<p>If you read the websites carefully, you will see that the word is “recommended” rather than “required”. That is because the admissions officers know that some students are multilingual and have tested out of their HS graduation requirements and there really is no earthly reason to insist that they sit through three years of classes just to show on paper that they have been “taught” yet another language.</p>
<p>AP whatever-language is the equivalent of fourth year whatever-language. If you have better things to do with your time than sit through three years of some different language, then go ahead, take the SAT subject test (if available), and the AP Lang and/or AP Lit course for that language. This will allow you to demonstrate your level of competence in that language, and will free up your schedule to take other classes that are more relevant to your personal goals. Just make certain that this pathway meets whatever graduation requirements there are in your school district for World Languages.</p>