<p>Question: How big of a disadvantage is taking only 2 years of foreign language? My daughter doesn’t care for her Spanish class, and wants to double up on honors Math and Science courses instead. Is there somewhere to find a list of which schools require more than 2 years of foreign language? The impact of [...]</p>
<p>I’m in the same situation. I’m a junior and have only had Spanish 1 and 2. My Spanish 3 class folded and I had a conflict with my AP calculus class which was more important to me. I want to take Spanish 3 over the summer because most top colleges recommend 3 by your junior year. Does any one know of an online class that would be accepted on high school transcript in Southern California?</p>
<p>nayomac–Ask your school guidance counselor if there are online high schools that other students from your school have successfully used and for which your high school will give credit. My best guess is that you won’t be the first person from your high school who has wanted or needed an online class.</p>
<p>I think it really depends on the college and the major the student is applying toward. All 3 of my kids have taken 2 or less years…I have one at NYU - Film/TV major; one Bloomsburg - Computer Forensics; and one accepted to both Pace, Marymount Manhattan - Acting…</p>
<p>three to four is usually recommended. I am taking AP Spanish Lang (junior) and AP Spanish Lit (senior), and when I e-mailed an administrator from Cornell, considering they require four years of language for the college of arts and sciences, she told me that it could potentially count as 4 (because they are AP). However, I told her how my school does not offer a foreign language class until sophmore year, which means a student could take 3 max. I never planned on taking three because spanish 1/2 are regular, and no honors are offered, so I was allowed to go straight to the APs.</p>
<p>In general, if the school does not require a min number of years, do not sweat it.</p>
<p>Dean Rubenstone,</p>
<p>Why do potential applicants place so much emphasis on foreign language? If you’re applying as a technical major with good grades and SAT scores, good recommendations, and some research under your belt, does the admissions committee ever honestly say, “…but he didn’t have 3 years of foreign language, let’s reject him”?</p>
<p>smorgasbord–The vast majority of colleges that want more than two years of foreign language are private colleges that don’t strictly demand three or more years, they just “recommend” this. Why? Probably because these colleges are looking for applicants who have had a well-rounded education that includes mastery of the skills that allow them to learn and understand a foreign tongue. Perhaps, too, it’s because the college officials feel that familiarity with a language other than English can be a career plus down the road. But it’s highly unlikely that an otherwise strong applicant who has excelled in math and science would be turned down from a technical major due only to a foreign-language deficiency.</p>