<p>I am a rising senior in high school, facing a conflict in my schedule for next year: Because of the courses offered at my high school, I have the option to either take French V (AP), or take 2 periods of choir with the school (I would be in my school's most advanced ensemble). I enjoy music, and have sung with a professional children's choir outside of school for 7 years, and joining the school choir would enable me to leave the children's choir and get a job or spend more time on homework. </p>
<p>However, I'm also reluctant to drop French, because I have already taken it for four years, and I have always greatly enjoyed the class. Unfortunately, I have to drop either French (after 5 years), or the school choir (and give up a chance to get an after-school job, join more extracurriculars or have more time for homework).</p>
<p>What would you suggest? Does anyone have any experience or advice as to how important French V (versus extracurriculars/job and school choir) would be to a college application? Your suggestions and advice are always very helpful. Thank you for any input!</p>
<p>Do what YOU want - not what you think the colleges want to see. You're only going to be a hs senior once in life! And one course selection will not make or break a college app.</p>
<p>Sounds like either option is good. If you take French you can stay with your out-of-school choir; if you take the in-school choir you'll have more time for other things. Try picturing your life each way and see which seems to work out best.</p>
<p>I agree. Do what makes you happy. You already have plenty of language, so it should not hurt you to pass up French V, if that's what you want. If you like to sing, you will probably want to be in a college that values the arts & provides opportunities for its students to participate. My guess is you probably wouldn't be very happy in a school that thinks advanced choir is a waste of time.</p>
<p>My answer might be different if you were passing up a core class, such as a math class, senior year. You are not. So go ahead & enjoy a class!</p>
<p>My son dropped Latin senior year. It was not a problem.</p>
<p>My advice would be to pick what is best for you, and not speculate about what AdComs will think. </p>
<p>If I were you, I'd probably pick the choir. If you want to continue in French in college, you can. If not, you've learned a lot of French already. </p>
<p>By contrast, the chance to free up time senior year, while still singing and being in an excellent ensemble, is a once in a lifetime opportunity. </p>
<p>You will only have one senior year. Make it the best for you!</p>
<p>If you would rather take choir, and that opportunity is only available that way, I say do it. The opportunity to make up French somewhere else (maybe a community college class, or some other sort of lesson on the weekend) is really there. Even just taking the SAT II and doing well on it would prove you achieved profiency. If you want to keep up with French activities, you could also join (or start) a French club or French Honor Society. It seems to me that with all of those things it will be easier to keep up with French without being in the class than music, but I don't know. You could self study for the AP test if you really wanted..?</p>
<p>it sounds like music is your passion. and, that is an activity that you can not do alone.</p>
<p>four years of french is the most that high schools normally offer, so the french v is such an unique opportunity.</p>
<p>however, i would suggest going with your passion in music -- and perhaps, you can talk to your counselor and french teacher about doing french v as independent study? plus, you mentioned that taking choir would free up some time... that you can use toward doing french independent study! and, on top of that, you'd probably have to study on your own some if you are going to be taking the ap exam.</p>
<p>my daughter had scheduling conflict also this past year and did her french independent study and it worked out perfectly!</p>
<p>Four years of French will satisfy many colleges' language requirements for a degree- you can always take a different language in college. Go for the music, it sounds like you want to. From your description the music sounds like a smart choice. The only reason to take French is if you plan to continue with it as a college major. Both son and I did the 4 years, neither one of us is enough of a Francophile to take that 5th year- I later took a second foreign language in college. No regrets.</p>
<p>I'm in total agreement with others on this. It sounds like a very tough decision for you to have to make, but you've got to consider how you want to finish out your high school career. The upside is that there is no wrong decision, as long as you follow your happiness. If you decide on the choir, you might consider asking the 5th year French teacher if she could recommend a few self study guides to help you keep up with your French studies.</p>
<p>There is no wrong decision, but give a bit of thought to whether you plan to continue your study of French in college.</p>
<p>It is challenging (though not impossible) to resume the study of a language after not using it for a year. You might even have to resume your study at a slightly lower level because your skills are rusty.</p>
<p>I'm curious why you want a job? To pay for movies? Because you think colleges want to see it? Because your parents are pressuring you to have one? Because your friends have one? Do you have a specific job in mind? </p>
<p>If your passion is singing, and you intend to pursue this in college (do you?) why not continue the EC choir as well as the school choirs? If you want to pursue choir singing as a vocation, the additional choirs will look better than a job. </p>
<p>On the other hand, your money situation will improve when you not only have a job but don't have to pay the children's choir fees. If money is an issue, that's a good reason. If singing is merely a hobby you enjoy, and you don't intend to pursue it further, then either of your options is viable - Do what makes you happiest.</p>
<p>If a part of you (your head) wonders about how it appears to AdComs, I think you win either way because either choice shows long-term commitment to something important. So maybe you can lead with your heart on this decision..hint: music.</p>
<p>Have you outgrown the children's choir a bit? Is the h.s. choir going to be a level up musically for you? That would be the deal-sealer for me to decide. </p>
<p>A fifth year of language is certainly impressive, and I encouraged one of my kids to do it b/c he needed some strength on the academic side of his application. Also, he truly loved studying the language. He could also get A's in language handily, but really needed some A's (not perfect transcript, in other words). For YOU, if your app is very strong academically otherwise, you don't "need" that extra gravitas for the sake of admission. I like other peoples' ideas to seek an independent study in French, if you can hack it all. Then you'd have "everything."</p>
<p>My D is in the same situation - she is starting to take her fourth year Latin over the summer, so she can finish fifth year and take the AP with the seniors next spring. That way she can stay in the Wind Ensemble senior year. Remember though that depending on where you go to college you may have to take a language placement test before your freshman year begins, so try to find opportunities to practice all that French you learned, perhaps find a local exchange student or others who are fluent, and reading French text wherever you can find it...</p>
<p>My D was in the same situation last year and she stuck with her choir(s) rather than take Spanish V (although she took AP Spanish the year before). Choir was her "juice" that kept her sane thru the application process. She used her music to win scholarships and prize money as well. She also got into great highly ranked schools. Music was not her intended major, but now, she is so actively enjoying college a cappella and chamber, she is double majoring in IR and music. </p>
<p>You have more than enough language..........I think colleges will see your committment to music as something you are passionate about and this is just as impressive as taking a fifth year of French (if not more). You have shown that you have extended your interest outside of school and that, too, is meaningful. </p>
<p>Go with your passion and also enjoy more of your senior year. You only get to be a senior in HS once!</p>
<p>I wasn't able to check this thread because of finals, but it's so encouraging to see all of these positive responses. I still have yet to make a final decision, but all of you have brought up some excellent points. Thank you so much for the advice; I will definitely keep that in mind, and if anyone has any other advice, I'd be interested to hear that too!</p>
<p>You have some great advice here. If you do decide to continue French independently, I have a suggestion. A neighbor of mine, who speaks four languages fluently, used rosettastone.com to learn a fifth and thought it was excellent. It's reasonably priced - you can pay by the month or by the course - and you could do it on your own schedule. I'm sure there are other online courses as well.</p>