Errr… We’re not talking about 3 years of Latin. We’re talking about 4 years of Spanish vs. 3 years Spanish and 1 year Latin. Furthermore, to repeat myself, colleges want consistency with language - the whole point behind requiring language study is so you hopefully become fluent. You can take Latin at most. if not all, decent universities, as well, if you really desire the “experience” (whatever that means).</p>
<p>^To the OP, the test would probably favor people who have been taking Latin for more than a year.
Again, you only really need 2 Subject Tests. You don’t NEED to take a language subject test.</p>
<p>When I was going in to freshman year, I was deciding between Spanish and Latin as well. I had taken Spanish for three years in middle school, loved it, but realized that high school spanish would be super hard and I wasn’t actually going to be speaking it with fluency (the real point of learning Spanish) after four years of learning it in school. So, I chose Latin because I could more readily benefit from it (in SAT’s, in science, etc.)…It’s challenging too!</p>
<p>Haha, you guys are making me more torn than ever. I know I want to study Latin in college but I want to finish what I started with Spanish…well.</p>
<p>You have all the time in the world in college to take Latin, since you’re far ahead in Spanish, just finish it off. My brother had this problem with Spanish too, so he just stop taking it, and fell in love with history.</p>
<p>@fantasy: I agree, my schedule senior is already very hard. Adding another AP would take it over the top.</p>
<p>@CSIH: Are you a native speaker?</p>
<p>@DAIMYO: I don’t think I have room in my schedule unless I drop Honors Native American Studies and Honors Spanish 4 my senior year. My school does offer Latin I-III online. Latin III being honors. Maybe I could place into that class to replace Spanish???</p>
<p>As someone who has recently just finished AP Latin (I also took it online, like you are thinking of doing), it is NOT an easy AP, a self study AP, or something that you could go into without prior knowledge. </p>
<p>The syntax of the Latin language is extremely complex as is the grammar. That being said, it is one of my favorite things. I love Latin, and if I could go higher in it while still in high school, I would.</p>
<p>Also, just because it is a dead language does not make it easier… I’m not sure where that idea came from. It’s still a language that is not native, it will be as hard as anything else. The SAT subject test on it is, I believe (don’t quote me), half questions on translation, and half on grammar/syntax (specific questions on case, number, gender, and voice). It would not be easy to take after a year. </p>
<p>My advice to you is to continue on with Spanish. It seems like, although you can’t take the AP version, that it would be easier to set up since you don’t need to study over the summer as much, you don’t need a placement test, and you would succeed regardless of the bad Spanish 3 class. But, be sure to explore Latin in college because it is very rewarding. :)</p>
<p>I took latin I & II, besides my teacher being easy, It was generally useful, however I stopped there because I saw little use for it outside of the first two levels. As mentioned, yes, it’s “dead” and its translations vary from professor to professor. It’s awkward and difficult to learn. Once you learn the major roots, anything more is beating a dead horse. Spanish is going to be the more “useful” language to learn, with the new wave of Spanish-speaking immigrants we have.</p>
<p>Yeah, I could actually use Spanish outside of the classroom. It seems to be the popular opinion that Latin is hard to learn. While Spanish has always came off as easy, in my opinion. Guess I better stick with Spanish then, and take Honors Spanish 4 my senior year. </p>
<p>Spanish is much more practical. If you’re planning on going into medicine, a lot of med schools want you to have it. My sister took French in high school and now she has to take two years of Spanish in college before she can apply to med school.</p>
Japanese people don’t exist in the US.</p>
Thanks!</p>