<p>I was part of an immersion program from the first grade on so I was able to get ahead in spanish by taking spanish 1 in 7th grade, 2 In 8th, 3 in 9th and IB spanish 1 sl in 10th. The thing is I really really dislike spanish, it was getting to the point where the class was inhibiting me from performing well in other classes. I have no interest in doing anything related to spanish and my interest lie in science ( I want to do premed in college), so junior year I chose not to continue onto IB spanish 2 which is the highest possible spanish class you can take and doubled up on IB sciences(bio and chem). This year I'm planning on doubling and possibly tripling up on ib sciences but I'm worried that not taking a language junior and senior year despite having four high school language credits will hurt my chances at getting into top schools. My top choices are UNC (out of state) Miami and Rutgers. Should I drop a science and take Ib spanish 2 this year? I have a 4.2 weighted GPA and a 32 act plus good EC and essays and all my classes are IB </p>
<p>Knowing Spanish may help you if you become a physician in an area with many Spanish-speaking immigrants, or if you want to go to medical school in Puerto Rico (relatively low cost).</p>
<p>What science courses will you complete in each scenario? It is generally desirable to complete all of biology, chemistry, and physics (not necessarily at the most advanced level) in high school to prepare for college courses in those subjects.</p>
<p>I know spanish will be useful in the medical field and have no problem/ plan on taking spanish or another foreign language in college but after 10 years of spanish and horrible high school teachers I needed a break.
In 10th grade I took in chem 1, in 11th I took ib chem 2 and ib bio 1 hl, and this year I’m currently signed up to take ib bio 2 hl and ib physics 1. Depending on my schedule I might take a third science such as anatomy or geo-systems. Our school only offers bio hl so everything else is sl.</p>
<p>After 10 years of Spanish, can you talk to a Spanish speaker in Spanish, and/or read Spanish language newspapers and books?</p>
<p>I can understand almost anything in spanish and can read fairly well. My problems come when trying to write and speak. I’m more concerned with how the lack of language classes junior and senior year will effect college admissions though.</p>
<p>Are you doing an IB diploma? If so, don’t you have to take a foreign language?</p>
<p>It depends on what college you want to go to. Most want at least 2 years and preferably 3. </p>
<p>I’m not doing the diploma but doing a corse load that’s harder then what’s required for the diploma. My top choices are unc, Miami and Rutgers. </p>
<p>What I’m confused about is if the 2 years is for credits or for years actually in highschool.</p>
<p>You can try the Spanish SAT II or the AP Spanish test and get equivalency that way.</p>
<p>OP took Spanish 3 in 9th grade already and then IB Spanish 1 afterward. I think he should be fine for most college application requirements already.</p>
<p>Rutgers just says it wants 2 years foreign language. But also look at the colleges and see if they have a foreign language requirements…if you stop taking Spanish, it will be difficult to take more classes in it in college.</p>
<p>Thanks guys! All the schools I’m looking at say they require 2 and suggest 3 or 4. When I dropped spanish last year I was under the impression that 4 years meant 4 credits which I have. I’m just worried it will hurt my chances for unc and Miami which are much more competitive. </p>
<p>Most schools count the level of language rather than exact year.</p>
<p>My son is in the same boat and my best understanding is the level of Language achieved which is honors 3, rather than years of language in high school.</p>
<p>Just my two cents, but I took Latin since 7th grade and decided to quit after 10th grade to focus on science classes, which I can honestly say was the worst academic mistake of my high school career. I don’t think that high school is the time to focus in on any one field. I ended up changing my mind after tripling in honours and AP science courses my junior year and decided that I wanted to major in English. I am at a great disadvantage not having had 3 or 4 years of a single foreign language, and it also would have helped me in my future career to have greater mastery of the language. The point is, 90% of colleges want to see at least 3 years of the same foreign language, and for all you know, you could end up switching your interests entirely. I would focus on doing well in 4 years of every major academic area in high school, rather than focusing most of your time and energy in one field. </p>
<p>@LAMuniv thanks so much for the input! I know that colleges want to see three years but is that when you’re physically in high school or just high level courses? </p>
<p>Although I’m doubling up on sciences I’m also taking the hardest courses available in english and history. I’m also taking band, an advance math class, and sociology. Really the only class I’m giving up to focus more on science is my foreign language. I understand the value of a well rounded education but I have to say last year was my first year since kindergarten without taking spanish and it was by far the best year of my education so far.</p>
<p>@InterestedRower6 I’m honestly not sure about an answer for your question… this would make a huge difference in your case, so I’d recommend doing some searching or emailing and adcom or two.</p>
<p>I’m glad to hear that you’re still achieving a well-rounded education, and sorry if I sounded harsh in my previous post - after rereading, it sounds a lot more negative than I meant it to sound. Good luck! :)</p>
<p>@LAMuniv Thanks again for your advice! This is the start of my research. It just occurred to me today that by years required admissions may mean years physically in high school… So needless to say I’m starting to freak a little. </p>
<p>@InterestedRower6 If you really want to double in science, you can always see about continuing your language class outside of your high school, and getting your registrar to list it on your transcript. I took an online course in Python programming run on Coursera by a well-regarded university, and I talked to my school’s registrar and she said that she would include a note on my transcript that I took this course as well. I don’t think Coursera offers language courses, but they should be easy to find online, especially for a language as common as Spanish.</p>
<p>@LAMuniv thanks I’ll look into it! </p>
<p>OP, I think you’re fine, for those schools. Especially if you are replacing the language with other rigorous courses- and your academic and other achievements meet their expectations. This is different when someone is talking about the very most competitive colleges to get into. So, where do some get the idea it’s level, not years? it depends on the college.</p>