The foreign language dilemma: need 4 years for Brown, U of Chicago?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If a student takes first year of language in MS, does this generally count towards 4 year recommendation? So if they take language their senior year, it would be level 5, but would rather take other classes.

Most say 4 years of language IN HIGH SCHOOL. They don't care about middle school.

My kid took a language AP class in 11th grade so there was no next level of language at his school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If a student takes first year of language in MS, does this generally count towards 4 year recommendation? So if they take language their senior year, it would be level 5, but would rather take other classes.

Most say 4 years of language IN HIGH SCHOOL. They don't care about middle school.

Correct. That year of language in MS does not count towards college foreign language recommendations/requirements.

Wrong. FL is HS credit regardless of if you take it in MS or HS. It is absolutely put on the HS transcript.

My kid did 3 yrs of FL in MS, and then 2 years of FL in HS. He finished the FL AP in his 10th grade. There was no other course offered higher than AP for my kid in the school and he had reached the highest level of FL in HS.

But, does it matter? There are many reasons why a college admits a student. Legacy, athletics, race, gender, SES, first gen...all of these matter sometimes more than academics. When they say "recommended" they only mean that most students would have at least 4 years of FL.

PP didn’t say the class doesn’t count for HS credit. PP said colleges want four years of language in high school; there is a difference. And high school transcripts note that the class was taken in middle school for high school credit.

Taking FL in MS - that absolutely counts towards HS credit. It goes on the HS transcript. It counts towards graduation. My two kids took 3 years of FL in MS. They finished 8th grade having fulfilled their FL graduation requirement.

My kids could have decided to not take a FL in high school. That wouldn't have affected them at all with regards to High School graduation.

Colleges don't necessarily care about that. They don't necessarily care that a student completed their HS FL requirement in MS. They want to see 2 or 4 years of a FL taken in high school. Do you understand the difference?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If a student takes first year of language in MS, does this generally count towards 4 year recommendation? So if they take language their senior year, it would be level 5, but would rather take other classes.

Most say 4 years of language IN HIGH SCHOOL. They don't care about middle school.

Correct. That year of language in MS does not count towards college foreign language recommendations/requirements.

Wrong. FL is HS credit regardless of if you take it in MS or HS. It is absolutely put on the HS transcript.

My kid did 3 yrs of FL in MS, and then 2 years of FL in HS. He finished the FL AP in his 10th grade. There was no other course offered higher than AP for my kid in the school and he had reached the highest level of FL in HS.

But, does it matter? There are many reasons why a college admits a student. Legacy, athletics, race, gender, SES, first gen...all of these matter sometimes more than academics. When they say "recommended" they only mean that most students would have at least 4 years of FL.

PP didn’t say the class doesn’t count for HS credit. PP said colleges want four years of language in high school; there is a difference. And high school transcripts note that the class was taken in middle school for high school credit.

Taking FL in MS - that absolutely counts towards HS credit. It goes on the HS transcript. It counts towards graduation. My two kids took 3 years of FL in MS. They finished 8th grade having fulfilled their FL graduation requirement.

My kids could have decided to not take a FL in high school. That wouldn't have affected them at all with regards to High School graduation.

Colleges don't necessarily care about that. They don't necessarily care that a student completed their HS FL requirement in MS. They want to see 2 or 4 years of a FL taken in high school. Do you understand the difference?

Did the MS classes that counted toward HS credit show up on their HS transcripts and count to their HS GPA? Different question than the question about colleges wanting to see 4 years of FL taken in high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If a student takes first year of language in MS, does this generally count towards 4 year recommendation? So if they take language their senior year, it would be level 5, but would rather take other classes.

Most say 4 years of language IN HIGH SCHOOL. They don't care about middle school.

Correct. That year of language in MS does not count towards college foreign language recommendations/requirements.

Wrong. FL is HS credit regardless of if you take it in MS or HS. It is absolutely put on the HS transcript.

My kid did 3 yrs of FL in MS, and then 2 years of FL in HS. He finished the FL AP in his 10th grade. There was no other course offered higher than AP for my kid in the school and he had reached the highest level of FL in HS.

But, does it matter? There are many reasons why a college admits a student. Legacy, athletics, race, gender, SES, first gen...all of these matter sometimes more than academics. When they say "recommended" they only mean that most students would have at least 4 years of FL.

PP didn’t say the class doesn’t count for HS credit. PP said colleges want four years of language in high school; there is a difference. And high school transcripts note that the class was taken in middle school for high school credit.

