UVA and 4 years of foreign language

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some students skip APUSH so they can focus on their AP Physics and AP Calc BC that year. Just saying that the whole course load tells the story, not a single course.

Depends on your HS. My kid skipped an AP in a core subject and got waitlisted. 3.98/4.5, 1560-engineering. I'm sure the accepted students from his high achieving public were all taking 4-5 APs junior year.

I agree. I have heard Dean J say several times they want highest rigor in all courses because you don’t really know what their major will be at this age. Need to show depth.

I asked Dean J about AP CS - she said that isn't core; according to her it's an elective. They want highest rigor in core. She looked hesitant when I hinted at compensating: APUSH with AP CS(and higher) with a lot more AP Sciences. This is for a STEM major. You have to choose where to put your time right?

I don't agree with DeanJ but you wanna play ball - her rules.

Why are you acting like UVA is an outlier in not considering it a core subject? Like one UVA AO made up a rule when it’s common knowledge?

When I said DeanJ - I meant that she's the face of the UVA AOs. When you say outlier - sort of. Decades ago - I read the application material:
For UT Austin, it said more or less: don't apply unless you got the chops to get in.
For Berkeley it read: we take chances even if you are not fully baked.

I'd hope UVA's spokes person was more Berkeley than Austin. This is as a Virginian that wants our flagship to be world class. The "not fully baked" ones are the ones that change the world.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some students skip APUSH so they can focus on their AP Physics and AP Calc BC that year. Just saying that the whole course load tells the story, not a single course.

Depends on your HS. My kid skipped an AP in a core subject and got waitlisted. 3.98/4.5, 1560-engineering. I'm sure the accepted students from his high achieving public were all taking 4-5 APs junior year.

I agree. I have heard Dean J say several times they want highest rigor in all courses because you don’t really know what their major will be at this age. Need to show depth.

I asked Dean J about AP CS - she said that isn't core; according to her it's an elective. They want highest rigor in core. She looked hesitant when I hinted at compensating: APUSH with AP CS(and higher) with a lot more AP Sciences. This is for a STEM major. You have to choose where to put your time right?

I don't agree with DeanJ but you wanna play ball - her rules.

Why are you acting like UVA is an outlier in not considering it a core subject? Like one UVA AO made up a rule when it’s common knowledge?

When I said DeanJ - I meant that she's the face of the UVA AOs. When you say outlier - sort of. Decades ago - I read the application material:
For UT Austin, it said more or less: don't apply unless you got the chops to get in.
For Berkeley it read: we take chances even if you are not fully baked.

I'd hope UVA's spokes person was more Berkeley than Austin. This is as a Virginian that wants our flagship to be world class. The "not fully baked" ones are the ones that change the world.

What did you read decades ago that is relevant in today’s college admissions?

We need more of these competitive colleges to be honest about what makes you successful in their admissions. UVA is better than most in explaining the particulars.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. To be clear, I never said taking a language all four years was a “requirement.” I said not taking one was not a “good look.” And that’s what Dean J’s October post confirms.

Still disagree.

SEAS students get away with not taking 4 years of FL. Anyone saying it's not a problem for Arts and Sciences is kidding themselves. If UVA is your student's dream school, it is a big mistake to not take 4 years of FL and not to take APUSH if you are from NoVa.

My UVA student did take 4 years of FL. Did NOT take APUSH. They were clearly a stem kid and focused on that while also taking high rigor across the board, just not APUSH. There is always an exception I guess, maybe this is where the holistic admissions really plays in.

Why skip APUSH?

It’s not needed. Furthermore it’s a big risk for getting a bad grade on account of how hard it is.

Your kid wants to attend UVA in 8 Mos and worried about the difficulty of a HS class?

+1. Plus UVA has its own foreign language requirement for undergrads not innSTEM

Only Engineering and Nursing are excepted from the foreign language requirement. UVa requires foreign language for all undergrad students in Arts & Sciences -- including for math and science degrees (example: Physics).

I believe you can test out of all or part of UVA’s foreign language requirement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. To be clear, I never said taking a language all four years was a “requirement.” I said not taking one was not a “good look.” And that’s what Dean J’s October post confirms.

