Summer Advice

<p>I have two choices for this summer. I'm a rising junior btw.</p>

<p>Okay, option 1:
Go to Harvard SSP (I know there's alot of people here who are going for sure.. hi :) ) and take a 4-week course in either journalism, essay writing or philosophy. Come back home to continue interning at the local newspaper, get some community service hours in, practice tennis/piano, study for the SAT I and the subject tests I plan on taking in the beginning of the school year.</p>

<p>Option 2:
I'm not sure if I should spend 4 weeks at SSP because I don't have any room in my schedule next year for AP Spanish.. so I was considering taking Spanish 4 at a college and doing the subject test when school starts. The course is from June to August.. so I can either go to SSP or finish my fourth year of Spanish. I'm not sure how important having a fourth year of a foreign language is to colleges but I like Spanish anyway. Also, if I didn't go to SSP I'd have more time to do community service, my internship, etc etc.
I do want to go to SSP though. So I have to decide.
Which would you choose?</p>

<p>Take the course at SSP, get credit, and move to a college course in Spanish next year if possible.</p>

<p>Go to Harvard SSP! Im going! And I play tennis so we can practice if you want. Also I'm sure there will be community service opp. at or around Harvard so you can do that, thats what Im planning on doing. The only major conflict that you would have is the Spanish thingy, and I think personally do what ever you would have more fun in. If you truely love Spanish go ahead and do that, if you love the journalism/writing courses at Harvard do those. After all it is the summer, we need a chance to do stuff we enjoy.</p>

<p>Nice to meet you! Yeah, it is the summer and I don't want to stay home for a sickeningly long period of time and revolve around only a few things for two months. Maybe going to SSP for 4 weeks would be a nice change? </p>

<p>The Spanish thing is the only problem.. I guess I could do it online because I do want to finish the fourth year. Does anyone know any good language online courses? And does it make a difference if I take it online or in a real college?</p>

<p>No, if the online course is done by an accredited school. Indiana University may offer the course.</p>

<p>Try to do both if you can. Could you do Spanish on your own? Could you get a private tutor for just a few weeks? Or take an online course? Doing both would be best. If only one, though, I would choose Spanish because then you can also continue interning and volunteering.</p>

<p>By the way, the foreign language SAT II's are very very hard. Unless if you are nearly as good as a native speaker, I wouldn't recommend taking it. Especially after a gap year or a summer course. If your main purpose for taking the Spanish course is to take the SAT II, then screw it. If your main purpose is to be able to take AP Spanish senior year, then do it next summer. Learning this summer and then not doing anything for a year won't help.</p>

<p>Id say SSP seems like the better choice, but thats just me.</p>

<p>Thanks for the advice~</p>

<p>I <em>was</em> planning to take the SAT IIs actually... I was going to prep over the summer, see what kind of score I could get and take it if I can pass 700. I have heard that language tests are super hard, but I'll just see how it goes.</p>

<p>I'll probably go to SSP for a session and take Spanish online.</p>

<p>I've heard that the fourth year of a foreign language is recommended.. but how important is it? The AP Spanish course at my school is supposed to be impossible.. and kids still take it because they're determined to get their fourth year in.</p>