BLAIR SMAC Foreign Language & Electives

[Anonymous]

My DC is trying to decide what language to take freshman year. DC wanted to take latin but it is not being offered at Blair anymore due to lack of demand. DC next choice is ASL. Anyone's child taking ASL? How was the child's experience?

For the PE/Fines Arts elective portion, what do most 9th graders take? Do most kids take PE or a Fine Arts freshman year?

[Anonymous]

PE

[Anonymous]

Mine is taking PE.

[Anonymous]

I've heard some colleges may not accept ASL as a FL requirement. You may want to check on that. Blair also offered Japanese and Arabic.

[Anonymous]

Mine dud music and waited to take pe until jr/sr year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've heard some colleges may not accept ASL as a FL requirement. You may want to check on that. Blair also offered Japanese and Arabic.

Do they offer Spanish, French, or Chinese?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've heard some colleges may not accept ASL as a FL requirement. You may want to check on that. Blair also offered Japanese and Arabic.

Do they offer Spanish, French, or Chinese?

Of course they offer Spanish and French!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've heard some colleges may not accept ASL as a FL requirement. You may want to check on that. Blair also offered Japanese and Arabic.

This. And many schools look down on it for admission or don’t accept it for their own undergrad graduation requirements. If your kid doesn’t have a learning difference that makes it the only or best option, it will likely be a disadvantage in selective college admissions. If your child is a brilliant scientist, they may be able to overcome it. If your kid took language in middle school, I’d recommend carrying through at least level 4. ASL can then be a wonderful elective.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've heard some colleges may not accept ASL as a FL requirement. You may want to check on that. Blair also offered Japanese and Arabic.

This. And many schools look down on it for admission or don’t accept it for their own undergrad graduation requirements. If your kid doesn’t have a learning difference that makes it the only or best option, it will likely be a disadvantage in selective college admissions. If your child is a brilliant scientist, they may be able to overcome it. If your kid took language in middle school, I’d recommend carrying through at least level 4. ASL can then be a wonderful elective.

What if they finish level 4 in MS? Is ASL still looked down on as the only HS language?

[Anonymous]

ASL is a real language! if your kid is interested in it, have them take it and ignore the people here who claim to be so sure what admissions officers think of it.

Blair offers Japanese, Arabic, Spanish and French. Wish they still offered Latin.

My kid took PE as a freshman - it's a nice break in the day for a possibly intense schedule, I think.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:ASL is a real language! if your kid is interested in it, have them take it and ignore the people here who claim to be so sure what admissions officers think of it.

Blair offers Japanese, Arabic, Spanish and French. Wish they still offered Latin.

My kid took PE as a freshman - it's a nice break in the day for a possibly intense schedule, I think.

I don't doubt that, and I don’t think others do either, but AOs may not include it. Check with various universities. Some feel that, because there is no writing and separate listening component, it does count for FL requirement.

[Anonymous]

Many or most top colleges do accept ASL as your foreign language. I read that on this board too so I asked a college counselor and researched myself and it's fine. It's more rare that it won't be accepted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've heard some colleges may not accept ASL as a FL requirement. You may want to check on that. Blair also offered Japanese and Arabic.

This. And many schools look down on it for admission or don’t accept it for their own undergrad graduation requirements. If your kid doesn’t have a learning difference that makes it the only or best option, it will likely be a disadvantage in selective college admissions. If your child is a brilliant scientist, they may be able to overcome it. If your kid took language in middle school, I’d recommend carrying through at least level 4. ASL can then be a wonderful elective.

What if they finish level 4 in MS? Is ASL still looked down on as the only HS language?

DD is taking her second year of ASL after finishing Spanish 3 at Blair. She loves ASL. I think your kid will be safe having already finished level 4 in MS. They get credit for it even though it was taken in MS. She took PE freshman year as did a lot of her classmates. It's great to have an easy class when transitioning to HS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've heard some colleges may not accept ASL as a FL requirement. You may want to check on that. Blair also offered Japanese and Arabic.

Do they offer Spanish, French, or Chinese?

Of course they offer Spanish and French!

DC will be taking French 4 next year. I hear that at Blair you can skip French 5 and go to French 6, then AP. How does that work? Does the teacher decide? (Some schools don't even have a French 6.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've heard some colleges may not accept ASL as a FL requirement. You may want to check on that. Blair also offered Japanese and Arabic.

Do they offer Spanish, French, or Chinese?

Of course they offer Spanish and French!

DC will be taking French 4 next year. I hear that at Blair you can skip French 5 and go to French 6, then AP. How does that work? Does the teacher decide? (Some schools don't even have a French 6.)

I don't think there is a French 6 . Some people go from 4 to AP. Others take five. It's really a choice.