Foreign Language all 4 years?

[Anonymous]

At my kid's NESCAC, admissions says the typical student will enter with four years of foreign language.

[Anonymous]

What if your kid maxes out in the language after 3 years? DS will place in an intermediate foreign language class freshman year. He will run out of classes to take after 3 years. Should we insist that he start in beginner instead of intermediate so that he has something to take for 4 years?

[Anonymous]

18:04 again -it’s frustrating because he is already bilingual in a language that he learned previously but isn’t offered at his HS. It maddens me that a bilingual/biliterate kid who reaches the highest level possible in his third language junior year could be dinged because it’s not 4 years. Grrr

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What if your kid maxes out in the language after 3 years? DS will place in an intermediate foreign language class freshman year. He will run out of classes to take after 3 years. Should we insist that he start in beginner instead of intermediate so that he has something to take for 4 years?

No, if he reaches the highest level (and it's an actual high level, e.g. AP level) he's fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:18:04 again -it’s frustrating because he is already bilingual in a language that he learned previously but isn’t offered at his HS. It maddens me that a bilingual/biliterate kid who reaches the highest level possible in his third language junior year could be dinged because it’s not 4 years. Grrr

He's fine. Relax.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:18:04 again -it’s frustrating because he is already bilingual in a language that he learned previously but isn’t offered at his HS. It maddens me that a bilingual/biliterate kid who reaches the highest level possible in his third language junior year could be dinged because it’s not 4 years. Grrr

Have him study with a tutor, local private language center, or recognized online program somewhere so he continues the study and has it documented.

Has the same impact on a college app. Plus they don't get the idea that language study is a "do and drop" thing.

[Anonymous]

The school profile that gets sent to colleges with your transcript indicates the highest class available in each subject. If your child reaches the highest level of a language before senior year, they will not be penalized for “dropping” it.

[Anonymous]

Here's another thing to consider: when I got to Stanford I was able to test out of the foreign language requirement because my German was decently strong from four years of high school study. So taking the classes now may free up time later in college (that said, taking a foreign language in college seems beneficial--both in terms of opening up the world to you and padding your GPA).