<p>Hi IlllinoisMom2006,</p>
<p>Sometime in the past after your son's orientation you posted this question about receiving credit language placement.</p>
<p>"Son took the Spanish placement test and thought it was pretty easy, but he has completed AP spanish. He placed into S275, Intro to Hispanic Culture. His advisor told him that he gets 4 credits based on his placement exam and, if he completes HISP 275 with at least a C, he can petition for an additional 6 credits. Does anyone know how the petition process works?"</p>
<p>How did this play out for you? I think S275 is taught in Spanish, and my son is wary of taking that course if he places into it at orientation. Do you know if you can just take the 4th semester class (S250) (and get three hours for it and three hours for S200, the 3rd semester course) even if you place higher than that? He is trying for Honors Kelley and that S275 could be tough and time consuming for him and hurt GPA. Also, he wants to do Latin American and Caribbean studies for his 27 hour field specialization, but not if it requires messing up his GPA.</p>
<p>Of course, if he places in the third year, this will not be a problem. </p>
<p>Also, how much time do you get to do your schedule after learning where you placed in the foreign language exam? I am assuming that you see the advisor and he approves class the day after the exam? Can you have more time to make a decision, based on how you want to approach the spanish placement issue?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>This comes from the school bulletin:</p>
<p>"Special Credit Option in Spanish
Automatic special credit of 4 credit hours is granted for S105 when a student tests into S200 or higher on the IUB Spanish placement exam. Three hours of special credit are granted for S200 for placement into and completion of S250 with a minimum grade of C<em>. A total of 6 hours of credit is granted for S200 and S250 for placement into and completion of S275 or S310 with a minimum grade of C</em>. Credit for Spanish S200 and/or S250 must be claimed by going to our Spanish and Portuguese Web site at Untitled</a> Document and submitting the form electronically. Special credit is never given for S275."</p>
<p>My son's experience has been that they gave him the 4 credits for S105 based on his placement test results. He also scored well enough on the Spanish AP exam to have earned the 3 credits for S200, although it appears he would have gotten this credit anyway based on his completion of S275 with a C or better. Once this semester is over, he will be able to petition online for the 3 hours of credit for S250.</p>
<p>He found out the results of his qualifying exam at his advising appointment. And then he registered right after that. The problem with waiting to register is that while you are waiting, classes are closing. As you can see from the blurb from the school bulletin, if your son was to decide to start with S250, if he gets a C or better, he will be able to petition for the 3 credits for S200. I don't think anyone is going to make him sign up for a class he doesn't feel prepared for. At his advising appointment, he should discuss his apprehensions with his advisor, listen to their advice, and make his decision then.</p>
<p>My son initially felt a bit overwhelmed in S275 but adjusted well after a few weeks. He was rusty from a summer of not speaking the language.</p>
<p>One last bit of advice, when it comes time to register for Orientation, sign up as soon as possible and get the earliest date you can. I know some kids who didn't register until July and they were very disappointed with their schedules.</p>
<p>Also, your son should go into his advising appointment with a possible schedule in mind, not just a list of classes he wants to take. It is easy to track how many seats are left in a particular class through the registrar's website. Obviously, some time researching the possibilities is required, but it is worth the effort. College Confidential is also a great place to get good course and teacher info. :)</p>
<p>Wow, thanks for all the great advice. </p>
<p>I have a feeling that my son might also place into S275 after four years of Spanish in high school. He really needs to graduate in eight semesters because scholarship will run out after that. The accounting degree is really about a nine semester program to graduate, and he needs all the credits he can get to graduate in four years. The way the placement works gives you a lot of variables, and he needs the fourth semester Spanish proficiency to do the Latin American and Caribbean Studies field specialization. He will definitely have a few different schedules made up in advance of orientation that take into account where he places the day before seeing his advisor.</p>
<p>Thanks again for helping us out!</p>