<p>I did not want to take a Chinese language class until later in the year, but when I was looking at the Winter and Spring quarters they offer chin2 and chin3 but not chin1. Is this because you HAVE to start fall quarter taking the class or something? I really wanted to take one or two quarters of Thai because my family is Thai and my grandmother is going to die soon and my "second father", an Abbott at the Thai temple I used to go to, is getting old. Both mean a lot to me, obviously, and have always wanted two things of me: to go to a good college and to speak Thai. Well, I'm going to UCLA but I don't speak Thai. So I wanted to take some Thai classes so I could at least communicate with them on a basic level which would be enough to keep them smiling for weeks. But at the same time I do need to be proficient in Chinese for my major.</p>
<p>So do you HAVE to start taking Chinese in the Fall?</p>
<p>Yes, you have to start taking Chinese in the Fall. The only way out is if you've placed into Chinese 2/3 from taking the Chinese Placement Exam. :rolleyes:</p>
<p>That sounds so nice of you, Kirby. If you are really really determined, you could pick up a book and try to learn it yourself. I went to Thai school and I was taught Thai in Thai, so I really didn't learn that much. I picked up a few things, but it was mostly self study. If you have the resolve to learn it, you could probably do so by yourself and still take Chinese.</p>
<p>I have a friend who's Thai, he doesn't speak it well though, and wants to learn. He's taking South East Asian 60A, which is introductory Thai. You can take that if you like.</p>
<p>Thanks guys. Though Altema, the problem with that is I've been trying to learn Thai for a while but I always get too busy with classes. So I'll learn stuff but then it'll be a while before I have time to self-study so I'll forget everything. I have lots of offers to spend my summers in Thailand with relatives who won't use any English (which I hear is a great way to learn Thai "you have to learn to survive" method) but I don't have summers free to do that. So I'd really have to take a class. If I thought I had a few more years, I'd probably do that but I highly doubt my yai is going to even make it through this year. She's only hanging in there because my brother is supposed to graduate college and she wants to see one of her grandchildren finish college before she dies so once he's done she'll have lost the will to live. Technically, she was supposed to die like two years ago.</p>
<p>Thanks for the help though, I think I'll just take Thai this year and start Chinese next year. You just need to do 1-6 so two years is enough plus I can always summer school Chinese. Thanks again.</p>
<p>only the popular languages have every level offered each quarter (ie, french/spanish/german). the more obscure ones (why chinese is still not popular enough, idk) are only offered yearly. </p>
<p>there are also the summer intensives for chinese and other languages that you could look into!</p>