Question About UVA Admissions and Foreign Language

[Anonymous]

I have a child that is interested in applying to UVA's School of Engineering. I heard that UVA strongly prefers four years of foreign language but is that the case for the School of Engineering as well? The reason I ask is because my child does not want to take a foreign language class junior and senior years (please note that by the end of sophomore year, they will have already completed four years of Spanish), and instead wants to replace those classes with additional higher level classes in the hard sciences. Has anyone had a child get into UVA without taking a foreign language all four years?

[Anonymous]

Foreign Language is a core subject that UVA wants to see taken for as long as possible. Dean J makes very clear that they prefer to see classes every year in all core subjects rather than doubling up on one core subject at the expense of another. She's never said the engineering school makes an exception.

[Anonymous]

I know of a first year engineering student there that did not take language the last two years of high school. It may be rare but there are exceptions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know of a first year engineering student there that did not take language the last two years of high school. It may be rare but there are exceptions.

No one ever said there are no exceptions. It may not even be "rare." But it's not the recommended course of action regardless.

[Anonymous]

We will let you know. My son only went through Spanish 4 (in 8th through 11th grades), and he applied EA to the College of Engineering this fall.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We will let you know. My son only went through Spanish 4 (in 8th through 11th grades), and he applied EA to the College of Engineering this fall.

He took a foreign language his junior year. OP’s kid doesn’t want to take one after sophomore year. That’s different.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We will let you know. My son only went through Spanish 4 (in 8th through 11th grades), and he applied EA to the College of Engineering this fall.

He took a foreign language his junior year. OP’s kid doesn’t want to take one after sophomore year. That’s different.

This is the OP. My child also went through Spanish IV - only difference was that they completed Spanish 4 in 10th Grade (7th-10th grades).

[Anonymous]

This question has been repeatedly asked and the answer always is: UVA most definitely wants to see 4 years of language in HS, including preferably AP or IB level, regardless of whether a student is applying to the College of Arts and Sciences or the Engineering School. Yes, there are exceptions but why takes chances if this is where your student wants to attend.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We will let you know. My son only went through Spanish 4 (in 8th through 11th grades), and he applied EA to the College of Engineering this fall.

He took a foreign language his junior year. OP’s kid doesn’t want to take one after sophomore year. That’s different.

This is the OP. My child also went through Spanish IV - only difference was that they completed Spanish 4 in 10th Grade (7th-10th grades).

I understand that. But whether they admit it or not colleges, including UVA, give less weight to language courses taken in middle school than high school.

Look, you are going to get all kinds of responses. You are going to get folks jumping in and saying they have kids who got in without taking a foreign language for four years in high school. That’s great. That doesn’t change the fact that majority do take a foreign language all four years and that UVA make it clear that that is the option that they prefer. Those are the facts. Allow anecdotes that differ to sway your opinion at your own risk.

When my kids were in high school and considering UVA, none of them had any interest whatsoever in stem. That did not stop them from taking four years of math and science up to and through the AP level. They did that because they knew that UVA wanted to see that kind of a transcript. It makes no difference that the student is interested in stem and wants to forego non-stem high school classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We will let you know. My son only went through Spanish 4 (in 8th through 11th grades), and he applied EA to the College of Engineering this fall.

He took a foreign language his junior year. OP’s kid doesn’t want to take one after sophomore year. That’s different.

This is the OP. My child also went through Spanish IV - only difference was that they completed Spanish 4 in 10th Grade (7th-10th grades).

UVA is not going to care that your DS took Spanish in 7th and 8th grades. They want to see one language consistently taken in grades 9-12, including AP, assuming you DS's HS offers it. Taking Spanish in 9th and 10th and another language in 11th and 12th is not advisable and not what UVA is looking for. Even for engineering.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This question has been repeatedly asked and the answer always is: UVA most definitely wants to see 4 years of language in HS, including preferably AP or IB level, regardless of whether a student is applying to the College of Arts and Sciences or the Engineering School. Yes, there are exceptions but why takes chances if this is where your student wants to attend.

+1. Everyone at UVA SEAS who I knew as an undergrad had taken 4 years of FL during high school.

Exceptions might exist, but it seems clear it would be a minus at admissions time not to have done ao.

[Anonymous]

Here it is straight from the horse’s mouth. It cannot be more clear.

http://uvaapplication.blogspot.com/2020/10/course-rigor-is-not-number-in-uva.html?m=1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We will let you know. My son only went through Spanish 4 (in 8th through 11th grades), and he applied EA to the College of Engineering this fall.

He took a foreign language his junior year. OP’s kid doesn’t want to take one after sophomore year. That’s different.

