<p>I'll be an entering freshman in the Fall and I'm really torn about whether I should study French or Spanish.</p>
<p>Spanish
-I have taken it in middle school and high school. Nothing impressive (my school wasn't strong in languages), but at least I've had consistent exposure to it and have the basics down.
-It seems like it would make more sense as far as fulfilling the FL requirement. I could probably achieve fluency more quickly.
-If I live in the US as an adult, Spanish would probably be the more useful
-Study abroad opportunities: Cordoba, Puebla</p>
<p>French
-Gorgeous sounding language
-Spoken in a wide variety of places (France, African countries, French Canada, Morocco, etc.)
-Study abroad: Paris, Aix en Provence, Morocco, probably more. (I like the study abroad locations and variety more for French)
-If I don't live in the US as an adult, I think it would be cool to live in a Francophone country/place. Especially for grad school. (In my fantasy world haha) </p>
<p>I know it's a bit early, but this has been heavily occupying my thoughts for some reason. I want to learn both, I just feel conflicted on which to learn first. I feel like I really WANT to take French first, but that Spanish would be more logical.</p>
<p>I took some French at Wellesley, and the department is very good. I’m not familiar with the Spanish department. However, speaking from personal experience, I took Spanish for four years in high school and wish I’d continued in college. I could have attained a much better understanding of one language rather than a mediocre understanding of two. If you end up studying abroad, though, you’ll come back close to fluent either way, I’d imagine. Just my two cents. :)</p>
<p>I’ve thought about taking the four semesters of French, studying abroad, then taking Spanish after that. </p>
<p>I think a lot of it boils down to where a student wants to study abroad. As a part of my parent’s career, I spent two several month periods in Costa Rica as a little girl. I loved the experience and the people (because I was a child, there was less “gringa” bias attached to me (though I look about as Anglo-American as they come), I think, and my parents say I was pretty confident and conversational in Spanish). But I’ve never been to Europe, Africa, or the Middle East, and I think that French might afford me that opportunity. </p>
<p>I’m stuck in an endless loop haha. I want to take French and study abroad in a Francophone location, but I don’t want to lose what Spanish I still possess in the years I devote to French. Another element is that it’s tempting to, amid what I’m sure will be a challenging semester of adjustment to college life and the academic rigor of Wellesley, take a subject that I have some exposure to as opposed to starting nearly from scratch with French. </p>
<p>I’m probably just funneling all my anxiety about next semester into this issue. Heh</p>
<p>If you want to start from scratch with French and study abroad, you should take into account the school’s prerequisites for those programs. I think you need to take classes through 202 plus one additional class <em>past</em> 202. Traditionally, this take at least five semesters. However, you can always take accelerated French I (French 103) and French II (French 203), which cover 101 through 202 in only two semesters. That’s actually what I did. It was challenging and required a lot of dedication, but I liked the classes. Hopefully Lydgate will be the professor next year–he’s awesome.</p>
<p>This brings up a question - I am a little worried for D who will be taking French next semester - she took four years in MS/HS the last being French IV her sophomore year and only got a 2 on the AP exam. She had a great teacher for her first two years in MS but the HS teacher was horrible. She tells me b/c of her 2 AP score, she is allowed to skip French 101 and start at 202 and only have two semesters of French, but is it realistic that she could survive this? I didn’t take French in HS and have no clue how little/much she knows but I suspect not much. </p>
<p>I am glad to hear the French Dept. is wonderful - hopefully she will power through it.</p>
<p>Maidenmom, did she take the online French placement test? My D took it a few weeks ago. I don’t know how she did, but I assume her score will help the school decide where to place her. I would probably trust Wellesley’s own placement test more than an AP score.</p>
<p>In any case, I’m sure they can switch to a different level if they decide the class they’re in is too difficult or too easy.</p>
<p>She took the placement exam last summer and it advised starting over - she is going for it b/c the rules say she can jump up with that low AP score - hoping she is able to get in the swing b/c she doesn’t like foreign language and having to take four semesters would kind of cramp her scheduling.</p>
<p>This kid may get it handed to her again. She was advised coming in as a freshman varsity athlete not to take BIO and Chem together the first semester - she did it anyway and had a couple mini meltdowns fall term. Seems like she didn’t learn - or maybe feels like she’s learned to power through???</p>
<p>maidenMom–Has she thought about taking the course pass/fail, at least the first semester? My D took the equivalent of 5 years of HS French (IB French) and took the Wellesley placement exam which allowed her to start with French 201, (although she was somewhat borderline, as I understand). She has never been comfortable in foreign language classes (she had Spanish all though grade school and middle school) because she is terrified of speaking the language, so she decided to take it pass/fail, which took a lot of the pressure off of her, at least for that class. She was still terrified, but no longer had the added stress of worrying about how the grade would affect her GPA!</p>
<p>She found the classes challenging, but doable. She has liked her professors very much–except for that whole speaking-in-another-language thing!</p>
<p>One thing your D should also consider is the fact that she took the placement exam over a year ago, which means she is one year further removed from her last formal study of French. Does she think she would get a 2 on the AP exam if she took it now? At the very least, maybe she should look into doing an online refresher course during the time she has left this summer to help from being completely overwhelmed this fall.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t worry too much. If she skips a level of French, then finds she’s lost, she can always go down a level. I’m sure lots of people do this because language instruction in high school is so variable.</p>
<p>Good advice you guys!! I will ask her if she is taking pass fail and she has signed up for some online French refresher lesson thing but I don’t know if she’s doing it or if it is any good.</p>
<p>RE pass/fail: there is a limit to the number of credits you can take pass/fail (I don’t know what it is), and apparently, they want you to use the bulk of them if you study abroad in certain programs. My D was advised not to use up her allowed pass/fails in the first or second year if she wanted to go abroad junior year. Just something to consider.</p>
<p>The Spanish department at Wellesley is well known for having some of the best professors on campus! Some of my best “professor experiences” have been in the Spanish department, and I’m not even a major.</p>