Will Switching Foreign Languages Hurt my Chances?

[Wikitiki350]

<p>During Freshman Year and Sophomore Year, I took Spanish 2 H and Spanish 3 H respectively. I received an A in Spanish 2 and an A+ in Spanish 3. This year, however, I decided to switch to Chinese 1 H, and Senior Year I will take Chinese 2 H. I currently have an A+ in Chinese, and it is highly unlikely for that to change. Will it look bad to colleges if I take two years of two different foreign languages, instead of 4 years of one, even if I get 3 A+'s and one A?</p>

[entomom]

<p>It depends on the college, they vary in their requirements/recommendations, go to the websites and see what they say about academic preparation.</p>

<p>In general, colleges prefer to see you stick with a single language because they want you to be proficient at a higher level. Usually the first couple of years of a FL are easier and only take you to a rudimentary level.</p>

<p>For instance, here is what H says:</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.admissions.college.harvard.edu/apply/preparing/index.html[/url]”>http://www.admissions.college.harvard.edu/apply/preparing/index.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>

Many secondary school students take a smattering of several languages – for example, Latin for two years, French for a year, and Spanish for a year. When it is too late, they realize that they cannot read or speak any of these languages well. We urge you to try to study at least one foreign language and its literature for four years. Continuity of study is important, too, because a “year off” from a language can be a real setback. Once you are comfortably fluent, you will possess that language – and better appreciate the culture it has shaped – for the rest of your life.

</p>