Parents of college bound seniors

[mefordis]

Did your child take 4 years of foreign language? My 11th grader has had 2 years and it looks like that's all that's required for the colleges she wants to apply to. I'm wondering if that will look bad on her application, that she took two years of foreign language. She is attending a new school and her choice language is not offered (Japanese). She will continue to study this on her own and pick it up in college.

Thanks in advance.

 

[choirfarm]

My boys and my daughter only had 2 years of foreign language. They all got in just fine. That said, always look at the colleges your child is looking at to see their specific requirements. It should say what they expect.

 

[mjkacmom]

Check the schools, my kids ended up with 5 - 6 years of Spanish, but not one college they applied to required more than 3 (business and science majors).

 

[mefordis]

My boys and my daughter only had 2 years of foreign language. They all got in just fine. That said, always look at the colleges your child is looking at to see their specific requirements. It should say what they expect.

Thanks so much! So far the ones I checked say 2 years for lang. My daughter seems to think she'd have an edge if she took all 4 but she is going into engineering so that time is better spent in math, science, design classes in my opinion.

Since her new school doesn't have Japanese we'd have to pay 8k for her to take it at a private school who would issue a separate transcript. Not worth it in my opinion.

 

[mefordis]

Check the schools, my kids ended up with 5 - 6 years of Spanish, but not one college they applied to required more than 3 (business and science majors).

3 years would be a problem. I have to make sure they don't require 3 years.

 

[choirfarm]

Thanks so much! So far the ones I checked say 2 years for lang. My daughter seems to think she'd have an edge if she took all 4 but she is going into engineering so that time is better spent in math, science, design classes in my opinion.

Yeah, just check to make sure. My oldest got a degree in computer science with a minor in math. I actually homeschooled him from 4th-12th grade. He took Spanish at the community college for dual credit, so it counted for both high school and college. Is there a college around that does Japanese. ( That might be harder.) He knew he wanted to work with computers. So I had him take a ton of online AP classes with Pennsylvania Homeschoolers. It was awesome. He took AP Government, Calculus, Economic, Physics, Chemistry, and US Government. He placed out of Calc I, but because he was going to have to take 3 years of calculus, we had him take Calc I in college. He said it was easy. He also said Calc 2 was fun. ( That is just sick in my music/history mind ) He only had to take one semester of science because he placed out of one semester of Chemistry and 2 semesters of Physics. He took geology, I think. I did find one computer programming class for him to take online, but I wish I had found more. After he got to college, he wished he had taken more of those classes as well. He felt so behind in those classes. However, he still graduated with a 3.75 from college and has a great job now. So, it worked out. But yes, as much science and math as she can stand.

Now, that said, international work is good. ( Or was before Covid) So if she could be proficient in Japanese and was willing to go over there... My daughter has a friend who married a boy who was part Japanese and his company sent them overseas to Japan. He is learning something to be able to come back and teach the company here how to do it. So... there's that.

Oh, and hindsight is 20/20, so just do the best you can and don't worry about it. Especially in the age of Covid. Grace should abound!

 

[MrsPete]

Thanks so much! So far the ones I checked say 2 years for lang. My daughter seems to think she'd have an edge if she took all 4 but she is going into engineering so that time is better spent in math, science, design classes in my opinion.

An edge in what way?
- Admissions to college? No.
- Scholarships? Perhaps, but probably no. Excellent grades, leadership experience and community service would take her much, much farther.
- Job applications? Perhaps, if she is fluent and applying to a Japanese company.
- Extra math, science design classes -- YES. These will probably not help her with admissions or scholarships, but they will solidify her interest in engineering as a career and will better prepare her for college classes. Best choice of all, take community college classes in math or science, which will build her mind AND earn her transferable college credits.

Since her new school doesn't have Japanese we'd have to pay 8k for her to take it at a private school who would issue a separate transcript. Not worth it in my opinion.

No, not worth it. If she's really serious about it, buy her Rosetta Stone and potentially take a CLEP test.

 

[clori]

It can vary. Two years may be enough of one language for high school graduation but it may or may not be enough for colleges/universities. If you start at level 2 then taking 2 and 3 counts as 3 not 2 since languages goes by levels reaches for many colleges. The more selective colleges may look for and expect 3 or 4 years (levels). Some may be more flexible and some may use the lack of the desired number of years as an easy way to quickly deny an application. It may be best to check with admissions if applying to a school that does look for 3 or 4 years.

 

[Colleen27]

Did your child take 4 years of foreign language? My 11th grader has had 2 years and it looks like that's all that's required for the colleges she wants to apply to. I'm wondering if that will look bad on her application, that she took two years of foreign language. She is attending a new school and her choice language is not offered (Japanese). She will continue to study this on her own and pick it up in college.

