<p>So my biggest dilemma is spanish. Next year (this fall), im taking spanish 5 and after that, there are no more options for spanish (im going to be a junior). Therefore, i will only have 3 years of spanish. However, to compensate for that (hopefully) i was thinking about taking another science (ap chem or ap physics c) or another math ( ap statistics). Would that be okay for colleges, since im not dropping out of spanish because im going to be lazy, but since i really don't have another option. And i was unable to get it honors spanish 5 (which then would let me go to ap 6) Sorry if i worded this whole question weird.. but does anyone know what i mean?</p>
<p>Does a college require “4 years of Spanish”? “Year” might mean “level,” since some high schools are on a period system, and others are on a semester system.</p>
<p>Regardless, I think you’ll be fine.</p>
<p>Um im not really sure. Im not interested in this school, but i just remember seeing that the College of William and Mary REQUIRE 4 years of a foreign language. If, for example, i were to apply to this school, what would happen if they didn’t see the 4 years of a foreign language?</p>
<p>I think they would count the five Spanish classes you took in high school as five “years.”</p>
<p>Yeah I’m sure you’ll be fine. If worse comes to worse, you could take advanced Spanish classes at a local community college. It would show going above and beyond.</p>
<p>I did fine with three years. I dropped senior year spanish in order to do AP Bio and Physics C.</p>
<p>Given that it seems like you have a specific school in mind, I suggest that you contact the admissions office and ask them that question.</p>
<p>However, I’ll also hazard a guess that if you max out on the foreign language classes that your school offers, you’ll be fine, especially since if is level 5.</p>
<p>Completing level 5 of a foreign language in high school should satisfy any reasonable university looking for “3 [or 4] years of foreign language in high school”.</p>
<p>Of the science/math AP courses you are considering, choose Physics C or Chemistry over Statistics.</p>
<p>There is no guessing on this one. You’ll need to look at some of the schools you might be interested in. Don’t look at other sites for this- go to the source.</p>
<p>Just to show the importance of the right info:</p>
<p>From W & M web site:
Is foreign language required?
There is no foreign language requirement for applicants. However, W&M requires its graduates to be proficient through four semesters of a foreign language. If a prospective student has taken four years of a single foreign language, he/she is automatically exempt from the foreign language requirement at W&M. Therefore, we recommend four years of a foreign language, but it is not required.</p>
<p>IF a school does require 4 years, sometimes they forgive, if the student is planing to study in a field with no usual language requirement- eg, STEM. Some adcoms will allow for a decent SAT2 score. Some accept that you got through 5 or 6. It depends.</p>
<p>Oh okay thanks! Actually i wasn’t looking at William & Mary, i just stumbled upon by looking at other colleges on the collegeboard.com. And College Board said it required 4 years of a language.
@ucbalumnus Actually what i planned to do was take ap physics c, ap calculus ab (only if i was recommended by a teacher) and then choose between ap chemistry and ap statistics depending on the teacher (theres a new ap chem teacher and i want to see how good of a teacher she is…) </p>
<p>Btw, does any one know upenn’s policy? That’s the school that im really interested in but highly doubtful of my ability to get in (my freshman year completely screwed up my gpa…) <– Does anyone know if upenn consideres freshman year very importantly?</p>
<p>So technically, my question would be-- would an admissions officer look over the fact that i have only 3 years of a language but 5 years of either math of language?</p>
<p>It shouldn’t be a problem. You’ve taken what your school offers. If possible and if you like studying Spanish, you could try dual-enrolling at a community college to take a Spanish course, but it’s unlikely to be necessary.</p>
<p>If a school you’re interested in actually requires four years of a foreign language (i.e. that information is in materials they provide, rather than secondary sources on other websites), contact the admissions office and ask about your specific situation.</p>
<p>Okay thanks everyone for the great advice!! </p>
<p>Btw, one more question, do you know if upenn considers freshman gpa very importantly?</p>
<p>Whatever answers you get her- yes, maybe, no- you have to check the colleges’ web sites. A number of things changed rapidly in the past 2-3 years. And, don’t forget to figureout exactly what financial aid is about.</p>
<p>University of Pennsylvania does not appear to be very specific in terms of requirements for admission:
[Penn</a> Admissions: High School Preparation](<a href=“http://www.admissions.upenn.edu/applying/hsprep.php]Penn”>http://www.admissions.upenn.edu/applying/hsprep.php)</p>
<p>Generally, it is the state universities, which need to be more transparent about what is needed, that specify requirements to exacting detail (including whether they mean the level completed of a foreign language, as opposed to the number of years in classes). Private universities using holistic admissions processes may just glance at your transcript and see “most of the possible honors and AP at the school, math through calculus, foreign language level 5, …” (oh, and they’ll know that AP calculus is much more rigorous than AP statistics, and that BC is more rigorous than AB for calculus).</p>
<p>University of Pennsylvania lists some foreign language graduation requirements:
[Language</a> Requirement: Policies](<a href=“http://www.college.upenn.edu/curriculum/policies/lang_fulfill.php]Language”>http://www.college.upenn.edu/curriculum/policies/lang_fulfill.php)</p>