I know the recommendations are to complete 4 years of language, but if you are struggling to get through Spanish 3 (hopefully with at least an A-) is it really worth it to continue if that meets advanced diploma requirements? Or would you be better off taking other AP classes where you can really excel?
Check the common data set of each college you are considering applying to (google “common data set XYZ College”) and look at their recommended HS coursework.
1 Like
One way to improve your ability at any second (or third) language is to use it. You might want to watch TV shows and movies in Spanish. You could try having a “Spanish lunch” at school with some friends and one day a week just do your best to speak Spanish for the entire lunch.
I had one daughter who stopped at Spanish 3. She still got into I think it was 7 of the 8 universities that she applied to with merit aid from 5 of them, and now (many years and a BSc later) is currently enrolled in a rather well ranked DVM program.
1 Like
“A-” is not “struggling” and is not “not being good at language”.I suppose you mean that you need to study more for that A-/B+ than you’d like but unless it’s impacting other subjects and you’re getting C’s in English and Math, then you should stick with it.
If you were getting a C, it’d be another matter, but if you’re getting a B or higher then you’re decent at it and the higher level you complete in HS the better it’ll be for you in college.( You’ll need to take a foreign language to graduate from college; the higher you place, the fewer courses you need to take.) In addition, a good knowledge of Spanish (or another language spoken in the US) can be an asset.
Now, if you stop at Spanish 3, it won’t be the end of things, unless you take a non core class instead or want to major in humanities&social science. Look at your full progression over 4 years and what your senior schedule looks like in relation to your college goals.
4 Likes
Very few colleges recommend four years.
An A- is an excellent grade.
She shouldn’t take classes she isn’t interested in and doesn’t care about in the misguided belief that this will get her into tippy top colleges. Another language class won’t tip the balance. She should take the class that interests her, because she will be more likely to do well in it.
3 Likes
But note that some colleges have foreign language graduation requirements that are higher than the admission requirements or recommendations.
That’s true.
My son attends a college that has the same college graduation requirement for FL that it recommends for high school applicants. However, students have the option of testing out of that.
Sorry. I was asking for my son. I wasn’t sure if parents could post in this thread. He did manage an A- last year in Spanish 2 but it was all online and I think easier because of the pandemic. He is in Spanish 3 now and struggling. We have hired a tutor. His current grade (after only about 3 weeks of school) is a B-. There’s obviously lots of time to improve, but he also has a very packed schedule because he’s in a technology program that requires certain courses. So there aren’t many elective spaces left for him. Also, all of the classes he’s taken have been immersion ones, which hasn’t worked well for him. But that’s how they teach. So, I don’t know if it will be worth it or not. I’m sure he would prefer to stop after this year, but if it limits his options for college (I see William and Mary wants 4 years) maybe he needs to slog through it?
If he takes Spanish 4 next year he will have AP Language and Composition, AP Physics, Honors Pre-Calc, AP US History, AP Computer Science A and Honors Application Development. No study hall. That seems realllyyyyy stressful. The other option would be to take it during the summer, but I really wanted him to go to a college program this summer, so he could get a sense of being on a college campus.
What does he want to do? That’s probably more important. Seems like a stressful schedule.
Well, he’s in a technology program within his school. He took AP Comp Principles last year and this year is taking honors programming one semester and project management the next. (Not really sure why project management, but it’s part of the curriculum.)
Next year is application development and AP Comp Sci A.
Then senior year is Enterprise Architecture and a Capstone course that’s basically doing your own research.
His math and English classes are linked to the program as well.
Right now he’s actually thinking he DOESN’T want to go into computer programming. He thinks he’s interested in physics, but he hasn’t taken a physics class yet because he had to get through bio and chemistry first.
It DOES seem stressful. In fact, we are having him drop AP Seminar this year before the deadline because he currently has 2 APs and all the rest honors except for Spanish and he’s having trouble with the workload. I’d really like him to be able to take a study hall next year instead of Spanish.
Could he take US History Honors rather than APUSH (usually a difficult, time-intensive course)?
Since he’s in a tech program it’d make sense to adcoms that he’s taking more advanced/rigorous tech-related courses.
As for stopping at Spanish 3 v. taking 4, another option would be for him to try and take College Spanish 3 (201…) which is a compressed version of HS Spanish 4 in the Spring of Senior year. It’d appear on his projected transcript and if he decided NOT to take it after handling his Fall workload+college apps and deciding it’d be too much, then he’d have to tell the colleges the applied to or got into, but very few (none that I know of) would rescind his admissions for that. However it’d mean either starting a new language in college or taking the placement test after a year without any Spanish.
1 Like
Thanks! That’s a good suggestion. I mean, he doesn’t have to take EVERY AP! He wants to take AP physics and he could just take honors English, but as a former English teacher, I admit I would like him to take the AP English.
We’re starting to look at colleges now. If he were to go in state, I would look at W&M, which seems to require 4 years. But I have a friend who went to Reed and loved it, and I think he might really like a small school with other quirky students. So schools that have a similar vibe might also be on the radar. I will try to look at those requirements in the next few months.