Does foreign language choice in HS matter?
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Anonymous
Even far beyond that, foreign languages as communication tools are diminished in importance because of the rise of AI. Which means Latin takes first place, as a tool for better English. The one specific place where Latin doesn't beat Chinese is for admissions to the Air Force Academy, which specifically requires a modern foreign language. But unless you have Chinese family members, you are going to have a much easier time getting French or Spanish or Hindi up to a functional communication level. |
Anonymous
Chinese, specifically Mandarin is spoken by more people on the planet than any other language. It is also the language of business. No one cares about the Air Force, everyone cares about finance. |
Anonymous
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I think language only matters for kids who have both an interesting language path combined with interest.
IE, global security with Arabic and French background. or international ag dev with Hindi background. in these cases, very impressive. otherwise, it's a box to be checked. |
Anonymous
Our guidance counselor said Latin is at the bottom because it is considered the easiest. |
Anonymous
+1 Latin is most definitely not one of the sought-after languages universities look at these days. |
Anonymous
| Many posters on DCUM approach college as a ROI or training for a job (maybe you are first gen or immigrants?) US colleges do not think this way. The top schools are looking for kids that are curious, intellectual thinkers. Studying a world language shows that you are well rounded, interested in other cultures, and well educated. It is the foundation of a liberal arts education. They literally don’t care if you took the most rigorous language offered. It can be any language. They want to see that you are well educated and not just loaded up in classes in one specific area. |
Anonymous
| No |
Anonymous
DP. No Chinese person is going to speak Mandarin to someone with 2-4 years of HS of the said language. |
Anonymous
Most kids aren’t getting into top schools no matter what language they take. |
Anonymous
Anytime we need Mandarin, we are going to use a native speaker who speaks English, not some white American who stumbled through four years of high school Mandarin. |
Anonymous
Most of the kids in Chinese and Japanese at our school speak this at home so for a non-native it's extra challenging. |
Anonymous
Curious about the 4 years. DC took freshman Spanish 1 in 8th grade and is in Spanish 4 honors. At this point DC would prefer to take a different AP course next year (psychology or economics). The guidance counselor thinks going through Spanish 4 qualifies as 4 years, but the guidance department is not always on top of things… |
Anonymous
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Most HSs only give you 2-3 languages to choose from. And not all HSs guarantee all languages language through Year 4/ AP. My DD’s HS had 3 years of Korean and 2 of ASL as an FCPS Academy site. Then 4 years of French, Spanish and Latin.
My DD insists Latin through AP was a great choice for her. She got perfect scores on the ACT verbal sections and credits Latin with helping her better understand English. She is now majoring in a non-Romance critical language (also majoring in IR) and says that the Latin background has been enormously helpful in understanding and learning grammar. And yes, as an American citizenfrom a college with a well respected IR program, going for fluency in a critical language plus IR? She’s very employable, especially in the government (State, DOD and national security are all recruiting, hard). So, Latin was a good call given her goals. But, I doubt her college admissions outcomes would have been any different if she had gotten the same grades and gone through AP in French or Spanish. And yes, Mandrin, Japanese, Arabic, Russian, Farsi— these are critical languages and it’s great to get a start in HS. But they are classified by the US government as “critical” because there are not enough American citizens with fluency to meet US military, national security, diplomatic and economic needs. And there are not enough fluent speakers precisely because so few HS teach these languages and starting a new language in college and going for a fluent OPI score is tough. I know because I’m watching a kid do it. And it requires spending most summers in immersion environments and seeking a lot of opportunities outside of classes— like a language house, playing podcasts and watching movies in the language, etc. Basically, we have a foreign language pipeline problem in the US. And HSs are by and large not teaching the languages that are needed— at least by the government. (Obviously in some areas of the country, Spanish is very helpful long term) But for HS. You can can only go with what’s offered. Sure, Russian is cool and stands out and could open doors long term. But in FCPS, I believe only TJ plus one other HS offer it, so…. You can only do what you can do. No college will mark your kid down because they didn’t take a language not offered. |
Anonymous
I have heard that in the age of test optional and grade inflation, taking a language all 4 years in HS stands out. Of course it is just one way to stand out so if your kid is miserable take a language (as mine was) you can find other ways. |
Anonymous
No, Hindi would not be worth it. Most of the Indian engineers you see here or even in India are from parts of India where Hindi is not the native language. I am sure their English is better than their Hindi. It would be a waste of time if that is your purpose. |