I haven’t read up on the details of your kid’s athletic stuff, but if he is possibly a recruit, then you’ll maybe also be able to ask the college coaches about high school FL requirements when those discussion begin.
@UnsentDementor this student currently is in 7th grade. I can’t see at all how anyone can predict he is or isn’t going to be an athletic recruit.
Re: moving…and mandarin and all those higher level courses…
Perhaps you can move in proximity to a college where your kid can take DE courses (in high school…when the time comes) for the math and science advanced courses…or mandarin…or both.
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Agree with Thumper. What college coach is going to talk to the parent of a 7th grader?
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Yes, it is true.
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- Students who successfully complete a 10-credit sequence in the Arts or CTE are not required to complete six credits of World Languages in order to earn an advanced Regents diploma; they also do not need to pass the World Language exam.13 They must still earn two World Languages credits and 44 total course credits to graduate. See NYSED’s Diploma Types webpage and the Diploma Endorsement section of this guide for more information.
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Lots of them if he’s really really good. But I don’t think they are going to know what kind of FL a 7th grader needs. They will tell him to look at the website.
Ask the counselors at the school he’s applying to if any students don’t take a foreign language but still get into top20 schools.
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Need to take a test to get into CTY.
Yes, although in many places the standardized tests they take for school are enough to qualify them.
That was his situation.
Maybe I missed it somewhere in this active thread but CALL all the admissions offices of the schools you are interested in and ASK. So easy - we did that with questions about Nursing - our guidance counselor told our daughter she need two years of Physics lab to get into Nursing major versus one year physics lab and one year anatomy and phys. So simple - I called one afternoon, spoke to about 6 great admissions officers and got the info I needed simple. (the answer was that the GC was totally wrong)
I had also called for an older child for the same question - how many years of language needed and ALL said 2 years in high school or more. Just ask at your top 10 schools but you will most likely find you need to take at least 2 and at high end schools 3-4.
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@Momtofourkids this student is currently in 7th grade. Two issues I see with you suggestion (which is great for HS juniors).
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Does a 7th grader really have colleges they are interested in…with good data supporting possible acceptance?
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Policies could very well change in the 4 years that are between now and when this student applies to college. What a school accepts now might not apply in 2027.
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I could call a random sampling. The question isn’t whether they’d take kids with 2 years, it’s whether they would accept accredited outside classes.
Since this only becomes an issue at this one program in one school, I could use their college matriculation list and pick a sampling of schools from there, top, middle, and bottom of the range. Public/private.
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Yes…you could ask their policy…for 2023. But they are not going to guarantee that the same policy will apply in 2027.
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I deal with the here and now facts. Facts are most language requirements have not changed for years. Fact is if you are a parent on CC right now you are invested and aiming high for your child and most have a general idea of where they may want to go, especially if you are active on this website. Take 10 random colleges from all over the spectrum, all over the country and call. Take 20. If he is a 7th grader you have another year to do this, all it takes is a little time to do so.
Most want at least 2 years in high school - take the 2. If the policies are changed and lowered you look better for doing the 2, if they are raised you have time to take 2 more if you double check his 10th grade year.
I have been in your place. I had a child similar to what you are encountering and found no way around it. Schools want what they want and it sounds like your child is a smart kid so the 2 years of another language should be an easy A. If you are concerned about it taking the place of another class in his HS schedule then take that “extra” class at a local CC or elsewhere to get it in.
This advice really applies to any classes across the board required at colleges - you can also ask while on the call if they foresee changing the policy and downgrading the language requirement - which would be highly doubtful as most schools have more applicants than they can handle lately!
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This is good advice. Just take the 2 required years of a FL the school offers…would be my opinion.
And I don’t think the FL requirement would be reduced. If anything…it could become higher…in my opinion…as schools receive more and more qualified applicants.
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It would be a lot easier to get outside art classes. Most colleges (outside California) don’t care about whether a student has art on their high school transcript anyway.
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I wish I knew how to quote, but I’m responding to the idea that it’s easier to get outside art classes.
Arts classes haven’t been easier to find, partially because virtual Chinese is fine, so I can look at providers all over the country, whereas virtual ceramics, for example, simply doesn’t work, so I’m limited to things that are within driving distance, and fit with his schedule, my work schedule etc . . .
I hear all the time that top colleges want kids who follow their passions and not just follow a formula. It’s surprising to suddenly hear that they don’t care about art.
Also people above said I should be prepared for the possibility that he changes his mind about engineering and wants to study liberal arts in college. Of course anything’s possible, but I’d be far less surprised if he changed his mind about engineering and chose to study something like industrial design, or another art or design related major.
About LanguageBird, I’m not sure why that would be different. Have you found that colleges will accept it, since it’s also an outside accredited provider?
I’m confused by the logic that they’d accept LanguageBird and not CTY.
What about this option: Attend a high school with Mandarin up to year 4+, but also near a college where the student can enroll in more advanced math after completing calculus BC.
What math is the student currently in during 7th grade?
It’s not that they don’t care about it. It’s more that with few exceptions, UC and UW being notable ones, they don’t require it. Yet every single top college requires foreign language.
This is a case where YMMV, or more importantly, your kid’s mileage will vary, but I personally am not a big believer that virtual is effective in learning a FL. It’s fine for grammar and learning how to ask for the bathroom, but it’s ineffective for conversation/listening/speaking, particularly when asynchronous. But just my own opinion as a polyglot.
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I am with those that think that in making the HS decision, he will most likely have to change languages and use mandarin as an EC, if he goes to the STEM school.
I haven’t read every post but it it not clear to me if you think he can take mandarin in summer CTY or online during the school year. Would it even count as a HS class if it is in the summer?
Unless the HS allows him to substitute the CTY course for a language course say through an independent study period, I also would be concerned about overload. The most important metric for top college admissions is top grades and a challenging curriculum. If he is can’t have the CTY class as a period during the day, he will likely have to fill up that period with another class. That would put him beyond the typical class load and, on top of soccer, possibly set him up for just too much work which could impact his grades.
If the high school will allow him to do an FL independent study with grades as a class period, then that could work. However, Mandarin is one of the most difficult languages, especially reading. He also needs to decide if it is worth the extra effort for a FL versus spending more time on the STEM classes he is really interested in. Junior high level courses are typically less challenging than the HS version.
He can always study Mandarin in college, in summers at CTY, or after he finishes school. Not a good reason to give up the STEM school, if he even gets accepted. Good luck!
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I think the SC system used to require an art credit?
I would be hesitant about long term online classes for a spoken language. Good luck in your decisions.