<p>If someone skips spanish 1 or french 1 to go straight to the second level, how does that look to college admissions people ? Do they think "hmm, they must have self-studied to do that, that's good" or do you think they'd say "well, spanish or french is kind of easy, and perhaps they already knew the language before". Btw, i know self-studying isn't a new phenomenon anymore, people do it all the time, but Im just wondering what your opinions on this are.</p>
<p>I doubt it'll help much, if at all. Many people start off in the second (or even third) year of a language as a freshman because they already took some in middle school.</p>
<p>O yikes, so if that person self-studies like crazy (and never took it in middle school, nor knew it beforehand) and takes that second-level language in their senior year, then it doesn't show anything ? doesn't it show some merit if suddenly in their senior year they decide to go ahead with taking a second language, say, spanish 2 (skipped span. 1) in addition to AP German, for example ?</p>
<p>I don't think it'll have much of an affect on them at all. If you really wanna dazzle them, master the language and do exceptionally well in class and on the subject test.</p>
<p>But yes, taking a third language would look awesome since I don't know many people who have done that in HS. Good luck to ya. Either way, it'll help you get ahead in your own studies, and that is what truly matters. I wish I had done like you are. You're on the right track.</p>
<p>buminapark: oh...well, not in texas, but we're typically not as smart as many other states...which sucks, but I'll admit it.</p>
<p>texas public education is suppose to be better than california public education, i think</p>
<p>so texas beats cali, something for a texan to be proud of. lol</p>
<p>thanks brand_182! but I'd only be taking AP French and Spanish 2, only two languages.</p>
<p>gosh, maybe skipping a level seems bizarre, i'll explain the situation. due to the fact that i cannot take physics in my senior year because of scheduling conflicts, I'd have one empty class. I don't have anything to substitute for that empty class besides electives like cooking, etc. So, i decided to skip spanish 1 and take spanish 2 to make up for the fact that i couldn't take physics. maybe its not a good substitution, but its better than not taking a class. So what do you all think ? Just forget spanish in my senior year (i'd take health instead, and not in the summer as im planning to do soon) ?? or does it look better than if i simply take health during summer, and spanish 2 during the school year? btw, taking health in summer school will make my GPA go up, and thats good.</p>
<p>yeah what i mean is a 3rd language (i.e. you already know English and so you'd be learning Spanish and French = 3) Which is really good. Sure people can say, I've taken a different language in middle school, but admissions will not see that. Unless those people can perform well on say, two foreign language tests, to prove that they have retained that proficiency, it's somewhat useless for helping them get in. But two foreign languages in high school is bada**.</p>
<p>yay!! so, no one has answered the question as to weather or not this would help with admissions... because I don't know if I should highlight in on my app somewhere...</p>
<p>btw people, not to brag or anything, but I'm in french 3 and am skipping french 4 to go to AP French, so I guess I'll write in my essays that I like languages. I just don't want it to look petty and worthless that I'm skipping spanish 1 to go straight to the second level. I hope the admins are intelligent enough and realize (before reading my essays) that I'm sacrificing my summer vacation to study for two seperate languages, and I just want it to show, that's all. thanks again brand_182 !</p>
<p>does anyone have a definite answer for that? (if the adcoms will notice, or if you have to point it out to them) because I wasn't planning on writing on how much I love languages (although I do) but it is something I was hoping that they would notice...
You know what I wish... I wish that instead of an essay you just submitted a really long and detailed resume... sometimes... other times, I figure that the essay will be good for me. We'll see...</p>
<p>brand_182: When I lived in CA, many students took two years of a foreign language in middle school and started off at the third level as a freshman. By the time they finished high school they had taken five or six years of a language and were super fluent. I'm in IL right now, and many students also take a year in middle school. I have friends in TX and NC that've done that too. So it's not uncommon. </p>
<p>gooduniforme: If you really want to take Spanish then take it, but don't take it just because you think it'll help in the app process. I mean, if you take it that's great and all, but don't expect it to be a huge tipping factor. (If it were, I think we'd see a lot more kids taking two languages.) Also, your situation does seem pretty bizarre, so I'd think you would be better off explaining somewhere on your app to have your bases covered. (It doesn't have to be a big long explanation, maybe under summer activities put "studied Spanish I" or something. That's all.)</p>
<p>buminapark: I only wish I had been in one of those school districts then. lol. 3rd/4th year of a language was as far as anyone went at my school.</p>
<p>well, at my school the highest you ever get is at the AP level (considered to be the 4th or maybe 5th year) and thats as a senior Very rarely will there be a student in AP as a junior. The most you can take in middle school in this area is 1 year, and about 70% of people don't even take a language in middle school, and some even start their first year as a highschool sophomore. So i guess the school systems are much different here than what you describe. uh, i wonder if admins will understand that, given differences in state education.</p>