<p>I plan to major in political science or international relations ( though I think international relations is a branch of political science, just read different things here and there). I was debating on what second language should I study in college, also from reading it seems required. I'm more than likely to decided to study spanish since:
Second most spoken language in the USA
Most in the northern hemisphere either speak English or know it
Most in southern hemisphere either speak Spanish or know it
I'll be taking my 3rd year of spanish next year ( class of 2010)</p>
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<p>I couldn't find what forum would be best to post this question, almost wanted to post it under college life since most threads I've made are under college search.</p>
<p>Oh yeah does this also mean I will not have any science classes in college, such as: biology, biochemistry, chemistry, physics, etc…</p>
<p>Take Arabic. Yes, you will take science in college. You will also take humanities, a math, art or music, foreign language, science, global studies, history, etc. You will have to fulfill general ed requirements specific to the college in addition to the courses required for your major.</p>
<p>Okay that makes since, I was almost stun that I may not be taking any science class(es) in college… due to before my plan major was in science ( biology, pre-medicine). </p>
<p>Arabic, that can be understandable. Though I was thinking it’s only logical to learn spanish given reasons above and more. </p>
<p>Any specific reason why you would suggest Arabic?</p>
<p>Supply and demand favors Arabic. Or Chinese. Moreover, learning these languages opens windows into cultures that are a little more exotic than Latin America. They are a lot harder for Americans than Spanish, though.</p>
<p>Japanese is another very interesting language and culture. Last I looked, we do a lot of trade with them, too.</p>
<p>Don’t underestimate French (used in Africa and Asia as well as several European countries) and Russian in addition to Arabic and Chinese. Basically, you should study languages used in areas that interest you. </p>
<p>Too bad you didin’t start with French. It’s supposedly easier to go from French to Spanish than vice versa.</p>
<p>English is also used in the countries listed above, though there is a large vast area ( southern hemisphere) and even in the USA that spanish is helpful. Most ( not all) areas in the northern hemisphere knowing English is a advantage, for southern hemisphere the advantage is spanish. I’m interested in all areas of the world, but I didn’t/ don’t see that many advantages taking french, chinese, and russain over spanish ( well at least speaking of political science, and being able to conversate anywhere).</p>
<p>English dominant/ predominantly in following countries: [English</a> Speaking Countries](<a href=“http://geography.about.com/od/politicalgeography/a/englishcountry.htm]English”>Where Is English the Official Language?)</p>
<p>spanish: [Spanish-speaking</a> countries and their capitals](<a href=“http://www.spanishprograms.com/spanish-speaking-countries.htm]Spanish-speaking”>Learn Spanish Free Online! Free Online Course)</p>
<p>Reviewing, I knew knowing English is already an advantage. </p>
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<p>Do you think I’m just not that well informed about how dominant other languages are?
(addition to original question)</p>
<p>I think that you underestimate the importance of being able to read/speak other languages if you want to live or study abroad.</p>
<p>Arabic and Spanish would get my vote. Hindi and French and Russian and Farsi and German and Japanese and Mandarin Chinese would be good as well.</p>
<p>Yes, a sensible way to look at it is:
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<p>There is no equation to calculate exactly what areas should interest you.
There are areas and languages where skills currently are in greater demand. And an American who speaks Chinese or Arabic well will tend to command a little more respect than one who speaks Spanish well. But your interests override that. Better to learn any language well than an exotic, “hot” language poorly.</p>
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<p>And perhaps a run down of English Grammar 101…</p>
<p>Anyways, all joking aside, definitely take a language that interests you. I mean this both in terms of the language and the culture, since they will be closely related. Learning any language will be challenging, but do you prefer “easier” rather than “harder”? Romance languages, or even Germanic languages, are going to be “easier” than languages with a completely different basis. Arabic and Chinese are certainly two of the most difficult languages to learn. But if you thrive on a challenge and are genuinely interested in learning the languages, they will be rewarding. </p>
<p>I strongly recommend at least one study abroad program that is NOT taught in English but rather the language you are studying, in addition to at least one summer language intensive program if you can afford it (by out of pocket means, loans, or grants - for me, a summer language intensive would be worth loans but it depends where your priorities lie).</p>
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Yeah I knew I had that one coming. I was originally only going to name only two additional languages, but then kept thinking of more and was too lazy to go back and edit.</p>
<p>I have interest in all languages and cultures, I guess Spanish to French would be a little more easier for me to transfer to, if I were to decide I don’t want to take Spanish in college.</p>
<p>Hey Coolbrezze,</p>
<p>At most schools you’ll go to there are 2 ways to take political science. You can take it as a BA of Arts or as a BA of Science. A BA of Science will require more another 3 units of math or so, whereas a BA of Arts will require 6 or 10 more units of a foreign language (which will be two semesters usually). No matter what you will always have your gen ed requirements to get out of the way, which is where almost every college requires you to take one semester of math, two semesters of English, a few humanities, and so on…just to ensure that you are well rounded, which is helpful in case you should want to switch your major. Most students are just taking their gen ed requirements for their first year in school, unless they have AP credits and have comped out of a lot of stuff.</p>
<p>As for which language you should take, that’s entirely up to you. Most high-level state department officials are proficient in a number of languages, including English (which I recommend mastering first). I think one language that people downplay the importance of all the time is Russian, which is always going to be vital for international relations. Russian, Spanish, French, Arabic, and Chinese are all incredibly important languages.</p>
<p>Russian is going to be used mostly by state dept workers only, but it may become more vital if Russia keeps making strides towards bringing back the Cold War. Arabic will mostly be used by the CIA and the military. Chinese will be used by state dept and business interests, and Spanish will mostly be used by business interests. French is used a lot in 3rd World African nations, which the CIA also has a vested interest in. At some point in school you’ll have to specialize in a certain region or political idea. If you go poly sci, you’ll specialize in constitutional law, the presidency, American government, etc etc…if you go IR, then you’ll obviously pick a region to specialize in–Latin America, Asia, Europe, or the Mid East.</p>
![http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/Anglospeak(800px).png[/url]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/Anglospeak(800px).png%5B/url%5D){kind=link}
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![http://www.spanishlinguist.com/images/spanish_speaking_countries_in_the_world.gif[/url]](http://www.spanishlinguist.com/images/spanish_speaking_countries_in_the_world.gif%5B/url%5D){kind=link}
