, Tajik)? If so, how is it?
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Yes... but firstly...
I don't think Universities care for the difficulty of the language, and even then some all languages are difficult.
I would say that I would have not taken Japanese, it i useless in anywhere but Japan...a shrinking country...
Stay away from Farsi... Arabic and Mandarin(and even then some EVERYTHING in China is in English) can be useful... DO NOT TAKE CANTONESE.
Cantonese is HARDER then Mandarin has it has many more tones and it sounds like someone is gulping down a cup water as if they haven't drunk in 10 years...What is more so ONLY IN THE US DO CHINESE PEOPLE SPEAK CANTONESE AND NOT MANDARIN. in China, Cantonese is useless unless you are in Guangdong or Hong Kong...and everyone in those places speaks mandarin
Universities like languages... or thats what I hear.
Chinese is difficult for a western tongue, we have tones which may confuse people a lot. We also have TONS of homonyms. Korean will probably be easier, and it has an alphabet (which I learned in like 30 minutes... i know what it says just not what It means...I have tons of Koreans at my school)... but anyways...
Do take what you like... But I would go with something useful it doesn't matter how pretty a language sounds if everyone thinks you're talking yourself.
I am going to apply with Spanish, Mandarin, English, (err duh) and French... I'm Biracial...LOL
Spanish has growing importance in the US, and world in general...</p>
<p>Also my mother took Latin and found it EXTREMELY useful in Med School @ UTSW and also while majoring in Biology...
So if you plan on going into medicine... Latin (or maybe even a little Greek and German) is something you might want to do.</p>
<p>I'm with heyyou. Honestly? Colleges are not going to accept one student over another because one student took 3 years of Korean while another took 3 years of Spanish.</p>
<p>Colleges care about how long you've taken a language and how invested you are in it (being in the French club, getting an award for a Latin essay, etc.) NOT which one you take.</p>
<p>I AM going to say "do what interests you" because that's what counts. Take a language because you enjoy it and because it's interesting, not because it'll "look good on applications." Also, take a language that you'll USE. If you're never going to speak Farsi (this is just hypothetical), then what's the point of learning it? Make sure it's going to somehow benefit your life.</p>
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Also, take a language that you'll USE. If you're never going to speak Farsi (this is just hypothetical), then what's the point of learning it?
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<p>Um, lots of reasons.</p>
<ol>
<li>You gain insight into other cultures. (This seems to be the biggest reason for requiring students to take foreign languages.)</li>
<li>You gain insight into other people's way of thinking.</li>
<li>You want to get in touch with your roots.</li>
<li>You want a challenge.</li>
<li>You want to better understand cultural entertainment (music, foods, etc.).</li>
</ol>
<p>Or, gasp, you like learning languages! I personally love learning other languages. More on why you'd learn a language:</p>
<p>Why</a> should I learn a language?</p>
<p>It doesn't have to be practical to be enjoyable. :)</p>
<p>(FWIW, I focused my application on my passion for languages, and I think I did well in admissions.)</p>
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<p>ChaiMex, LOL I speak cantonese (my first language tho) and I find mandarin much harder!!! LOL</p>
<p>i don't think they really have a preference. the "do what you want to do" position is correct because you'll do better in that language if you like it better, hence looking "better" for colleges because you got a higher grade or whatnot</p>
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<p>ChaiMex, why do you think the OP should stay away from Farsi?</p>
<p>I'm taking French and Spanish right now, which is really easy when you know the basics of the other language. I will probably add Chinese in eleventh grade and try to find an Arabic and/or Farsi class at a CC or get a tutor.</p>
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<p>French is a dead end.</p>
<p>AMSLAN (Sign Language) on the other hand sounds cool.</p>
<p>I took Latin for four years.</p>
<p>Notorious for being difficult, but, in truth, given its structured, simplistic, and predictable nature, it's probably the easiest language to study and enjoy.</p>
<p>Whoever doubts the practical usefulness of Latin is a fool.
Appreciating some of the greatest works of literature in their original language is a unique experiences, and knowledge of Latin helps greatly sharpen one's attention to proper and effective English articulation.</p>
<p>kyledavid08--You're right. I understand where you are coming from. Note, however, that I did say "make sure it's going to benefit your life." You gave reasons that show it will benefit.</p>
<p>What I meant is more "make sure that the reward of learning a language outweighs the frustration." A few years ago, my friend was trying to learn a rare language (a relatively uncommon African language...I'm blanking on the name at the moment...) because she had family who spoke it. I was really excited for her and was helping her learn it. She found someone to teach it and she was learning it for about a year. But then, when she met her relatives from Africa, she found it was a different dialect and they ended up speaking English because they couldn't understand each other. She tried to find a different teacher or some supplemental materials, but came up blank. Eventually she ended up dropping it. It was so frustrating that she said she wished she'd spent her time learning Spanish or Mandarin--something that she could have used and learned from. It wasn't a positive experience for her, so I was judging by that. If you can learn about the culture and history and maybe get a chance to travel to the area, then I would say it's worth doing. Just make sure that it's the right dialect first! ;)</p>
<p>I think he is suggesting that, like Japanese, it will become less useful with the passage of time.</p>
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French is a dead end.
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<p>Actually, French is polysynthetic phonologically, so I say it's good for linguistics studies. ;)</p>