(this is my first post, so if I’m in the wrong forum, sorry.)
I’m currently a high school sophomore, and I’m considering not doing Spanish 3 next year so that I can take 2 science classes. My main focus is science, and I really don’t care about foreign language at all, but I’m wondering if this will hurt my college opportunities. I plan to go to a UC college.
I’m already committed to music, which I plan to do all 4 years as my elective, which is why there’s no room in my schedule for 2 sciences. While I do plan on taking one of the required junior courses (US history) over the summer, space is really limited, and there’s no guarantee I’ll get in, so I’m considering this as my backup option.
Will not doing a year of Spanish hurt my chances of getting into a UC? I hear that they like to see commitment to languages.
UCs require a minimum of high school level 2 in a foreign language, but recommend high school level 3 or higher, for admission.
For most majors and divisions at UCs, there is also a foreign language graduation requirement, which tends to require a higher level of proficiency than admission requires (though it varies by campus).
Foreign language admission or graduation requirements at UCs can also be fulfilled by high enough test scores, high enough level college courses, or college placement testing into a high enough level.
Perhaps I should clarify: I already have 2 years for foreign language and plan to take another senior year, for a total of 3. My question was more whether or not skipping the language for a year will hurt my chances in the competition for admission, as other applicants will have taken 4 years or 3 years consecutively, and I would be not doing them consecutively.
Thanks for the information though, I did not know that there was a foreign language requirement for college graduation. I’ll look into that.
Unless you have some practice during the “year off”, you may find that Spanish 3 after a year off of Spanish following completion of Spanish 2 may be harder than it otherwise would be if you took it immediately after Spanish 2.
I’d advise to if possible not skip a year. It will be extremely hard to go back where you left off, and it won’t look great for highly selective colleges, like several of the UCs. If you end up skipping a year though, your guidance counselor can mitigate a bit of this damage by stating in his/her recommendation letter why it is you were unable to take the course.
For the record, I got into college without 4 years of a language, though I do believe I would have been a more competitive applicant to some of the tippy top schools had I taken those classes.
Best of luck!
As post #1 points out, you may have a foreign language requirement in order to graduate from a UC. You can see the requirements at http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/counselors/graduation-requirements/language/index.html
You could take the foreign language or extra science class online if your school will accept the extra credit and you can afford to pay for the class.
Can you take a language class at a community college? I think a semester counts as a full year high school class, so that would free up a space for science. Maybe you could find a summer course so it doesn’t interfere with your other classes.
Can you take the two sciences classes senior year? My daughter took two science classes senior year, and skipped a math, but that’s only because she already had completed four math classes including Calculus BC (since her 8th grade math counted toward high school credits). I agree it would be best to continue the language classes without a break, and then see how many science classes you can fit in, or else look into online options in addition to summer. In Georgia all high schools offer pretty much all classes online, and students have the option to take them that way either during the school year or in the summer. Maybe you can take care of another course requirement that way.
It probably would be better for you not to skip a year if possible. You said you are taking music as your elective, is it possible to work something out with the instructor so you could make room for the foreign language and still be part of your music class? Some kids have come in on their lunch breaks, or around school hours to keep up with the class, so they can perform in the concerts. It’s unconventional, but no harm in asking if that sounds reasonable to you.
Thanks for all the advice; I’m going to try and see if there’s a workaround although it really doesn’t seem like it.
Our school is really strict on taking outside courses (like community college), especially this year, and it doesn’t really seem like they’re going to allow it unless it’s absolutely essential for graduation. Also all of our summer school options (offered by the district) are only for remediation.
But I’ll try, thanks for all the help.