UVA & HS Foreign Language

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pretty solid consensus that 4 years of language is a clear UVA preference. Follow up question - is it important for your UVA prospects that the fourth year be at the AP level or would Spanish 1 - 4 for example meet the need?

I don’t think there is a clear consensus because some people are defining four years and four years of classes in HS and others are defining it as four years of high school credits (where you could reach level IV of a language before senior year). Our school guidance counselors advise kids that 4 years of credit meats the requirement, so it’s really confusing.

Also since when did WL become a core class?

We were told by a college counselor that WL is a core subject She said the ideal is as to take all 5 core subjects all years of high school or until you exhaust the available classes.

Most families cannot afford a college counselor. Expecting kids and families to know something that goes against high school college counselor’s advice in kind of insane. Just another example of the system favoring those with means.

The PP never said the counselor was private. I read it as public high school college counselor. And we were told the same. DS took four years of foreign language and got into UVA (also no. 1 in his class and 36 ACT)

You call your kids public school guidance counselor a college counselor? Because for most people, a college counselor means a paid, private counselor.

Honestly, if you child was able to have an in depth conversation of this nature with their guidance counselor they are very lucky. A LOT of guidance counselors quit over the pandemic and school are short staffed. Kids are lucky to get 15 minutes with the counselor for college planning, and that is mostly to give out form and re-enforce important deadlines. I think class selection is 5-10 minutes and involves a pre-completed form.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pretty solid consensus that 4 years of language is a clear UVA preference. Follow up question - is it important for your UVA prospects that the fourth year be at the AP level or would Spanish 1 - 4 for example meet the need?

I don’t think there is a clear consensus because some people are defining four years and four years of classes in HS and others are defining it as four years of high school credits (where you could reach level IV of a language before senior year). Our school guidance counselors advise kids that 4 years of credit meats the requirement, so it’s really confusing.

Also since when did WL become a core class?

We were told by a college counselor that WL is a core subject She said the ideal is as to take all 5 core subjects all years of high school or until you exhaust the available classes.

Most families cannot afford a college counselor. Expecting kids and families to know something that goes against high school college counselor’s advice in kind of insane. Just another example of the system favoring those with means.

The PP never said the counselor was private. I read it as public high school college counselor. And we were told the same. DS took four years of foreign language and got into UVA (also no. 1 in his class and 36 ACT)

You call your kids public school guidance counselor a college counselor? Because for most people, a college counselor means a paid, private counselor.

Honestly, if you child was able to have an in depth conversation of this nature with their guidance counselor they are very lucky. A LOT of guidance counselors quit over the pandemic and school are short staffed. Kids are lucky to get 15 minutes with the counselor for college planning, and that is mostly to give out form and re-enforce important deadlines. I think class selection is 5-10 minutes and involves a pre-completed form.

Our FCPS has guidance counselors AND a college counselor.

Our public guidance counselor neglected to inform my kid that switching languages was a bad idea for college apps.

Our college counselor doesn’t see the app until it’s too late.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pretty solid consensus that 4 years of language is a clear UVA preference. Follow up question - is it important for your UVA prospects that the fourth year be at the AP level or would Spanish 1 - 4 for example meet the need?

I don’t think there is a clear consensus because some people are defining four years and four years of classes in HS and others are defining it as four years of high school credits (where you could reach level IV of a language before senior year). Our school guidance counselors advise kids that 4 years of credit meats the requirement, so it’s really confusing.

Also since when did WL become a core class?

We were told by a college counselor that WL is a core subject She said the ideal is as to take all 5 core subjects all years of high school or until you exhaust the available classes.

Most families cannot afford a college counselor. Expecting kids and families to know something that goes against high school college counselor’s advice in kind of insane. Just another example of the system favoring those with means.

The PP never said the counselor was private. I read it as public high school college counselor. And we were told the same. DS took four years of foreign language and got into UVA (also no. 1 in his class and 36 ACT)

You call your kids public school guidance counselor a college counselor? Because for most people, a college counselor means a paid, private counselor.

