What does 2 years foreign language required (3 recommended) really mean if...?

Applying to College
1

<p>Hi! I started in French 1 as a 7th grader and have continued through French 4 as a sophomore. I don't expect to do anything specifically with language as a career, and will most likely have a finance/investment/business related major in college. Next year as a junior I would like to double up on science classes (AP Bio and Physics, maybe on an honors level) instead of continuing to do my school's Honors Seminar French/AP French Language. </p>

<p>The specific college I'm looking at has "2 years required, 3 recommended" written on its website. It also says years of a language before high school do not count towards the requirement. Do you think I will be okay with just having the minimum 2 years if I "substitute" the time I would spend on language with a more major-related class? (Maybe its not so major related, but I would like to double up on sciences so I can take both AP Bio and AP Chem before graduation and have the ability to take AP Economics and my school's required {honors} US Govt./Sociology) </p>

<p>This is all so confusing and extremely difficult to explain, but thanks for any answers!</p>

2

<p>Language requirements are confusing. There are two separate but related issues: what you need to get in and what you need to get out.</p>

<p>In many cases the requirement for acceptance can be finessed (though I understand in others it is a hard and fast rule). In case you mention, I would say that dropping French junior MAY be okay if your counselor can help explain the rationale in his/her letter. Continuing for another year would be a lot less risky, though.</p>

<p>You also need to check the graduation requirements of your target schools. Some schools require 1 or 2 years of college level foreign language. They may allow you to “place out” of the requirement by taking a placement test on admission. Some will substitute AP/IB tests for their own placement tests. </p>

<p>So, you need to think about how you’ll do on the placement test 2 years from now. You may avoid French in high school, but be back into it in college. If you’re really language adverse look for schools that have no language requirement.</p>