Hey Guys,
I’ve taken 4 years of Spanish in high school and will be taking AP Spanish this coming year…
Should I say I’m proficient in it on the common app? I’ve read varying responses on this, but so far I was leaning towards not mentioning it…
Am I right?
Probably. In the parlance of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, proficient would be a C1; 4 years of HS Spanish would at most be B1/B2. The vast majority of students who scored a 5 on the AP Spanish exam would not be considered proficient. Now, if you speak Spanish at home, the answer might be different.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_European_Framework_of_Reference_for_Languages
Are you actually fluent? I have taken AP Spanish and passed the exam but I don’t consider myself fluent enough to put that on the app. Besides, if you have gotten As in AP spanish and other spanish classes then they would assume you have some spanish ability.
Can you carry on a conversation with all native speakers for 10 minutes (on a topic like politics, social behavior, etc.) without hesitating to find a word?
I often find it funny that students think they’re proficient because they’ve taken the courses, but have never stepped out to practice the language in the real world. (It’s not just knowing what’s on the take-out menu at the local Roberto’s).
My children are Mexican-American and all three have taken Spanish and AP Spanish. Their grandmother only speaks in Spanish to them. Do they consider themselves proficient, absolutely not. Why? They themselves don’t think they could carry on a full meaningful conversation in Spanish without hesitating. Can they read a Mexican novel without stopping to look up a word, No. (My dd works in a monolingual Spanish clinic on the weekends; she can understand the clients but gets tripped up by some of the colloquial descriptions of clinical symptoms. Is she proficient?)
Yeah, I would agree with the above^. Only do so if you are truly fluent. That means being able to carry on an intelligent conversation with a native speaker.
What’s the reason why they are asking this question? I don’t remember this question asked when my kid filled out her application.
@DrGoogle It’s definitely there now:
I think it’s really just to find out more about the applicant. That, and to cross reference when the Chinese-speaking applicant submits Chinese as a subject test. 
Do they call you out on this to see if you truly are or not? For example, if OP was to list that they could read, write, and speak Spanish, would an official from X University come and test them? Do they reserve this right? Just curious.
C, C++, Python, Java, SQL, … jk.
IMO, no; it’s honor system like volunteer hours. Of course, if you said you were proficient and you really weren’t, it would be just your luck that your interviewer grew up in Argentina.
Also if you say you’re proficient and then list the language under senior courses, expect an eyroll from the AO reading the application.
Of course; they reserve the right to verify anything and everything.
Thanks guys. This helped me avoid a similar fate.