<p>Is it ok if I only take 3 years of Chinese, and change to Spanish in my senior year of high school, if I want to get into Princeton, etc?</p>
<p>The next higher level of Chinese (presumably 4 or higher) will likely be viewed more favorably than Spanish 1.</p>
<p>why do you want to switch languages? If there is a compelling reason, I’m sure its fine.</p>
<p>Well, let’s look at what [url=<a href=“http://www.princeton.edu/admission/applyingforadmission/preparation/]Princeton[/url”>http://www.princeton.edu/admission/applyingforadmission/preparation/]Princeton[/url</a>] has to say (emphasis mine):
Not that switching languages is necessarily a deal breaker, but let’s face it, Princeton rejects 93% of applicants, that vast majority are more than qualified to attend. Unless, you have a truly compelling reason, as guineagirl96 mentioned, I see no reason to tempt the fates.</p>
<p>Some other things to consider:</p>
<p>Princeton has a foreign language requirement in order to graduate. For Chinese, they do not accept AP/SAT II scores in lieu of their placement exam. How much Chinese do you expect to remember after a year’s gap? One year of HS Spanish will not get you far, as that is equivalent to about ½ to 1 semester of college Spanish, so you would end up starting from scratch in college.</p>
<p>Other top universities have policies similar to Princeton. If I were you, I’d stick out Chinese for another year, and pursue Spanish in college if you so desire.</p>