<p>I read about the possibilities of minoring in a language and the demands are pretty steep (level 3-5 proficiency, etc.)<br>
I was wondering whether all MIT students started at level one when learning language. Basically, what I'm asking is whether students can place out of language courses and take more advanced ones.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Oh, you can absolutely sign up for a higher level language course if you are already proficient enough. </p>
<p>You should sign up for the level you think you ought to be in, and usually on the first day of class, the professor will go around and see what everybody’s background is. If the professor thinks you should be in a different level of the language, he/she will recommend that you switch to a different class. You can switch until Add Date, which is about 3 weeks into the semester.</p>
<p>If, for example, you think you can start in Spanish III, you should sign up for that class. You wouldn’t get credit for Spanish I or II, though.</p>
<p>Just as a very rough gauge of what level you should be in, I emailed a French professor about what level of French I should be in next term. I took 4 years of French (8th-11th grade), took the AP test in 11th grade, and got a 4. I haven’t spoken any French since. The French professor very adamantly said that I was at <em>least</em> ready for level 4, if not higher. (I’m skeptical, since I feel really rusty, so I’m preregistered for level 4.) Typically, 1 year of high school language = 1 semester of college language.</p>
<p>Hmmm… Well, I’ve never taken a chinese course, but I can speak it fluently~~</p>
<p>I’m in a bit of a bind. I know there are streamlined courses for chinese exactly for these purposes, but I looked on OCW as to their curriculum - they start w/ some very rudimentary things… I’m not sure exactly where I would place. </p>
<p>@Mollie, do you think I should put down a Chinese I streamlined and see how that goes? Does the professor ever recommend students upward?</p>
<p>Thanks all!</p>
<p>If you speak a language fluently, you’re not allowed to take the I-IV classes, at least from what I’ve heard from someone who speaks Spanish fluently. You can take the classes that are taught in that language, though.</p>
<p>If you can speak Chinese fluently, you will most likely be put in Chinese III Streamlined. I’ve seen it happen (not to myself, though, which is probably a good thing). The instructors are very knowledgable and will know simply by conversing with you what your appropriate placement is.</p>
<p>Streamlined in Chinese makes it very different from the other languages offered. Because Streamlined is designed for students who have grown up speaking Chinese, there isn’t the “I-IV” restriction thing la montagne mentioned. Even Chinese I Streamlined is appropriate for Chinese students who can already speak Chinese quite well. The Streamlined sequence is mainly to improve students’ reading comprehension and vocabulary, since those are what most students from Chinese-speaking households have less experience with.</p>