Well just to close the loop my son picked U Rochester over U Michigan because of the requirements especially language. Tough decision but I couldn’t blame him because I heard an excellent talk on why taking language in college if you are not serious about it is a giant waste of money.
I was almost sure that most people who applied to UofM - LSA were required to take a foreign language in high school.
If you study up for the language placement test at orientation, then you can skip all 4 semesters of the requirements.
Take the placement exam at orientation, can place you out of a few semesters, or maybe even the whole requirement.
It’s level reached, not number of semesters, so that a good placement test may mean two or even just one class (if student is currently in an AP foreign language).
Actually foreign language in college is very useful, both for the broadening of the mind as it relates much more to cultural differences than in high school, with a heavy focus on critical thinking, and for 'adult ’ reasons such as travelling abroad and professional skills.
However it is very intense, which is why reaching the highest possible level in high school is beneficial.