<p>I go to a crumbling school district in Appalachia. It's extremely poor and getting poorer. (Ohio's educational system is so messed up). Today I found out that my beloved French teacher is being cut after this semester in order to save money for the school. I'm completely absolutely devastated (he's taught for 45 years, and he's been so influential)</p>
<p>Anyway, my point is..<br>
WHAT DO I DO?
Not only am I hysterical at the fact that I am losing my favorite teacher and my favorite subject, but my applications will suddenly say that I dropped out of French 4..
How do I handle this?
Should I include it in my essay (which is about my passion for French)?
Do I have my counselor write my schools a letter?
WHAT IF THEY DON'T PAY ATTENTION TO IT?
Do colleges understand the disadvantage that some of us have?</p>
<p>Have your GC explain the fact that you could not take French 4 since the class is no longer being offered due to budget. You will not be penalized by colleges because your HS does not offer a course. That said, you might want to check into taking an equivalent course at a local CC. That will show that even though your HS doesn't offer courses you're interested in, you took the initiative to seek out another option to accomplish your academic goals.</p>
<p>Colleges take into circumstances, so you won't be in a disadvantage on that account. A kid in a school with honors and AP classes galore is going to look bad if they haven't taken any of them; at a school where AP classes are not offered, they won't. </p>
<p>What they're even more interested in, though, is what you do given the opportunities you may or may not have. A kid who goes to a school with plenty of opportunities and just does what's expected but nothing more doesn't stand out; they will have plenty of good colleges to choose from, but at the most selective they will be overshadowed by those showing passion and drive. And that's what concerns me about the tone of your message; when you write "Do colleges understand the disadvantage that some of us have?" it suggests you view the world as responsible for supplying you with opportunities and pathways. It's almost as if you're forbidden from doing anything with french that isn't offered by a school and legitimized with an entry in an official HS transcript. That's a bad way to view your opportunities in french (or in any other area, for that matter).</p>
<p>From the glass half-full side of things, you have just been handed a golden opportunity!! There is no law that says you can only pursue your love of french in a classroom. These days, especially, there is a ton of french content and resources at your fingertips. Spend 10 minutes on the web and you'll find dozens of sites devoted to the french language; learning, pen-pals, streaming audio and video, etc. You can probably find online classes offered thru community colleges. And that's just the web. There may be fluent french speakers in your town. You could organize a group that meets regularly for coffee and chats in french. A few more minutes thought, you'll come up with even more ideas. Really, the opportunities to go farther are extensive! And creating your own opportunities is what's going to make an adcom sit up and take notice.</p>
<p>You don't have to decide it all now; more things may come to you ask you think about it, or doing activity A may suggest to you B and C. But the key point is that you take onto your shoulders the responsibility for going farther. You want to impress adcoms with your passion for french? The way to do it isn't to take another semester of French 4; its to show, in as many ways as you can, how you've overcome obstacles to keep doing something important to you. Adcoms know that there are setbacks in college and in life; the kids they want on campus are the ones that won't take "no" for an answer and that have the grit and determination to persevere.</p>
<p>Thank you, your message was very true. (And raised my spirit a bit)</p>
<p>I'm sorry, I'm feeling resentful today. :P. But trust me, I won't let go of French. I have already invested hundreds of dollars in a French computer program which I use regularly. I listen to tons of French music, watch French movies, study in French workbooks. I certainly will continue to study intensively. </p>
<p>But even more importantly, I think your right. Perhaps I should take a French online AP course.. or at the community college.. Since I'm close with my French teacher, he's already mentioned options of tutoring. </p>
<p>Mainly though, I thought this site could answer the question of how to handle this situation in regards to the application process (which, in fact, is the most minor of consequences I feel). </p>