Taking FL in MS - that absolutely counts towards HS credit. It goes on the HS transcript. It counts towards graduation. My two kids took 3 years of FL in MS. They finished 8th grade having fulfilled their FL graduation requirement.

My kids could have decided to not take a FL in high school. That wouldn't have affected them at all with regards to High School graduation.

Colleges don't necessarily care about that. They don't necessarily care that a student completed their HS FL requirement in MS. They want to see 2 or 4 years of a FL taken in high school. Do you understand the difference?

Did the MS classes that counted toward HS credit show up on their HS transcripts and count to their HS GPA? Different question than the question about colleges wanting to see 4 years of FL taken in high school.

New poster: yes, in FCPS.

[Anonymous]

What do really competitive colleges (like MIT) think of 2 years of FL? It’s my nephew, not my kids. 4 years were available but he took rigorous classes and self studied for many AP courses (earning a 5 in all).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If a student takes first year of language in MS, does this generally count towards 4 year recommendation? So if they take language their senior year, it would be level 5, but would rather take other classes.

Most say 4 years of language IN HIGH SCHOOL. They don't care about middle school.

Correct. That year of language in MS does not count towards college foreign language recommendations/requirements.

Wrong. FL is HS credit regardless of if you take it in MS or HS. It is absolutely put on the HS transcript.

My kid did 3 yrs of FL in MS, and then 2 years of FL in HS. He finished the FL AP in his 10th grade. There was no other course offered higher than AP for my kid in the school and he had reached the highest level of FL in HS.

But, does it matter? There are many reasons why a college admits a student. Legacy, athletics, race, gender, SES, first gen...all of these matter sometimes more than academics. When they say "recommended" they only mean that most students would have at least 4 years of FL.

PP didn’t say the class doesn’t count for HS credit. PP said colleges want four years of language in high school; there is a difference. And high school transcripts note that the class was taken in middle school for high school credit.

Taking FL in MS - that absolutely counts towards HS credit. It goes on the HS transcript. It counts towards graduation. My two kids took 3 years of FL in MS. They finished 8th grade having fulfilled their FL graduation requirement.

My kids could have decided to not take a FL in high school. That wouldn't have affected them at all with regards to High School graduation.

Colleges don't necessarily care about that. They don't necessarily care that a student completed their HS FL requirement in MS. They want to see 2 or 4 years of a FL taken in high school. Do you understand the difference?

Did the MS classes that counted toward HS credit show up on their HS transcripts and count to their HS GPA? Different question than the question about colleges wanting to see 4 years of FL taken in high school.

We are MCPS. Yes, when my kids took FL in MS, it counts towards their HS GPA. It shows up on their transcript. Note - I haven't seen the actual transcript so I don't know what it looks like but I do see the Student Grades and Graduation Credit Report. I'm not sure how similar that document is to the official transcript but the FL they took in MS is noted on this document. There is a Summary of Credits Earned section at the bottom of the document. The FL they took in MS is listed in the column Pre-High School. There is even a section for World Languages. It lists all the World Language(s) my kids took with the dates of completion.

Again, I don't know how the official transcript differs from that document but going by this document, the FL taken in MS is marked as being taken in MS. Colleges will be able to tell what was taken in MS and what was taken in HS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ve been through this with 2 kids and my thoughts are this - unless your student has a hook or some major accomplishment (or unless they completed AP world language before 12th grade), it is a expected that they take world language each year of high school, just as they should take 4 years of all core courses getting to the most rigorous level possible. Stem oriented kids need to do this just like humanties oriented kids need to take ap calc and science to be strong candidates for the most competitive colleges.

Wrong.

[Anonymous]

My son just got into u Chicago.
He did 3 years of honors Spanish, for his senior year he did not want to take any language but his counselor said it won’t look good on his application and on his advice he took AP Spanish for his senior year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What if you take an AP foreign language as a Junior? Isn’t that considered maxed out in language? Do you really have to take a new level 1 language as a Senior to meet the 4 years requirement?!

Don't most schools offer both AP Language and AP Literature?

There's significant overlap in the classes to the extent that they don't recommend students to take both.

This is also not true. God, people, come on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If a student takes first year of language in MS, does this generally count towards 4 year recommendation? So if they take language their senior year, it would be level 5, but would rather take other classes.

Most say 4 years of language IN HIGH SCHOOL. They don't care about middle school.

Correct. That year of language in MS does not count towards college foreign language recommendations/requirements.

Wrong. FL is HS credit regardless of if you take it in MS or HS. It is absolutely put on the HS transcript.

My kid did 3 yrs of FL in MS, and then 2 years of FL in HS. He finished the FL AP in his 10th grade. There was no other course offered higher than AP for my kid in the school and he had reached the highest level of FL in HS.

