Not taking a foreign language jr year?

Pre-College Topics High School Life
1

So I’m trying to figure out my junior year schedule and I have run into a bit of a problem. I took Spanish 3 freshman year, and Sophomore year I am spending the entire year studying abroad in Costa Rica going to school in Spanish. In May I am planning on taking the AP Spanish Lang exam.

But junior and senior year, I need to make up credits to graduate on time (like English and stuff I’m missing this year) and I don’t think I’ll have room for a foreign language.

Here are the options of what I could do:

  1. I don't take the AP Spanish exam in May, and take the course junior year (easy but still AP Spanish)
  2. Take AP exam in may and take French or Mandarin next year
  3. Take AP Exam in may and don't take any language next year

Which is best?

2

It is level you Reach which is important. If you pass the AP Spanish exam you have reached Level 4 which is fine for all colleges.

3

You can take AP exam in May then take advanced Spanish in community college if you are still interested in Spanish.

4

Does your school offer classes beyond AP Spanish? Do you want to learn French or Mandarin?

If your school has more Spanish classes, then I’d take the AP exam in May and see if you can move on to the more advanced ones. If you want to learn another language, I’d take the AP exam and start with the new language junior year.

5

They don’t offer anything after AP.

6

If you are going to high school in Costa Rica where instruction is in Spanish for all subjects (other than what is a non-Spanish foreign language in that school), then you will probably come back with Spanish skill that is more advanced than almost any US high school will offer (or what the AP Spanish test will cover – should be an easy 5 for you). You can take the AP Spanish test to confirm that you are past that level, but one would hope that your high school record including that year in Spanish-speaking high school in Costa Rica would be enough for US colleges to assume that you completed “level 4 or higher” foreign language in high school.

7

I agree the immersion and AP exam will probably be fine. But make sure you know the range of what the exam covers. Will you have the skill level specific to the exam?

If you don’t “have room for a foreign language,” why French or Mandarin? That seems unneeded.

Some hs offer a chance to do a reading course (Spanish, in your case,) as independent study.

8

Thanks for the advice! I’m pretty confident on my vocabulary/grammar/speaking etc for AP Exam, but I haven’t really done any prep directed at the test… I guess I’ll take a practice test or two the actual thing, but I don’t plan on studying much for the exam specifically.

9

TBH, and saying this as one who took a boatload of AP exams, foreign language ones are the ones that need the least prep - you either know it or you don’t. Certainly run through a practice exam to get used to the format, but that’s about all that’s needed after an immersion program.

Agreed. Unless you have a burning desire to learn a bit of French or Mandarin (and 2 yrs of HS French/Mandarin is not much more than a “bit”) don’t bother. You’ve covered the foreign language recommendation from every top college, and if you ace the AP exam, you likely won’t have to worry if the college has a FL graduation requirement.