Thanks in advance.

My daughter took only two, and for the same reason. She also chose to study Japanese and all that is available here is two years. Her college application season was a mixed bag - she didn't get into her super-selective top choice (Wellesley - with an acceptance rate in the teens, I doubt it was just her language course of study that held her back!) but did get into three of her top five, two of them with very, very generous merit aid offers, and she is immensely happy with where she ended up. So I don't feel like only having the two years hurt her any, and she has picked it back up in college as a second major, with an eye toward working there for a year or two between undergrad and grad school in her main field of study.

 

[mefordis]

An edge in what way?
- Admissions to college? No.
- Scholarships? Perhaps, but probably no. Excellent grades, leadership experience and community service would take her much, much farther.
- Job applications? Perhaps, if she is fluent and applying to a Japanese company.
- Extra math, science design classes -- YES. These will probably not help her with admissions or scholarships, but they will solidify her interest in engineering as a career and will better prepare her for college classes. Best choice of all, take community college classes in math or science, which will build her mind AND earn her transferable college credits.
No, not worth it. If she's really serious about it, buy her Rosetta Stone and potentially take a CLEP test.

Excellent advice! Thanks!

 

[yeahdisney]

Uiuc required 2 years of language to get in but required 3 years of a foreign language to graduate plus they had to take a placement test. To allow the school to tell them which class they could start with. Both of our kids took 2 years in high school both wished they had taking 3. But they both wanted other classes. They both took the required class online.

First kid took foreign language freshman and sophomore year didn’t remember any of it so had to take Spanish two and three online.

Second kid up- Foreign language sophomore and junior year, so I had them brush up before they took the placement test. They only had to take the third year of language class online.

 

[QueenIsabella]

My DS14 plans on 2 years of French, that's it, but he plans to become a chemical engineering. He's looking forward to taking plenty of math and science classes, and is on track for calculus in his junior year. I don't see how more language would help him.

Meanwhile, my oldest took a bunch of foreign language classes, but she's now a bilingual teacher. She actually couldn't fit AP Spanish into her schedule in HS, but then tested out of more classes than AP Spanish could have gotten her, so, go figure that one out! She also found that, what helped her with college admissions was going against the conventional wisdom. Rather than loading up with AP classes, she took a 2-year Early Childhood Development class that was offered on the vo-tech side of the school. She had plenty of honors classes, but schools were more impressed with her portfolio of work with students, her lesson plans, etc.

My point is, worry less about impressing colleges by checking certain boxes, and work more on demonstrating a passion. An engineer needs the heavy math and science that, frankly, would make my other kids want to poke their eyes out. But my teacher could clearly show how serious she was about teaching. For another child, it could be music or photography or psychology.

 

[mjkacmom]

My DS14 plans on 2 years of French, that's it, but he plans to become a chemical engineering. He's looking forward to taking plenty of math and science classes, and is on track for calculus in his junior year. I don't see how more language would help him.

Meanwhile, my oldest took a bunch of foreign language classes, but she's now a bilingual teacher. She actually couldn't fit AP Spanish into her schedule in HS, but then tested out of more classes than AP Spanish could have gotten her, so, go figure that one out! She also found that, what helped her with college admissions was going against the conventional wisdom. Rather than loading up with AP classes, she took a 2-year Early Childhood Development class that was offered on the vo-tech side of the school. She had plenty of honors classes, but schools were more impressed with her portfolio of work with students, her lesson plans, etc.

My point is, worry less about impressing colleges by checking certain boxes, and work more on demonstrating a passion. An engineer needs the heavy math and science that, frankly, would make my other kids want to poke their eyes out. But my teacher could clearly show how serious she was about teaching. For another child, it could be music or photography or psychology.

Even though dd17 will be taking her 6th year of Spanish this year, math is actually her passion. She took physics as an elective freshman year, AP statistics along with precalculus sophomore year, AP AB calculus this year, AP BC calculus and AP computer science next year. She’s looking at actuarial science in college (she’s blonde and adorable and only seems to date dim handsome guys with great hair). She really enjoys math (but don’t try to get her to read a book).

 

[QueenIsabella]

Even though dd17 will be taking her 6th year of Spanish this year, math is actually her passion. She took physics as an elective freshman year, AP statistics along with precalculus sophomore year, AP AB calculus this year, AP BC calculus and AP computer science next year. She’s looking at actuarial science in college (she’s blonde and adorable and only seems to date dim handsome guys with great hair). She really enjoys math (but don’t try to get her to read a book).