Honestly, if you child was able to have an in depth conversation of this nature with their guidance counselor they are very lucky. A LOT of guidance counselors quit over the pandemic and school are short staffed. Kids are lucky to get 15 minutes with the counselor for college planning, and that is mostly to give out form and re-enforce important deadlines. I think class selection is 5-10 minutes and involves a pre-completed form.

Our FCPS has guidance counselors AND a college counselor.

Our public guidance counselor neglected to inform my kid that switching languages was a bad idea for college apps.

Our college counselor doesn’t see the app until it’s too late.

That’s the problem - MOST kids need to know this by sophomore or junior year when they are selecting classes fro the next year, and very few kids are even going to the school’s college counselor at that point. Heck, most kids aren’t going to Dean J’s blog sophomore year, which is when my kid had to decide whether to pursue AP Latin as a junior.

I think most kids gunning for a T20 know 4 HS foreign language credits is a good thing. But I don’t know that most kids realize UVA considers world language a core course that you need pursue through the AP level. And given the turnover in guidance counselors, I think it’s a lot to even expect them to get good advice on this topic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pretty solid consensus that 4 years of language is a clear UVA preference. Follow up question - is it important for your UVA prospects that the fourth year be at the AP level or would Spanish 1 - 4 for example meet the need?

I don’t think there is a clear consensus because some people are defining four years and four years of classes in HS and others are defining it as four years of high school credits (where you could reach level IV of a language before senior year). Our school guidance counselors advise kids that 4 years of credit meats the requirement, so it’s really confusing.

Also since when did WL become a core class?

We were told by a college counselor that WL is a core subject She said the ideal is as to take all 5 core subjects all years of high school or until you exhaust the available classes.

Most families cannot afford a college counselor. Expecting kids and families to know something that goes against high school college counselor’s advice in kind of insane. Just another example of the system favoring those with means.

Aren't the terms college counselor, guidance counselor, and school counselor all talking about the same thing? Or are you thinking they are referencing a consultant who doesn't work at their kid's school?

Other PP here - an outside counselor that the parent pays, to get you into a certain school - for which there are no guarantees.

IME, the HS counselor knows generally which students are attending where, before the students know.

This is a very cynical view and f outside counselors. I think the ones you pay to get you into a certain school are few and far between and I’d challenge you to name them. Our family has worked with 2 different ones. Both did the same thing: discuss what the kids wants from a college, help choose the list, advise on interviews and visits, brainstorm the essay and read through student drafts, track student’s work on applications to make sure it’s done on a timeline. Neither wrote or substantially edited the essay and neither had any pull at any of the schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pretty solid consensus that 4 years of language is a clear UVA preference. Follow up question - is it important for your UVA prospects that the fourth year be at the AP level or would Spanish 1 - 4 for example meet the need?

I don’t think there is a clear consensus because some people are defining four years and four years of classes in HS and others are defining it as four years of high school credits (where you could reach level IV of a language before senior year). Our school guidance counselors advise kids that 4 years of credit meats the requirement, so it’s really confusing.

Also since when did WL become a core class?

We were told by a college counselor that WL is a core subject She said the ideal is as to take all 5 core subjects all years of high school or until you exhaust the available classes.

Most families cannot afford a college counselor. Expecting kids and families to know something that goes against high school college counselor’s advice in kind of insane. Just another example of the system favoring those with means.

The PP never said the counselor was private. I read it as public high school college counselor. And we were told the same. DS took four years of foreign language and got into UVA (also no. 1 in his class and 36 ACT)

You call your kids public school guidance counselor a college counselor? Because for most people, a college counselor means a paid, private counselor.

Honestly, if you child was able to have an in depth conversation of this nature with their guidance counselor they are very lucky. A LOT of guidance counselors quit over the pandemic and school are short staffed. Kids are lucky to get 15 minutes with the counselor for college planning, and that is mostly to give out form and re-enforce important deadlines. I think class selection is 5-10 minutes and involves a pre-completed form.

No, they don't think that. In public high school, they are called college counselors, as opposed to guidance counselors. Ours (Langley) gave us an hour on three different occasions. People here will state if they are using a private outside counselor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pretty solid consensus that 4 years of language is a clear UVA preference. Follow up question - is it important for your UVA prospects that the fourth year be at the AP level or would Spanish 1 - 4 for example meet the need?

