<p>P'ton requires 4 years of language but im thinking of dropping it with two. The course im enrolled in is considered German 3, and Im hearing different things if that counts as 2 or 3 years of language (one year was taken in middle school). My counselor said I could get away with 3 years of language since Im dropping it for harder courses. Andy advice or past experiences?</p>
<p>*any
…</p>
<p>Two is kind of bad. From what I hear, three is fine.</p>
<p>naw but does taking German in middle school (German 1) and the two years of high school (German 2 and 3) count as 3 years of lang or no?</p>
<p>Counts as 2.</p>
<p>I’d say it definitely counts as 3. That’s what I had (1 year middle school, 2 high school) and I got in.</p>
<p>Princeton requires 4? whered u heaer of tht???</p>
<p>
Probably here:[Princeton</a> University | Academic Preparation](<a href=“http://www.princeton.edu/admission/applyingforadmission/preparation/]Princeton”>http://www.princeton.edu/admission/applyingforadmission/preparation/)</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>4 is recommended, but I’ve been told being in level 3 counts as 3 years. My counselor told me the same thing, that it’s okay to drop for a harder class. Just be prepared to take 4 semesters of a language once you get to college.</p>
<p>If you don’t have 4 years of a foreign language when applying to Princeton, are you at any significant disadvantage?</p>
<p>It should count as three. It wouldn’t make sense to say that your first year in middle school was illegitimate. What you learn in middle school for a whole year is equivalent to what you would do your first year in high school. You’re just starting early. When I took German in 8th grade, we had exams and it was treated as a high school course just as I now view AP courses. It shouldn’t matter where you take it, as long as you learned and know the material. Personally, I did not get high school credit but I assume, colleges will recognize that you started off in second year on your transcript and correctly evaluate your foreign language requirement.</p>
<p>Every HIGH SCHOOl counts their Junior High languages differently. At my daughter’s first high school, you could take a language in 7th and 8th (if you were on the honors track). They were legitimately 9th/10th grade HONORS classes. In fact, the kids taking Japanese had to travel to the high school to take it, because there weren’t enough for a full class). If you took ONLY 8th grade/first year…you got NO high school credit, and no grade credit. If you took BOTH 7th and 8th, you got to count ONE year…got the credit, the grade, the weight. It was a hot mess to understand. </p>
<p>At her next high school, NO ONE got credit for Jr. High languages. Even first year honors in 9th grade wasn’t weighted. Then they changed it and you could OPT to get credit for Jr. High, but it still wasn’t weighted/honors. </p>
<p>My daughter got caught up in a MESS of misinformation due to the school not really understanding the new program themselves…and ended up having to redo her entire Senior year’s schedule in May of her Junior year (at least the principal DID “catch” it…she wasn’t even going to get the state honors diploma because her counselors told US the wrong information AT LEAST 3 TIMES!). She had to also take summer school. It was VERY traumatic. Had to also drop a VERY important elective. </p>
<p>So just be SURE you understand your HIGH school program before you worry about what the college wants. SEE WHAT WILL APPEAR ON YOUR TRANSCRIPT. If you take it in 7th/8th…will your 9th grade language say “French III”, (or 5/6 like ours), or will it say French I. Will you have a way to explain on your application that you took the courses in Jr. High. Because if your transcript only SHOWS one year…that might confuse them. </p>
<p>I would caution AWAY from taking only 2 years (doesn’t your state require 3? do you have an honors type diploma option? you surely NEED that type diploma to consider an Ivy). I would call 3 the MINIMUM. Your counselors will undoubtedly say 4 is better. Especially since you’ll probably have to take it in college too (if you have only 3-4 years you won’t be able to test out of most college’s requirement)…and it would be EXTREMELY difficult to pick it back up again if you have 1-3 years “off” in between (though you can start with a new language in college…my child is aching to study Latin).</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>^ as stated above and in my post, as long as your transcript reflects the classes you’ve taken correctly, the college should count all full years you’ve taken. Like me, I took German 1/2 in 8th grade, and on my 9th grade transcript, it had German 3/4. Although colleges don’t see your middle school transcript, they trust the prerequisite system and assume you took the first year elsewhere, and thus, count it as your foreign language requirement.</p>
<p>I’ve heard , secondhand, that some colleges specifically do not count courses taken in middle school. A friend’s child , at a good prep school, was told that this can be the case. He was told that the more selective schools would probably not be happy if he dropped his language after finishing level 3, so he is taking one more year (which is AP). I would agree with another poster - look at what you will have to do in college as well. I was looking into this a bit and it appears that colleges vary a great deal in terms of requirements for admissions and requirements for graduation. Tufts, for example, requires THREE years of a language.</p>
<p>it probably is different at every high school since my counselor wants me to take 3 minimum for Ivies. Its an extremely easy course but I barely learned anything since middle school (no kidding, my eighth grade language is equal to two years of what I learned in high school).</p>