<p>Here is my situation, I need to take a foreign language and I am currently enrolled in intro Italian. Now the pros of the class are that I will be able to travel to Venice and study abroad which is a dream of mine. However, Italian I find is pretty difficult and I will probably finish with a C+ to a B. My other option is to take intro Spanish which I had 4 years of in highschool, I would probably do better but would be unable to go to Venice. Any suggestions?</p>
<p>Do you really want to go to Venice through the Wake program? There are plenty of colleges that offer study abroad in Rome and Florence, and I know Duke has a Venice program with no pre-requisites. These programs are likely to be approved, but they will probably count as transfer credit (won't go toward your GPA).</p>
<p>Take Italian. You may find with a background in Spanish that Italian comes quicker than you might imagine. The written word will definitely come fast, listening and speaking may be a wee bit more difficult.</p>
<p>I had 2 years of Spanish in middle school and 2 years later was in Brazil learning Portugese (kind of a mix of Spanish, Italian and French!) and was amazed how fast it came to me.</p>
<p>Well I'm in Italian now and the Spanish currently makes me more confused.</p>
<p>How do you feel about going to Spain? My sister went to Spain through Wake. While she was there she had time to take trips to Portugal and I think Italy. You wouldn't be in Italy the whole semester, but you could visit. It's better than nothing and you could be in the Spanish class that will come easier to you.</p>
<p>Willmingtonwave- I would talk to my professor first off. Explain your situation, how much time you use to study, how you actually study, ect. See what he/she has to say. Good luck. Why be frustrated, not to mention spending your parents hard-earned money on a class you are having so much difficulty with just to fulfill your dream of Italy. You can always take such a trip, our local community college offers one each semester. Good luck.</p>
<p>Weren't you required to take a placement test before your first semester in whatever language you studied in High School? If so, what Spanish class were you placed into? After 4 years in HS were you only assigned to Intro class in Spanish? If you were assigned to a higher level than intro, your University may not let you take intro spanish and have it count toward language requirement. </p>
<p>Yes, I have heard others say that beginning Italian was harder for those who took Spanish in High School but later courses get easier. If you have enough room in your 4 year schedule to take Spanish for your language requirement at a later date, could you change the Italian to Pass/Fail and still do Venice with your University? May be too late to change but worth a thought. Have you talked with the Professor? How important is it to study in Venice and how uncomfortable would it be to go overseas with students from another University? You will need to answer that before you can make a final decision. If Venice with your own University is really important to you, then you will have to stick it out and work really hard. If it was just the easy way to do things, then go to your International Studies Department and see what options there are that might intrigue you before you decide what to do.</p>
<p>willmingtonwave,
you sound like a confused person... maybe you could possibly try sorting out the problems in your head before you attempt to arrive at a logical conclusion to your obvious dilemma.</p>