I don’t think there is a clear consensus because some people are defining four years and four years of classes in HS and others are defining it as four years of high school credits (where you could reach level IV of a language before senior year). Our school guidance counselors advise kids that 4 years of credit meats the requirement, so it’s really confusing.

Also since when did WL become a core class?

We were told by a college counselor that WL is a core subject She said the ideal is as to take all 5 core subjects all years of high school or until you exhaust the available classes.

Most families cannot afford a college counselor. Expecting kids and families to know something that goes against high school college counselor’s advice in kind of insane. Just another example of the system favoring those with means.

The PP never said the counselor was private. I read it as public high school college counselor. And we were told the same. DS took four years of foreign language and got into UVA (also no. 1 in his class and 36 ACT)

You call your kids public school guidance counselor a college counselor? Because for most people, a college counselor means a paid, private counselor.

Honestly, if you child was able to have an in depth conversation of this nature with their guidance counselor they are very lucky. A LOT of guidance counselors quit over the pandemic and school are short staffed. Kids are lucky to get 15 minutes with the counselor for college planning, and that is mostly to give out form and re-enforce important deadlines. I think class selection is 5-10 minutes and involves a pre-completed form.

Our FCPS has guidance counselors AND a college counselor.

Our public guidance counselor neglected to inform my kid that switching languages was a bad idea for college apps.

Our college counselor doesn’t see the app until it’s too late.

That’s the problem - MOST kids need to know this by sophomore or junior year when they are selecting classes fro the next year, and very few kids are even going to the school’s college counselor at that point. Heck, most kids aren’t going to Dean J’s blog sophomore year, which is when my kid had to decide whether to pursue AP Latin as a junior.

I think most kids gunning for a T20 know 4 HS foreign language credits is a good thing. But I don’t know that most kids realize UVA considers world language a core course that you need pursue through the AP level. And given the turnover in guidance counselors, I think it’s a lot to even expect them to get good advice on this topic.

I think advice on foreign language for college is pretty basic and I don’t think that’s too much to ask of them. Really basic. I pay a small fortune for a crappy house in an a great pyramid, I shouldn’t have to pay for a private counselor to prevent my kid from making such a basic mistake. My kid thought they were ok because they took “four years of language.” Then came rejections.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pretty solid consensus that 4 years of language is a clear UVA preference. Follow up question - is it important for your UVA prospects that the fourth year be at the AP level or would Spanish 1 - 4 for example meet the need?

I don’t think there is a clear consensus because some people are defining four years and four years of classes in HS and others are defining it as four years of high school credits (where you could reach level IV of a language before senior year). Our school guidance counselors advise kids that 4 years of credit meats the requirement, so it’s really confusing.

Also since when did WL become a core class?

We were told by a college counselor that WL is a core subject She said the ideal is as to take all 5 core subjects all years of high school or until you exhaust the available classes.

Most families cannot afford a college counselor. Expecting kids and families to know something that goes against high school college counselor’s advice in kind of insane. Just another example of the system favoring those with means.

The PP never said the counselor was private. I read it as public high school college counselor. And we were told the same. DS took four years of foreign language and got into UVA (also no. 1 in his class and 36 ACT)

You call your kids public school guidance counselor a college counselor? Because for most people, a college counselor means a paid, private counselor.

Honestly, if you child was able to have an in depth conversation of this nature with their guidance counselor they are very lucky. A LOT of guidance counselors quit over the pandemic and school are short staffed. Kids are lucky to get 15 minutes with the counselor for college planning, and that is mostly to give out form and re-enforce important deadlines. I think class selection is 5-10 minutes and involves a pre-completed form.

Our FCPS has guidance counselors AND a college counselor.

Our public guidance counselor neglected to inform my kid that switching languages was a bad idea for college apps.

Our college counselor doesn’t see the app until it’s too late.

That’s the problem - MOST kids need to know this by sophomore or junior year when they are selecting classes fro the next year, and very few kids are even going to the school’s college counselor at that point. Heck, most kids aren’t going to Dean J’s blog sophomore year, which is when my kid had to decide whether to pursue AP Latin as a junior.