I actually had some success this summer, getting DS14 to enjoy reading. Due to school shutdown, I said he needed more Language Arts practice. I said he had to read a book every 2 weeks--one time, I'd pick the book, the next time, he'd pick. Well, he got so into "his" book choice that he couldn't wait to read the sequel. So, I let him. Then his sister (who has Amazon Prime) sent him another book that he's dying to read. Bottom line, he's spent this summer reading every day. I don't think I'll turn him into a total bookworm like the rest of the family, but he's enjoying reading a lot more than he did a couple months ago.

 

[mjkacmom]

I actually had some success this summer, getting DS14 to enjoy reading. Due to school shutdown, I said he needed more Language Arts practice. I said he had to read a book every 2 weeks--one time, I'd pick the book, the next time, he'd pick. Well, he got so into "his" book choice that he couldn't wait to read the sequel. So, I let him. Then his sister (who has Amazon Prime) sent him another book that he's dying to read. Bottom line, he's spent this summer reading every day. I don't think I'll turn him into a total bookworm like the rest of the family, but he's enjoying reading a lot more than he did a couple months ago.

Dd17 did read the second book in The Handmaids Tale after watching it on Netflix, and dd19 read the newest Hunger Games book. DH actally read 2 books, bringing the total up to 3 in the 30+ years we’ve been together. Even dd24 read a book, and she is on her second! I have a BA in English, read all of the time, my kids were early readers, but weren’t ”readers” past elementary school. It was sad.

 

[QueenIsabella]

Dd17 did read the second book in The Handmaids Tale after watching it on Netflix, and dd19 read the newest Hunger Games book. DH actally read 2 books, bringing the total up to 3 in the 30+ years we’ve been together. Even dd24 read a book, and she is on her second! I have a BA in English, read all of the time, my kids were early readers, but weren’t ”readers” past elementary school. It was sad.

I know what you're saying. It was breaking my heart that he said he hated reading. My sister thought he might have been switched at birth! I feel a little better now--I don't care what he reads, but I want him to enjoy reading for its own sake.

 

[Walt4ever]

Oldest two both had 6 years of Spanish. Neither needed it for their respective majors. Third had 5 years, but did take a semester in college (not needed for her major, but was an approved elective that happened to fit her schedule) that was a little easier because of what she learned in high school. For our youngest, she got her 3 years by the end of 9th grade (she picked French), and hated every bit of it, so we decided that it wasn't worth the fight to make her stick it out when she wouldn't need it for her major either, and wouldn't remember it. Pick your battles.

If I were to do it all over again, I still would have had the first 2 do the 6 years. The oldest had the opportunity to be a student at a private school in Mexico for 2 weeks between 11th and 12th grade as a result, and the next oldest just had a knack for languages, so it was super easy for him. He also had 2 years of French on top of the 6 years of Spanish. He might actually still be able to hold his own in a very slow conversation. I probably would have let the 3rd one out after 3 years in hindsight. Languages weren't, and still aren't, her thing.

 

[design_mom]

I have a rising junior in high school (daughter) and a rising sophomore in college (son).

My son took 3 years of foreign language (1 in 8th grade for which he earned HS credit, then 2 years actually at the high school). I *thought* that was plenty because we were told that colleges only required 2, and a few require 3. And he hated foreign language classes. However, we found that many programs require a foreign language at the college level, or require you to test out of it -- especially for majors in the college of arts & sciences.

My son chose a major (business) that didn't have a foreign language requirement, but I made him take the placement test anyway just in case he decided to change his mind in the future. He did NOT test out. (I think they expected that many students would with 3 years of high school language, but he hadn't had *any* for 2+ years and what he had didn't stick.)

I'm encouraging my daughter to continue with her foreign language. She doesn't hate it, and if nothing else, hopefully she'll be able to place out of the requirement if there is one (she's not sure yet what she wants to study, but I think there's a decent chance it'll be something science-y.)

 

[robinb]

I think that it depends on the college your daughter wants to attend. My daughter's college didn't need more than 2 years to apply to her college, but she had 4 years of French in high school. It worked out for her because the language requirement in college was waived for her and she didn't have to dedicate time to studying a foreign language in college.

IIRC, the University of Iowa and Iowa State did count years of foreign language in the application process along with other more challenging classes like upper level math classes and AP classes.

IN your case, I wouldn't worry about it since you can't really do anything about it. If your daughter had taken a more common language I would have encouraged her to continue with it all four years.

 

[okeydokey]

This differs with every state, Private v public. Florida public Universities you are good with 2 years.