I’m pretty sure my first language is Chinese, because that’s the language I’ve used at home until around the beginning of sophomore year in high school. However, I’ve always been a reader and feel I’m much more stronger in English than Chinese, even though I’m proficient in both. I’m fluent in English and as for Chinese I can talk fluently, but not as good in reading and writing.
The reason why I’m asking is that my IB teacher said she recommends me to put English as my first language for IB instead of Chinese, because colleges may question why I chose IB Chinese if I’m already proficient in the language, as if I chose the less challenging way, even though my school only offers Chinese as the foreign language.
I’m going to check the “Spoken at Home” box under Chinese in the Common App, but should I choose Chinese as my first language or English?
Yes your first language would be Chinese.
Looks like your first language is Chinese, but your best language is English, due to reading and writing skills.
Are you a student in a school in the US? Have you been studying academic subjects taught in English or in Chinese or both?
Speaking proficiency is very different from full academic command of a language. If your education has been in English, then list English as your first (as in primary) language. That is the one with the strongest language skills at this point. And, listing it as your first language will reduce the chance that someone will pop out of the bushes and ask “Where is your TOEFL score?” That happened to my friend’s daughter who had been adopted from a Spanish Speaking country at age 4.
If you studied in the U.S or ur curriculum was taught in english then its english, if not its chinese and you will be required to takr the toefl, its a pain I put spanish as my first/native language but I studied in the u.s so it got waived.
I’m a student in the US but I spoke Chinese at home up until sophomore year, that’s why I was unsure whether I should put Chinese or English as my first language. I also forgot there is the toefl requirement for those who have foreign language as their first language, and it would be extra work if I took the toefl. Anyway, thanks for the reply guys!
If you are born in the US, you don’t need to take TOEFL. Many schools also do not require TOEFL if you go to high school in the US for 3+ years.
I know you can be tested for IB in languages other than English. That isn’t what your teacher is asking, is it? Because it doesn’t sound like your Chinese is up to snuff for exam-taking in Chemistry or History, for example.
@billcsho - Being born in the US is no guarantee that a student won’t be asked to take the TOEFL or other English proficiency exam. Each college and university gets to make up its own policy about that. It is true that many won’t require the TOEFL if the student has completed a certain number of years of high school in English. However there are strange, and surprising outliers. At least one student has reported here that his/her college insisted on a proficiency exam after learning that that student had a home language other than English. I wish now that I had bookmarked that thread.
Don’t tale the word “first” literally.
What the colleges really want to know is whether you need to take the TOEFL.
Nah, a lot of American-born Chinese speak exclusively Mandarin at home (like me) from a very early age, but our first language is still undoubtedly English. I don’t know your exact situation so I don’t want to impose anything on you, but you sound pretty similar to me (not great at reading/writing, fluent speaking).
The IB curriculum doesn’t ask you which is your ‘first’ language because many students live internationally. It requires you identify a Language A (where your literacy is greatest - for you, English) and a Language B (for you, Chinese). Either or both can be taken as HL if you wish.
On common app, puns indicate 'Chinese : spoken at home ’ and noting else, and English 'spoken at home, read, write ’ .
@happymomof1 The point is well taken but does not apply to this OP. If he/she was born in the US and feel both languages to be as proficient, TOEFL should not be required even if he/she speaks primary Chinese at home. My D is in the same situation and there is never a school that asked her to take TOEFL. I agree that school policy on TOEFL requirement varies. I have helped a Japanese student apply to colleges. One of the two in state universities (referring to high school rather than residency) requires TOEFL as he came to US right before junior year. The school that did not ask for his TOEFL score even considered him a in-state student.
@billcsho - If the OP admits to having a different home language, then the OP needs to investigate the specific policies of the colleges and universities on his/her application list. What any of us think about the situation doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is what the college/university in question thinks. And yes, the case I mentioned above did happen. Kid born and reared in the US. All education in English in the local public school system. Mentioned other home language, and bingo, had to present an English proficiency exam.
In my (limited) observation, really weird stuff like that seems to be more common at community colleges and lower-tier colleges and universities. But just in case, unless there is a compelling reason to admit to having a different home language, I always recommend that students just check the box for English and move on.
I agree with @Aukring; I also speak Chinese at home…but since I go to school in the US, I read, write, and speak English way more often and therefore better. Unless you’ve lived in China for a long/longish period of your life…your first language is English. But check all the other boxes for Chinese! I seriously doubt unless you studied in China that your Chinese writing and reading skills are better than your English ones…IB Chinese (which I assume is like AP Chinese) just proves that you are proficient in Chinese. Because not every Chinese-American speaks Chinese, it’s good to distinguish yourself!
technically, my “first” language was Chinese as I spoke Chinese better than English as a young kid, but that’s changed a lot over time…
What language do you think in?
Guys, this isn’t a philosophy question. It’s a choice for the IB diploma (the op buried the lede but it’s in the last paragraph: " my ib English teacher asked’…)
In the IB program, English is Language A and Chinese Language B (A= higher literacy). A third (foreign) language can be chosen for the ab initio option.