I am currently deciding whether I should continue with taking Chinese next year or another AP class as a senior. I have already taken chinese level 2,3,and 4 in the high school and will be going onto Chinese 5 next year but I also want to take something else like AP Stats. I already speak Chinese fluently but I’m not sure if I really want to go into Chinese 5 at school. I want to take AP Stats as well and if I take AP stats, then there is no space for me to take Chinese. Our school only offers Honors and CP Chinese 5 next year and not AP while I am looking for the AP class and my school does not offer it. I am thinking about self-studying for the AP Chinese exam this May or next may and not taking Chinese 5 at school next year since they don’t have AP. What do you guys think? I know it looks good for colleges to take 4 years of a language but I want to take other classes at my school as well. I want to go into computer science in college. I am already good at Chinese with speaking and listening but not too good with writing or reading. I can teach myself Chinese if I wanted to. We only type in Chinese class so it’s much easier than handwriting it and I heard that the AP exam is all typing in Chinese characters and some listening. Does it really matter to colleges to have 4 years of a foreign language? I already speak the language I take and know it really well. Do I need to take Chinese 5 to prepare for the AP exam or I can just do it on my own?
If you are fluent in Chinese then take AP STAT or you can self study for both and take some other ap class
Agree that if you self-study Chinese and take the exam, that would show you are fluent. Then you could take the AP Stats class.
@icecream25 Are you fluent in Chinese based on your background or did you become fluent through your study of the language? If you are of Chinese background, taking AP Stats will be more beneficial. Either way, if you have to choose between the two and can self-study Chinese I think that is the best approach. For the Chinese AP exam, you can look up the AP results. Most of the students taking AP Chinese exam are native speakers so ~65% score a 5.
Just correcting a popular misconception. Getting a 5 on the AP Chinese exam does not prove fluency as the AP Chinese (and Japanese for that matter) test to the intermediate-mid level according to the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) proficiency standards. One would still have a long way to go to achieve proficiency.
https://www.actfl.org/publications/guidelines-and-manuals/actfl-proficiency-guidelines-2012
For 99% of colleges, the level completed is the same as years taken. So if you’ve completed level 4, you’ve fulfilled the requirements. Whether you want to continue in Chinese is a personal choice depending on your interests and goals. If you never ever plan on using much Chinese in the future, then it’s probably not important. On the flip side, if you’re planning a career where in which stats will play a role, college stats with calculus may be more beneficial. Either decision you make is fine.
If you are as strong in Chinese as you say, register now for the AP Chinese exam in May and you’re done for any college!