I am currently a high school sophomore and I need to decide my classes for next year. Along with required Math, English and US History classes, I get two electives. For my first elective, I’m almost positive I want to take AP Bio. But for my second elective, I’m torn. What I want to take is AP Music Theory. I love music and have thought about majoring in it, though I’m definitely not conservatory bound. But I’ve heard a lot that colleges like to see 4 years of Spanish. As of now I’ve taken 3 (I go to a 7-12 school and we start formal high school classes in 8th grade), all of which were required. Spanish IV, which is AP Spanish, is an elective. While I’m not bad at Spanish, I would definitely do better in an AP Theory class, and I also don’t particularly like Spanish and don’t think it’s anything I would want to study again in the future. In terms of college, I know I don’t want to go to an Ivy, but I’m still probably going to apply to fairly competitive liberal arts schools (think Swarthmore, Vassar, Wesleyan). Will not taking AP Spanish hurt my chances? I want to take what I know I will excel at and enjoy, but I also don’t want to do anything that will mess me up in the future.
So I have a similar problem as you… I want to take either AP Bio or Spanish 4 (not ap, unfortunately), but I have to choose one. (I’m taking 2 sciences (1 online, 1 in school), and I’m taking one over this summer online, so it won’t hurt me to skip a year in school.
I choose to do spanish. However, I did it because I geniuenly enjoy it and want to become fluennt in it. I’m not going to be taking Spanish in junior or senior year, but I will continue to listen to spanish music and watch spanish TV. But if you don’t WANT to take it then don’t. You’ll be better off in something you enjoy.
From what other people on CC told me, only 3 spanish classes may or may not hurt your chances. Most prestigious schools will require 3 years and recommend 4 years, so yes it may hurt your chances. However, the majority of state colleges only require 2 years and recommend 3, so you’ll be fine with those. You should look up the requirements of the schools you want to go to see what they want.
If you do decide to forgo spanish next year, it would be a good idea to take a SAT subject test in spanish this year (the only ones left for this school year that you can sign up for are in May & June I think). If you prove that you have a good hold of the subject, and you replace it with a hard class, most colleges will be okay with it. 
You probably will need to do a bit of studying for it though.
But, yeah, I would recommend just taking the subject test (and studying for it A TON), and doing no spanish next year. If you don’t enjoy it, it’s just a waste of time.
Can you take Spanish 4 or AP Spanish online, during the summer or outside of school?
Colleges as selective as the ones you’re aiming for will want Spanish 4 and expect AP Spanish. Since foreign language is sequential, you can’t take it Senior year.
If you can’t take Music Theory junior year, plan to take it Senior year. This way, you have the AP class that will be good for Vassar and Swarthmore, AND you get to take Music Theory.
@southernbelle16 haha I wish! But unfortunately what with all the homework/extra-curriculars/summer programs I already do, that wouldn’t really be possible.
@MYOS1634 when you say it like that it makes so much sense. But ugh, I REALLY don’t want to take AP spanish. I just really dislike Spanish as a subject and also the AP spanish teacher at my school. I think that all of those negative feelings plus the added challenge of AP might just cause me to do really badly. Is it worth taking if I’m just going to be unhappy and potentially do badly? But that probably all sounds really selfish, considering the level of competitiveness of the types of schools I want to go to. When you say that they want/expect the 4th year of spanish, do you mean that they will literally cross me off their list of I do not have that 4th year? Or just that it’s a preference and if I don’t take the class, I will definitely have to find other ways to distinguish myself?
If you don’t take the class, you’ll have to double up on something else and/or find a way to distinguish yourself both academically and in something else. It won’t get you cut at first reading but you better have some really strong, advanced classes elsewhere to make up for it (and depending on where you end up attending, you’ll have to take a couple semesters of a foreign language, but you can choose another one than Spanish.)
These schools have acceptance rates hovering around 20% and the vast majority of the applicants will apply with the recommended preparation. So, will you be at a disadvantage? Absolutely. Will it mean an automatic reject? No, but there had better be something wildly compelling in your application if you had any hope of admissions.
While I almost always agree with @MYOS1634, I do not think that selective colleges “expect” AP Spanish. They do expect a rigorous overall schedule, but there are ways to have a rigorous schedule and “only” take Spanish 4.
My suggestion: Take Spanish 4 and push AP Music Theory to senior year.
Just want to make something clear: at my school AP Spanish and Spanish 4 are the same thing.
^yes, that’s why I said “expect”, since Spanish 4 would be the same as AP Spanish. Typically Spanish 4 is the only thing that’s expected.
Well, in that case, bite the bullet and take AP Spanish unless you can figure out a creative way to get a 4th year elsewhere.
@MYOS1634 My apologies; I interpreted your words differently.
I wanted to bring back this thread because I just talked to my counselor, and now I am even more confused!
Basically, I had made up my mind that even though I hate Spanish, I should probably suck it up and get through it junior year because, like you guys said, it will help me get into the schools I want to go to (mostly Vassar at this point). And I was sure that my counselor would say the same thing, but then she didn’t. She said that taking AP music theory would make me stand out from the rest of the students at my school, who with only two electives in junior year often end up taking AP foreign language. She also said that junior year grades are really important, so it’s preferable to take a class I would do better in (I’ve always been an A-/B+ student in Spanish and an A/A+ student in Music). She also said it would be more true to my prospective major (music), and that it would make sense for me to take music-related classes in both junior and senior year for that reason.
This goes against what most people have been telling me, both on CC and in my life, so I’m very confused right now. Any advice?
Well, it’s true AP Music Theory would help you stand out… but only if you’ve covered the basics. And Foreign Language up to level 4 is a “core” class. Is there a way for you to take both, either Junior or Senior year?
I know kids who have gotten into schools with similar acceptance rates who only took two years of a language. Of course, it’s not the norm…but it’s not impossible and if you really value Music Theory over Spanish, go where your heart desires.
Life is too short to base both your academic and personal life around what you think colleges might want. I thought up to level 3 was the expected for quality universities; sure, they might want more, but they also would like the kid who researched cancer cures, and we all can’t be THAT kid.
@MYOS1634 If I were to take both in junior year, then I wouldn’t be able to take AP Bio junior year (to my understanding, AP lab science is also a “core” class). I’m only allowed to take AP spanish junior year. In senior year, besides the physics, math (for me it will be AB calc), and english requirements, I’m allowed to take three other classes, though two is strongly recommended due to senior year being very stressful, and that’s what most people do. There are other things I want to take senior year (some of which are APs), so taking Spanish in junior year and bumping up Music Theory to senior year just really limits my available electives next year. There are just so many things I want to take, while meanwhile I hate Spanish and would literally only be taking it to get into college. That just seems so illegitimate to me…but maybe it’s what I have to do. I’m just so confused.
@MissSuzyQ I feel the exact same way, yet I’m so hung up on getting into these schools…I’m only a sophomore and I already feel like this process is making me lose my soul!