Still disagree.

SEAS students get away with not taking 4 years of FL. Anyone saying it's not a problem for Arts and Sciences is kidding themselves. If UVA is your student's dream school, it is a big mistake to not take 4 years of FL and not to take APUSH if you are from NoVa.

My UVA student did take 4 years of FL. Did NOT take APUSH. They were clearly a stem kid and focused on that while also taking high rigor across the board, just not APUSH. There is always an exception I guess, maybe this is where the holistic admissions really plays in.

Why skip APUSH?

It’s not needed. Furthermore it’s a big risk for getting a bad grade on account of how hard it is.

Your kid wants to attend UVA in 8 Mos and worried about the difficulty of a HS class?

+1. Plus UVA has its own foreign language requirement for undergrads not innSTEM

Only Engineering and Nursing are excepted from the foreign language requirement. UVa requires foreign language for all undergrad students in Arts & Sciences -- including for math and science degrees (example: Physics).

I believe you can test out of all or part of UVA’s foreign language requirement.

So you didn’t even make it to page 2 of the thread.

Round and round we go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some students skip APUSH so they can focus on their AP Physics and AP Calc BC that year. Just saying that the whole course load tells the story, not a single course.

Depends on your HS. My kid skipped an AP in a core subject and got waitlisted. 3.98/4.5, 1560-engineering. I'm sure the accepted students from his high achieving public were all taking 4-5 APs junior year.

I agree. I have heard Dean J say several times they want highest rigor in all courses because you don’t really know what their major will be at this age. Need to show depth.

I asked Dean J about AP CS - she said that isn't core; according to her it's an elective. They want highest rigor in core. She looked hesitant when I hinted at compensating: APUSH with AP CS(and higher) with a lot more AP Sciences. This is for a STEM major. You have to choose where to put your time right?

I don't agree with DeanJ but you wanna play ball - her rules.

It’s not just Dean J. All of the very top schools want to see maximum rigor in core subjects and that includes foreign language. If you intend to apply to an Ivy or top SLAC, this is what you do. Remember the top schools then have their own foreign language requirement for their own undergraduates. They are dead serious about raising citizens of the world who will have to increasingly deal in world affairs in multiple languages..

My kid got into a top SLAC without taking a language jr and sr year. Loaded up with APs in all other areas and very heavy math and science. Worked out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just wondering.

DD is a native speaker of Spanish but took 4 years of HS Spanish, including the AP class. Is this gonna be counted against her by the UVA?

Even if UVA would count that against DD, DD was smart to take Spanish in high school.

Speaking a language fluently is great, but most people who want to use a mother tongue at a university or a good employer need to take some classes in that language.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some students skip APUSH so they can focus on their AP Physics and AP Calc BC that year. Just saying that the whole course load tells the story, not a single course.

Depends on your HS. My kid skipped an AP in a core subject and got waitlisted. 3.98/4.5, 1560-engineering. I'm sure the accepted students from his high achieving public were all taking 4-5 APs junior year.

I agree. I have heard Dean J say several times they want highest rigor in all courses because you don’t really know what their major will be at this age. Need to show depth.

I asked Dean J about AP CS - she said that isn't core; according to her it's an elective. They want highest rigor in core. She looked hesitant when I hinted at compensating: APUSH with AP CS(and higher) with a lot more AP Sciences. This is for a STEM major. You have to choose where to put your time right?

I don't agree with DeanJ but you wanna play ball - her rules.

Why are you acting like UVA is an outlier in not considering it a core subject? Like one UVA AO made up a rule when it’s common knowledge?

When I said DeanJ - I meant that she's the face of the UVA AOs. When you say outlier - sort of. Decades ago - I read the application material:
For UT Austin, it said more or less: don't apply unless you got the chops to get in.
For Berkeley it read: we take chances even if you are not fully baked.

I'd hope UVA's spokes person was more Berkeley than Austin. This is as a Virginian that wants our flagship to be world class. The "not fully baked" ones are the ones that change the world.

NOTHING should be more “Berkeley.” Ugh.