I took French my freshman year and in my sophomore year took Spanish. This adds up to two years of world language in high school. However, I took French from 3-7 grade but since it’s not in high school, not sure if is acceptable. Will this be a problem when applying to colleges even though is two years of world language in high school but it’s two different languages?
What level did you reach in French?
The highest level you completed always matters.
French 1 + Spanish 1 = “one year”
French 3 + Spanish 1 = “three years” (although a few colleges may still want to see three actual years of high school courses as well as at least level 3)
Unless you were in a serious French immersion classroom in elementary school or you continued without a break to a higher-level class in high school I can’t imagine that colleges would be interested in your earlier French classes. If you had to go back to French 1 in high school I assume you retained almost nothing from before, and the elementary work would not count at all. if you were able to start French 2 or 3 in high school then some colleges (maybe most) would count that as two years or three years…
The bare minimum that many colleges will accept is two years of the same foreign language. The bare minimum for most selective colleges is three years and almost all selective colleges prefer four…in the SAME language. So, check what the requirements are for the college you’re thinking about attending in the future so that you won’t have a problem when it is time to apply.
Sorry, but one year in two languages is considered almost useless. The whole point is to achieve a degree of proficiency in something that you can actually use.
Are you going into your junior year?
I’m going into my senior year
So what level courses did you take in each language?
Spanish I and for French it’s general. I took that in Ghana and it wasn’t specific as to if it’s I,II,III.
However, I have come to a conclusion to take French II just so I don’t have problems when applying to colleges my senior year
If you had studied French for several years previously, your French skills may place you higher than French 2 in a US high school. Consult with the French teachers to determine proper placement.
You can also check the French SAT subject and AP sample questions. If most of them look easy to you, then you may be at a level higher than French 2 in a US high school.
https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat-subject-tests/subjects/languages/french
https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/courses/ap-french-language-and-culture/free-response-questions-by-year
Thank you so much!
If you studied French in Ghana, as a “second language” perhaps, then you should test and see which class is best for you. If you test into French 3, 4 or AP, then you would have met requirements and sufficient proficiency for any college in the US.
Selective colleges will want you to reach the end of French 3 or 4 so it’s to your advantage to be placed in the highest possible level for senior year. You might want to try and take a “refresher” course over the summer, such as a Level 2 community college summer class.