Hey guys! I’m currently a freshman, but by the time I get to senior year of high school, I would have taken 5 years of French, including 7th and 8th grades in middle school. However, I might not take AP French which is only available to me in senior year, due to my busy schedule with other AP classes, and French certainly isn’t my top priority. With that said, would not taking AP French or even French IV in junior year (right before French V which is AP French) look bad as if I abandoned the subject?
It won’t look great, but its pretty common. That being said, you should try and take it since a ton of schools (especially the T25) require/recommend 4 years of HS-level foreign language. Competitive schools also like to see consistency and that you haven’t given up just because it was hard. Do what you feel is best but I would suggest taking French all 4 years.
Seems like your two years of middle school French = high school French 1, if you will reach French 4 in 11th grade and (AP) French 5 in 12th grade.
If you are aiming for the most selective colleges, many are likely to prefer seeing French 4 or 5.
What are the other courses you would take instead, and what general areas of interest do you have? Be aware that many colleges have foreign language graduation requirements.
@ucbalumnus thank you for your response! That is exactly the order of French at my school. I feel that subjects in the fields of math and science interest me the most and are my strongest, and biology is my personal favorite. Therefore, I plan on taking all the advanced math and science courses available to me, and I’ve actually created a course plan for the next 3 years of high school, although it may be too early. Once I’ve completed all the graduation requirements for elective courses (Comp. Sci. & Arts) by the end of sophomore year, I would have taken one AP class being Biology. In Junior year, I’m taking Honors Trig/Pre-Calc. (Prerequisite for Calc. AB/BC), Honors French IV, AP U.S. History, Honors Chemistry (Prerequisite for AP Chem.), AP Physics 1, AP English Lang. & Comp., and either P.E./Personal Finance (Required) for one semester each throughout the year. The maximum classes I can have for each semester is 7 so it’s a perfect fit. However, the issue is with my senior year, during which I intend on taking AP Calc. BC, AP Psychology, AP Chem., AP Physics 2, Honors Senior English, and 1 semester of P.E. I have to choose between either AP Statistics or AP French, so what would be the better choice? (I’m really sorry for throwing all these classes at you, but if you actually took time to read all this, I sincerely appreciate it!)
“I have to choose between either AP Statistics or AP French, so what would be the better choice?”
1-AP French-would be a better choice for you during your Sr year- better than AP Stats OR AP Psychology, because both of those are both known as “easy” AP classes, and wont’ impress ad mins. And taking the most rigorous FL class offered is far better than taking an easy AP class.
You would be better off giving yourself an open period during your first semester of your Sr year to do homework, write college applications and essays[ which you will find is like having a mandatory part time job] , breathe, eat, sleep in, or take a class that may interest you- music, art, dance, etc, etc… you get the drift.
It is WAY too early to have all your classes for the next 3 years figured out.
And-You DON’T need to take more than 7-8 AP classes IN TOTAL during your HS career to have the kind of rigorous course load that colleges want to see.
Colleges also want to see you take classes that you are INTERESTED in, NOT as many AP classes as you can cram into a schedule in the mistaken impression that you think it will “impress them”, because it won’t.
@menloparkmom got it! Thanks for the advice!
Adcoms tend not to look at middle school courses. Nonetheless, your hs will place you accordingly. But it’s just too easy for a top college to look askance at kids who stop foreign lang after soph year.
On the other hand, you tell of a great interest in stem, but concern about your grades. We can’t answer your question if we have no idea of your reasonable matches and safeties. You can look at colleges’ web pages and see what they recommend, in terms of breadth and depth. And the rest of what they say about what they do value. (Don’t assume it’s spike.)
Yes, far too early to be planning in detail, when you have no idea how hs will work out. And have only one semester of grades and your own ideas of what matters. Take the time to learn what the colleges expect, before “planning.”
I’m going to disagree with the above. You should certainly get through level 4 of a foreign language, but I think there are likely better options for your time than a fifth year of a language.
But I agree that Stats and Psych aren’t among them.
What are you interested in? Thoughts on college majors (it’s pretty early)? If the Calc/AP sciences indicate a STEM interest, I would think Computer Science P or A would be a valuable course to take.
My old way of thinking was you had to take a foreign language for all 4 years of high school. After seeing my D and her close friend attending top 10 colleges next fall with “only” 3 years of a foreign language, I’m thinking it’s not that important to adcoms IF you replace these classes with other good and reasonable class choices. For my D she wanted to do a V sport and student government. Her friend wanted to continue band all 4 years. They both took 9 AP classes.
Will OP aim for a very top college, with tough competition for an admit, plenty of kids who did what the target colleges expect- and more? It’s too soon to know.
Three years of FL in hs can be fine, when replaced with relevant rigor. (Eg, a chance to go beyond hs AP calc and a legit schedule conflict.) It’s stopping after soph year that’s risky. You want to think this through carefully, if you may be aiming high. Completely different picture, if OP has a great flagship or less competitive ideas.
But we have no idea, for this OP. It’s too soon and the safer idea is “CYA.” And, rounding does matter to top colleges, in academics and ECs. The APCS courses aren’t cores. You fit them in when the rest is satisfied.
Since we don’t know more than the junior and senior year, it’s possible this OP needs more core history (all we see is APUSH.) Right, not AP psych.
From what I have heard, top schools like (but do not require) you to take either three or four years of a foreign language. However, if you get as far as French 4, that counts as four years. It does not matter that some of your French was learned before you got to high school. The point is the level that you get to, not that all four years are in high school.
Personally I would not worry about it.
Post #0 considered the following:
A. Continue to AP French 5 in 12th grade.
B. Stop after French 4 in 11th grade.
C. Stop after French 3 in 10th grade.
The consensus if the OP wants to apply to the higher selectivity colleges appears to be that C is likely to be seen as a defect or deficiency. A would be better than B in that academic category, but overall academic strength can depend on what alternative courses would be taken in B (but AP psychology or statistics would not be favorable).