This is the OP. My child also went through Spanish IV - only difference was that they completed Spanish 4 in 10th Grade (7th-10th grades).

I understand that. But whether they admit it or not colleges, including UVA, give less weight to language courses taken in middle school than high school.

Look, you are going to get all kinds of responses. You are going to get folks jumping in and saying they have kids who got in without taking a foreign language for four years in high school. That’s great. That doesn’t change the fact that majority do take a foreign language all four years and that UVA make it clear that that is the option that they prefer. Those are the facts. Allow anecdotes that differ to sway your opinion at your own risk.

When my kids were in high school and considering UVA, none of them had any interest whatsoever in stem. That did not stop them from taking four years of math and science up to and through the AP level. They did that because they knew that UVA wanted to see that kind of a transcript. It makes no difference that the student is interested in stem and wants to forego non-stem high school classes.

I hear you, and I think I am reaching the unfortunate conclusion that they will need to take two more years of Spanish in order to be competitive, but I find the whole thing ridiculous because they took two years of language in middle school while others did not. It is not quite the same thing as math, social studies, science, and language arts - all middle schoolers had to take these core subjects but they did not have to take a foreign language in 7th and 8th grade. My child chose to take a foreign language in addition to their other core classes in middle school and should be given credit for doing so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We will let you know. My son only went through Spanish 4 (in 8th through 11th grades), and he applied EA to the College of Engineering this fall.

He took a foreign language his junior year. OP’s kid doesn’t want to take one after sophomore year. That’s different.

This is the OP. My child also went through Spanish IV - only difference was that they completed Spanish 4 in 10th Grade (7th-10th grades).

I understand that. But whether they admit it or not colleges, including UVA, give less weight to language courses taken in middle school than high school.

Look, you are going to get all kinds of responses. You are going to get folks jumping in and saying they have kids who got in without taking a foreign language for four years in high school. That’s great. That doesn’t change the fact that majority do take a foreign language all four years and that UVA make it clear that that is the option that they prefer. Those are the facts. Allow anecdotes that differ to sway your opinion at your own risk.

When my kids were in high school and considering UVA, none of them had any interest whatsoever in stem. That did not stop them from taking four years of math and science up to and through the AP level. They did that because they knew that UVA wanted to see that kind of a transcript. It makes no difference that the student is interested in stem and wants to forego non-stem high school classes.

I hear you, and I think I am reaching the unfortunate conclusion that they will need to take two more years of Spanish in order to be competitive, but I find the whole thing ridiculous because they took two years of language in middle school while others did not. It is not quite the same thing as math, social studies, science, and language arts - all middle schoolers had to take these core subjects but they did not have to take a foreign language in 7th and 8th grade. My child chose to take a foreign language in addition to their other core classes in middle school and should be given credit for doing so.

I got news for you, OP. Your kid is not that unique. I'd bet most current UVA students and the majority of its applicants took at least two years of a language in MS. Mine had 3. It's a good thing your kid isn't applying to the College of Arts and Sciences because there'd be a strong chance, if he was accepted, he would have to take another 2 years of a foreign language at UVA, even after 2 in MS and 4 in HS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We will let you know. My son only went through Spanish 4 (in 8th through 11th grades), and he applied EA to the College of Engineering this fall.

He took a foreign language his junior year. OP’s kid doesn’t want to take one after sophomore year. That’s different.

This is the OP. My child also went through Spanish IV - only difference was that they completed Spanish 4 in 10th Grade (7th-10th grades).

I understand that. But whether they admit it or not colleges, including UVA, give less weight to language courses taken in middle school than high school.

Look, you are going to get all kinds of responses. You are going to get folks jumping in and saying they have kids who got in without taking a foreign language for four years in high school. That’s great. That doesn’t change the fact that majority do take a foreign language all four years and that UVA make it clear that that is the option that they prefer. Those are the facts. Allow anecdotes that differ to sway your opinion at your own risk.

When my kids were in high school and considering UVA, none of them had any interest whatsoever in stem. That did not stop them from taking four years of math and science up to and through the AP level. They did that because they knew that UVA wanted to see that kind of a transcript. It makes no difference that the student is interested in stem and wants to forego non-stem high school classes.

I hear you, and I think I am reaching the unfortunate conclusion that they will need to take two more years of Spanish in order to be competitive, but I find the whole thing ridiculous because they took two years of language in middle school while others did not. It is not quite the same thing as math, social studies, science, and language arts - all middle schoolers had to take these core subjects but they did not have to take a foreign language in 7th and 8th grade. My child chose to take a foreign language in addition to their other core classes in middle school and should be given credit for doing so.

I know very few students on a college track who didn’t start taking a foreign language in middle school.