Okay to only take 3 years worth of language if I'm teaching myself a different one?

<p>The only language my school offered was Spanish, and I'm not very interested in it beyond the "wow, foreign languages are awesome" factor. I'm much more interested in the language I'm teaching myself now that I'm out of Spanish class, but because I'm applying to top colleges I don't want to skip out on AP Spanish if it's going to really hurt me. The language I'm learning isn't one that most people think of learning, so could it be a good thing because it stands out? Also, I'll probably know quite a lot of it by the time I apply for college with all of the free time I have (I just finished 10th grade, and I have almost no plans this summer).</p>

<p>I’m sorry but any language you learn outside of school will not count towards a college app. It’s great that you’re learning a new language, but college admissions officers have no way of knowing if you actually know the language which is why it wouldn’t count. If you want your work to count for something in college admissions, consider spending a year/semester/summer abroad in the country where your language is spoken. </p>

<p>Again, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but that’s just the way it is. Perhaps there’s a community college nearby where you could take the course? Even if there was however you’d still need to stick with Spanish.</p>