<p>I have 2 language credits, and both were a mistake. The first year I learned nothing, our teacher was awful. The second year, since Spanish II-IV has a different teacher, I thought I would actually learn something. I was wrong. She was an idiot, truly someone who had no business teaching. If you want me to get into details about that, I'd be glad to, but that isn't the point. </p>
<p>Anyway, I knew I would never take a language class at this school again, but I also realize some colleges REQUIRE 3-4 language credits. Do they want those credits to diversify a student's education? Or are those credits just protocol for the school? If it counts for anything, I did "substitute" spanish III with AP psychology.</p>
<p>Honestly, I don’t think so. And I don’t think they should. Everyone’s high school has strengths and weaknesses. </p>
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<p>What an interesting take on the concept of substitution. I’m imagining it in other contexts:</p>
<p>Waiter: They were out of arribiata sauce in the kitchen, but the chef “substituted” transmission fluid.</p>
<p>Surgeon: The anatomy professors in my medical school were a joke, so I didn’t take anatomy, but I “substituted” voice performance.</p>
<p>Army quartermaster: We’re out of bullets, but I could “substitute” socks.</p>
<p>Snarking aside, I think that if you apply to colleges with only 2 foreign language credits, you will be limiting your options. You can still have options, but you’ll make yourself uncompetitive at best (and ineligible at worst) for many of the more selective and better known universities and colleges. If you are an underclassman, you should investigate taking more foreign language classes. If not in your school, then online or at a nearby two- or four-year college.</p>
<p>In order to graduate from college, a person has to perform satisfactorily in classes that he or she might not particularly like. An engineer can’t just “substitute” physics or calculus for her social studies distribution requirement or her writing requirement, and a Spanish major can’t just substitute a poetry class for her math requirement. Showing colleges (and later, employers) that you can and will do satisfactory work at things you don’t particularly like matters. </p>
<p>Instead of showing an ability to do well across the board, prsguitar has shown, so far, an unwillingness to persevere in classes that he or she doesn’t find appealing. I don’t think many colleges will be impressed by that.</p>
<p>It is not that I don’t like learning language or the class, it is that I don’t like the teacher. And our program doesn’t even deserve giving students a language credit for it.</p>
<p>For example, this year’s Spanish II and III classes did not actually learn Spanish, they were handed 300 pages of worksheets that were supposed to be completed throughout the year, (with no guidance of course.) That idea fell apart, she never asked for them, and they simply collected dust. The rest of the year consisted of planning food days and field trips, and learning about cultures across the world. I knew this was going to happen as I know the nature of the teacher and didn’t take the class.</p>
<p>I also realize my “substitution” was irrational, but I didn’t want to replace Spanish with a slacker class.</p>
<p>I’m not questioning the proposition that language instruction at your school is inadequate. Sadly, yours would not be the only high school where this is true.</p>
<p>I simply mean to say that if you have your eye on selective colleges and universities that people have heard of (as most teens on College Confidential have), then you shouldn’t count on admissions committees to excuse a deficiency in your application–because they can just admit someone else whose transcript isn’t deficient. You should find a way to fix it.</p>
<p>Too late to edit, but I’ll add, the way you describe the inadequacy of foreign language instruction doesn’t help your case. You use language so emotionally charged language that it might be more appropriate for describing war atrocities. </p>
<p>If the teaching is inadequate and the students don’t learn, you can say so, but try to say it less indignantly and more dispassionately. That would make you sound like a level-headed person, and not just another high school kid with an axe to grind where his (or her) teacher is concerned.</p>
<p>This whole discussion may become irrelevant to my case and my worries may dissappear, because the schools I plan on applying to: Georgetown, Rice, Richmond, Notre dame, Davidson, Emory, and Virginia all require 2. The only school i considered applying to that requires 3 is Duke, and I don’t think I ever had a real chance of getting into there.</p>
<p>mention on the application, there is always a section for unusual circumstances…lie and say you did extracurricular immersion</p>
<p>Just take an online course that’s accredited</p>
<p>Lying on your applications is an extremely bad idea. That might be the very worst advice I have ever read on College Confidential–which is saying a lot, really.</p>
<p>And let me remind you that at selective colleges such as you have named, your competition will have accrued 4 or more foreign language credits. It may not be impossible for you to be admitted with only two, but you will have to bring to the table something else that’s much better than the competition can offer to make up for that relative deficiency.</p>
<p>If it’s a requirement, then that’s what it is. If you want to substitute something in its place, you need to contact the admissions office, and ask if it’s possible - and have a good argument for why it is a reasonable substitute. My D applied to a couple of publics that require 4 years of Social Studies, mainly because that’s what is required for their local students to graduate from high school. She took 3 years of history, but will also have 4 years of Latin. She wrote, and had them approve a substitution of Latin 4 for the final Social Studies credit. They deemed the substitution appropriate, because of the nature of Latin classes. Of course, if she had been required to have 4 years of language, that would not have worked.</p>
<p>As Sikorsky says, consider where you’re applying, and what the rest of the applicants are likely to have taken. Even if they only require 2 years, if most of the applicants have 4 years, your application will look weak in comparison - unless you offer something else that adds strength. If you are going to be a science major, and took 2 science classes each of Junior and Senior year, both AP classes (and incidentally didn’t have space in your schedule for language), that might balance out. Another class, such as Psychology, may not give the impression of slacking off, but is not an obvious replacement, unless your intended major is Psychology, or it contributes to your application in some other way.</p>