So I’m applying to Cornell Arts and Sciences, and one of the requirements is 3 years of one foreign language. Well, I only have two, since neither my junior nor senior year was I able to schedule Spanish 3. I can explain this in the Additional Info section. Would I still be unable to apply, and would I automatically be rejected because of this?
i highly doubt it. if you couldn’t fit it in, then you couldn’t fit it in. moreover, some schools don’t even offer three years of a language (my school just started offering french iii my junior year), so i suspect more than a few kids won’t have it. however, i do suggest explaining in the additional information/emailing/doing whatever you have to do to get a definite answer.
Yes, you can still apply, and no, you won’t automatically be rejected.
I don’t suggest explaining this. If necessary, have your GC explain it.
I will point out, though, that Cornell will see a difference between not taking 3 years because a HS did not offer it, and having a schedule conflict. And I would further point out that there is also a difference between having a schedule conflict due to fitting in graduation requirements/core courses versus simply deciding tor double up on science or social science at the expense or foreign language.
Will any of those circumstances will be the reason for a rejection? If the balance of the application is sufficiently strong, maybe not.
@skieurope why shouldnt this person explain their schedule conflict?
Are you in a small high school where your choices were either precalculus or foreign language, so you had to choose precalculus… or did you just think it wasn’t important so you chose, say, APES?
Is there a community college where you could take college level 2 spring quarter and college level 3 over the summer?
With only 2 years you will be taking the full amount of foreign language for college graduation, and at Cornell it’s really brutal. What you covered in 2 years of high school you’ll have to master in about two to three months. And you’ll be going at that speed for several more semesters. It’d really be to your advantage to find a way to take more classes now.
@livedexperience8 It will sound like excuse making and may or may not be true; If the GC explains it there is validity given to the situation.
What did you take instead of Spanish 3?
@TomSrOfBoston gave the answer. The student explaining will come across as whining or as making excuses; neither is a positive in the application. So if it is really something that needs to be explained, the GC should do it.
Lol I ended up not even applying to Cornell so it doesn’t matter anymore
@summerhazed
Can you explain your reasoning (ie., why you decided not to apply to Cornell) and whether you applied to universities that had a similar language requirement but you chose to apply to?
@MYOS1634 I did not apply to Cornell, not because of the language requirement but rather because of its rural location and it being too close to home. I did not apply anywhere else that had a language requirement.
Thanks!
Good luck with your applications 