Stick with same foreign language or switch?

[Anonymous]

We would love to hear thoughts from those more familiar with the college application process. My high school freshman had 1 year of French and 2 years of Latin in middle school. He didn't love either although he was stronger in Latin which has a lesser emphasis on speaking the language and a greater emphasis on classical history (the only aspect of studying either language he actually liked other than the baguettes and croissants the French teacher sometimes brought to class). He chose to pursue French in high school (largely based on the baguette/croissant decision making) and tested into French II Honors. He is not loving or excelling in French right now and got a B by the skin of his teeth in the first semester. I just can't see him putting in the time he really needs to do any better in French III or AP French, and I have trouble believing he would be recommended for Honors-level classes any longer. He is considering switching to Latin and would probably need to see what he would test into (after a year off) - Latin I, Latin I Honors, Latin II, Latin II Honors. If he ended up back in Latin I or Latin I Honors, he would need to do three years of it because school requirement is 3 years of foreign language classes AND reaching Level 3 of a foreign language.

So how bad does it look if he switches languages (French to Latin) after one year and never reaches AP level in a foreign language? Worse than if he sticks with French, drops down to non-Honors level classes, and has weaker grades?

He's a pretty strong student with foreign languages as his weakest area. Probably interested in business/economics in the future and moderately selective colleges. No genuine interest in actually speaking a foreign language. I think he would be happier in Latin overall, but he will need to balance that with the potential struggle to catch up after a year out of it and the possibility of having to do a fourth year of a foreign language.

Thanks for any thoughts!

[Anonymous]

He should switch to Latin and be happier

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:He should switch to Latin and be happier

+1


Because it's become so much less common, Latin is valued.

[Anonymous]

Number one issue is his happiness, but number two should be the effect of each choice on his GPA.

[Anonymous]

pp again. Given his college ambitions, that's what I would recommend. Each college's HS foreign language requirement is based on their own college requirements for college graduation. For colleges he's interested in if they do not expect French (or a similar spoke language) at an AP Level, he's good to switch

[Anonymous]

If he's going to get Cs in French it will look bad on his transcript regardless of level.

It would be optimal for him to test into Latin II and get to Latin IV with As.

[Anonymous]

I would hire a Latin tutor for a few sessions to refresh then move back to Latin.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We would love to hear thoughts from those more familiar with the college application process. My high school freshman had 1 year of French and 2 years of Latin in middle school. He didn't love either although he was stronger in Latin which has a lesser emphasis on speaking the language and a greater emphasis on classical history (the only aspect of studying either language he actually liked other than the baguettes and croissants the French teacher sometimes brought to class). He chose to pursue French in high school (largely based on the baguette/croissant decision making) and tested into French II Honors. He is not loving or excelling in French right now and got a B by the skin of his teeth in the first semester. I just can't see him putting in the time he really needs to do any better in French III or AP French, and I have trouble believing he would be recommended for Honors-level classes any longer. He is considering switching to Latin and would probably need to see what he would test into (after a year off) - Latin I, Latin I Honors, Latin II, Latin II Honors. If he ended up back in Latin I or Latin I Honors, he would need to do three years of it because school requirement is 3 years of foreign language classes AND reaching Level 3 of a foreign language.

So how bad does it look if he switches languages (French to Latin) after one year and never reaches AP level in a foreign language? Worse than if he sticks with French, drops down to non-Honors level classes, and has weaker grades?

He's a pretty strong student with foreign languages as his weakest area. Probably interested in business/economics in the future and moderately selective colleges. No genuine interest in actually speaking a foreign language. I think he would be happier in Latin overall, but he will need to balance that with the potential struggle to catch up after a year out of it and the possibility of having to do a fourth year of a foreign language.

Thanks for any thoughts!

It's not bad to switch, but what's up with this part? He's just not willing to do the work in a subject that doesn't come easily? Learning another language is hard for some people. It's still worth doing!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If he's going to get Cs in French it will look bad on his transcript regardless of level.

It would be optimal for him to test into Latin II and get to Latin IV with As.

Optimal might actually be doing Latin I again and getting As for three years (or at least 2.5). It all depends on how he would respond to repeating Latin I, and how adept he’s likely to be by the time he reaches Latin IV, and that’s a function of his interests, skills, and personality.

[Anonymous]

Go for Latin. Sounds like a better fit so he'll likely do better. Plus, it's a much more interesting class to view on a transcript and can easily connect latin to future interests in humanities and prof fields like medicine and law. I had a kid who did Latin and applied as a classics major and was premed. Latin was helpful for both.

[Anonymous]

My kid did both French and Latin to AP level and was required to study a living language in college as well, for an International Affairs major. He stuck with French, with an exchange program in that country and classes in French at a university in Paris.

I don't think Latin is going to move the needle with very selective college admissions, honestly, but I agree that for lower-tier colleges, Latin is going to sound fancier, and will help him in admissions. However, depending on what he want to major in, French might be more useful later on in his life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid did both French and Latin to AP level and was required to study a living language in college as well, for an International Affairs major. He stuck with French, with an exchange program in that country and classes in French at a university in Paris.

I don't think Latin is going to move the needle with very selective college admissions, honestly, but I agree that for lower-tier colleges, Latin is going to sound fancier, and will help him in admissions. However, depending on what he want to major in, French might be more useful later on in his life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:pp again. Given his college ambitions, that's what I would recommend. Each college's HS foreign language requirement is based on their own college requirements for college graduation. For colleges he's interested in if they do not expect French (or a similar spoke language) at an AP Level, he's good to switch

This, but if aiming for UVA, it’s recommended to stay with one language for all four years. There are many old threads on this

[Anonymous]

Go to Latin.
This summer take him to France. Spin the year of French as trip planning and prep.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid did both French and Latin to AP level and was required to study a living language in college as well, for an International Affairs major. He stuck with French, with an exchange program in that country and classes in French at a university in Paris.

I don't think Latin is going to move the needle with very selective college admissions, honestly, but I agree that for lower-tier colleges, Latin is going to sound fancier, and will help him in admissions. However, depending on what he want to major in, French might be more useful later on in his life.

And yet it's true.