Hi!
So, recently, I’ve had some extra time, so when I do, I’ve been taking this Chinese course on Duolingo (not any particular reason, just wanted to learn a new language) And I was wondering if self teaching Chinese as well as other languages would look good on a college application? I mean, I don’t think it would hurt, but I was wondering if it would improve my chances at top schools?
Thanks!
If you are casually learning other languages on your own then I don’t think it will be a boost to an application. For a college admission officer to care at all I think you would have to independently demonstrate a high level of fluency (ex. a very high SAT II score in the language). IMO your time is likely better spent focused on your actual HS subjects and working towards making a meaningful contribution to ECs you are involved in.
Sounds good, again this didn’t start as an attempt at boosting college chances, just a hobby because I had some extra free time, and thought it was better spent on learning something than doing nothing. Also, there are some Chinese fluency certification tests I believe, so maybe at some point that could be an option.
Thanks!
If you plan to pursue a career like international relations or some other international business, fluency in another language may be helpful. What nationality are you and what made you pick Chinese?
I am caucasian and I picked Chinese because it is the most spoken language in the world.
Meaning its spoken in the continent with the largest population? Do you have any plans to work in an field where that would be helpful?
As an FYI, and not to knock your rationale, IME, learning Chinese via Duolingo (or Rosetta Stone,etc.) will allow you to effectively ask for directions to the bathroom at the Golden Szechuan Restaurant, but you probably won’t understand the response. If you want to study Chinese,by all means do so, but don’t do it for college applications; they won’t care.
FWIW, my one regret in course selection was signing up for Chinese. I quickly realized that I would never become proficient enough unless I dedicated years and years of study including study abroad, which I decided I was unwilling to do. And to put it in perspective, I am fluent in several languages and have always found language learning easy. But Chinese just kicked my butt. Good luck to you, though.
As a person who does speak the language, the good news is that Mandarin (and Cantonese) does more or less follow the subject-verb-object sentence structure that is common in English. As opposed to say Korean which is primarily subject-object-verb which can be very difficult for people to get used to. The bad news is dealing with the different tones - in Mandarin there are up to 4 for any given syllable, and in Cantonese there are anywhere from 6 to 9 depending on who you believe (6 is what I can distinguish usually). Also of course, there is no alphabet, though if you study the written language hard enough, you will see patterns emerging with characters such that if you know one base character, a few other homonym words come out by adding “side characters”.
Chinese is a hard language to learn but there’s tons of interactive learning material out there on the web, so why not? If you’ve got the time, it’s a worthwhile adventure. Who knows, if you get good enough at it, maybe it’s something you can use as essay material.
Chinese kicked my butt, too, but 25 years later, I can still get the general topic of conversation and be sure that no one is talking about me. (My in-laws, who speak relatively little English and multiple varieties of Chinese but mostly Mandarin, have lived with me for more than 15 years.)
Now reading, that’s a different story.
For college admissions at “top schools” as the OP is interested in, “speaking Chinese” is probably one of the most difficult yet least appreciated skills. I remember a joke: when asked what special skill he had, a kid told his Yale interviewer that he could speak Chinese, the interviewer chuckled and said that half of students there spoke Chinese. Well, maybe not half, but my estimate is at top schools you are probably looking at one out of five students who are fluent in Chinese.
I do alumni admissions interviews and have had students who studied another language outside of school “for fun” But they studied through a language school.
Saying you do it on duo-lingo will not mean much…because who knows how often you do it and how well you can speak/process.
If you want to pursue this more, perhaps get involved in a more structured learning situaiton.
“learned Chinese on duolingo”
vs
“Started learning Chinese on my own through Duolingo…I kept it up for 2 years and got to Level 237. I have now continued my studies at the Institute for Chinese Learning where I am taking an intermediate course.”
This shows intellectual curiousity
I have always felt lucky that English is today’s “lingua franca” as compared to Latin eons ago. :)) I am still occasionally making mistakes in the “subject-verb agreement” part and continue to feel “verb tenses” as unnecessary lol. To me, most other languages have a lot more complicated grammars.
Like @ProfessorPlum168 mentioned above, Chinese has way more homophones than English and it is a great language to play puns in. Hats off for you to learning it, it might not boost your college app, but it sure will boost your brainpower (language learning is a great anti-aging tool, even if aging might be the least worry for you now!) and help you in your appreciation of different cultures.
I think one thing it does is it shows your passion if it relates to other interests you have. Mention it if you have a relevant theme going in your application. For example, if you are in Model UN. Or you did study abroad. Or the international business plan in DECA.
Also…for schools that offer admissions interviews, sometimes they will ask “what do you do in your free time?” It’s nice to be able to give an answer of something you enjoy.
@bopper Thanks!
@skieurope Thank you for the advice. Most of the extra curricular stuff I do is related to politics and gov, so the months without elections and not during the summer (so no intern/work stuff I can do, because I have school week days) means that I will have a lot more free time in the coming weeks. Maybe I’ll study a bit of another one as well, though Chinese still does sound like a fun challenge. I was thinking French, but do you have any suggestions?
Thanks!
I would look into taking one of the HSK tests in order to be able to document your progress and get your level certified without the need to enroll at any formal classes. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanyu_Shuiping_Kaoshi
Only that language study is, IME, most beneficial if it’s tied into future plans, whether work or travel,and if you have interest in the culture as well. If there’s a local community of immigrants or expats speaking the language, even better. Local community centers or groups like Meetup often have coffee and conversation type get-togethers.
@nypapa, great idea about getting your level certified.
In terms of certifying a level, colleges may understand SAT subject and AP scores more easily.
I have to agree. Unless trying for level 5 or 6, one is better off taking the Subject Test or AP exam if qualified.