But, does it matter? There are many reasons why a college admits a student. Legacy, athletics, race, gender, SES, first gen...all of these matter sometimes more than academics. When they say "recommended" they only mean that most students would have at least 4 years of FL.

PP didn’t say the class doesn’t count for HS credit. PP said colleges want four years of language in high school; there is a difference. And high school transcripts note that the class was taken in middle school for high school credit.

Actually, college want you to take the highest level of all subjects, including FL.

If you have taken the highest level FL in 10th grade because you took 3 years in MS, and there is no higher course than AP in your school, you are better than the student who is taking French 4 in 12th grade.

So, hope this is very clear to you. Taking AP French Lang in 10th grade will trump taking French 4 in 12th grade. Also, if you can have APs in the 5 core subjects (FL, English, Math, Science with lab, Social Science) by the end of 11th grade, that is better for your college admission - because it shows rigor in all core subjects.

[Anonymous]

I agree with this - I posted my son who got into U Chicago took only 3 years of Latin, but he took the highest level of Latin in junior year, which was what most seniors take in senior year. So he would have had to take a different language or else Latin outside school... counselor said not worth it, just double up on his intended academic area of focus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If a student takes first year of language in MS, does this generally count towards 4 year recommendation? So if they take language their senior year, it would be level 5, but would rather take other classes.

Most say 4 years of language IN HIGH SCHOOL. They don't care about middle school.

Correct. That year of language in MS does not count towards college foreign language recommendations/requirements.

Wrong. FL is HS credit regardless of if you take it in MS or HS. It is absolutely put on the HS transcript.

My kid did 3 yrs of FL in MS, and then 2 years of FL in HS. He finished the FL AP in his 10th grade. There was no other course offered higher than AP for my kid in the school and he had reached the highest level of FL in HS.

But, does it matter? There are many reasons why a college admits a student. Legacy, athletics, race, gender, SES, first gen...all of these matter sometimes more than academics. When they say "recommended" they only mean that most students would have at least 4 years of FL.

PP didn’t say the class doesn’t count for HS credit. PP said colleges want four years of language in high school; there is a difference. And high school transcripts note that the class was taken in middle school for high school credit.

Taking FL in MS - that absolutely counts towards HS credit. It goes on the HS transcript. It counts towards graduation. My two kids took 3 years of FL in MS. They finished 8th grade having fulfilled their FL graduation requirement.

My kids could have decided to not take a FL in high school. That wouldn't have affected them at all with regards to High School graduation.

Colleges don't necessarily care about that. They don't necessarily care that a student completed their HS FL requirement in MS. They want to see 2 or 4 years of a FL taken in high school. Do you understand the difference?

Did the MS classes that counted toward HS credit show up on their HS transcripts and count to their HS GPA? Different question than the question about colleges wanting to see 4 years of FL taken in high school.

New poster: yes, in FCPS.

... and no, at my kids' private school. Only the HS courses show up and count.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve been through this with 2 kids and my thoughts are this - unless your student has a hook or some major accomplishment (or unless they completed AP world language before 12th grade), it is a expected that they take world language each year of high school, just as they should take 4 years of all core courses getting to the most rigorous level possible. Stem oriented kids need to do this just like humanties oriented kids need to take ap calc and science to be strong candidates for the most competitive colleges.

Wrong.

What us wrong about it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve been through this with 2 kids and my thoughts are this - unless your student has a hook or some major accomplishment (or unless they completed AP world language before 12th grade), it is a expected that they take world language each year of high school, just as they should take 4 years of all core courses getting to the most rigorous level possible. Stem oriented kids need to do this just like humanties oriented kids need to take ap calc and science to be strong candidates for the most competitive colleges.

How do you think going through this with two kids gives you more insight than what college AOs are telling kids?

As I stated, these are my thoughts. If you start a thread feel free to limit requested responses to admissions officers, but OP directed this to dcum so presumably they are seeking opinions based on our experiences. Also as I stated, mine is based on two kids having gone through the admissions process recently and seeing how they and all of their friends fared.

This particular forum brings out the worst in posters.

[Anonymous]

You need to look at the school and program your kid is applying to. Many schools have different requirements and suggested classes based on engineering vs arts and sciences. My kid took levels 1-3 of foreign language in HS and senior year opted for an additional science instead of 4th year of language. Got in to a school ranked higher than the ones you are asking about. No hooks. But was for engineering and for engineering the school said only need three years.
I would look at programs your kid is interested in and have him email the reps for the various schools with any questions.