I think most kids gunning for a T20 know 4 HS foreign language credits is a good thing. But I don’t know that most kids realize UVA considers world language a core course that you need pursue through the AP level. And given the turnover in guidance counselors, I think it’s a lot to even expect them to get good advice on this topic.

I think advice on foreign language for college is pretty basic and I don’t think that’s too much to ask of them. Really basic. I pay a small fortune for a crappy house in an a great pyramid, I shouldn’t have to pay for a private counselor to prevent my kid from making such a basic mistake. My kid thought they were ok because they took “four years of language.” Then came rejections.

So I'm guessing you didn't ask your public high school college counselor this questoin? It is "pretty basic" and everyone here seems to know what the four year requirement is. Or you could call UVA. Or you could look at College Confidential or Reddit. The info is all out there. You don't need to hire a private counselor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pretty solid consensus that 4 years of language is a clear UVA preference. Follow up question - is it important for your UVA prospects that the fourth year be at the AP level or would Spanish 1 - 4 for example meet the need?

I don’t think there is a clear consensus because some people are defining four years and four years of classes in HS and others are defining it as four years of high school credits (where you could reach level IV of a language before senior year). Our school guidance counselors advise kids that 4 years of credit meats the requirement, so it’s really confusing.

Also since when did WL become a core class?

We were told by a college counselor that WL is a core subject She said the ideal is as to take all 5 core subjects all years of high school or until you exhaust the available classes.

Most families cannot afford a college counselor. Expecting kids and families to know something that goes against high school college counselor’s advice in kind of insane. Just another example of the system favoring those with means.

The PP never said the counselor was private. I read it as public high school college counselor. And we were told the same. DS took four years of foreign language and got into UVA (also no. 1 in his class and 36 ACT)

You call your kids public school guidance counselor a college counselor? Because for most people, a college counselor means a paid, private counselor.

Honestly, if you child was able to have an in depth conversation of this nature with their guidance counselor they are very lucky. A LOT of guidance counselors quit over the pandemic and school are short staffed. Kids are lucky to get 15 minutes with the counselor for college planning, and that is mostly to give out form and re-enforce important deadlines. I think class selection is 5-10 minutes and involves a pre-completed form.

Our FCPS has guidance counselors AND a college counselor.

Our public guidance counselor neglected to inform my kid that switching languages was a bad idea for college apps.

Our college counselor doesn’t see the app until it’s too late.

That’s the problem - MOST kids need to know this by sophomore or junior year when they are selecting classes fro the next year, and very few kids are even going to the school’s college counselor at that point. Heck, most kids aren’t going to Dean J’s blog sophomore year, which is when my kid had to decide whether to pursue AP Latin as a junior.

I think most kids gunning for a T20 know 4 HS foreign language credits is a good thing. But I don’t know that most kids realize UVA considers world language a core course that you need pursue through the AP level. And given the turnover in guidance counselors, I think it’s a lot to even expect them to get good advice on this topic.

I think advice on foreign language for college is pretty basic and I don’t think that’s too much to ask of them. Really basic. I pay a small fortune for a crappy house in an a great pyramid, I shouldn’t have to pay for a private counselor to prevent my kid from making such a basic mistake. My kid thought they were ok because they took “four years of language.” Then came rejections.

So I'm guessing you didn't ask your public high school college counselor this questoin? It is "pretty basic" and everyone here seems to know what the four year requirement is. Or you could call UVA. Or you could look at College Confidential or Reddit. The info is all out there. You don't need to hire a private counselor.

I see you’re eager to blame me instead of the PROFESSIONALS employed to do this exact job. Ok, silly me for not helicoptering and trusting the professionals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pretty solid consensus that 4 years of language is a clear UVA preference. Follow up question - is it important for your UVA prospects that the fourth year be at the AP level or would Spanish 1 - 4 for example meet the need?

I don’t think there is a clear consensus because some people are defining four years and four years of classes in HS and others are defining it as four years of high school credits (where you could reach level IV of a language before senior year). Our school guidance counselors advise kids that 4 years of credit meats the requirement, so it’s really confusing.

Also since when did WL become a core class?

We were told by a college counselor that WL is a core subject She said the ideal is as to take all 5 core subjects all years of high school or until you exhaust the available classes.

Most families cannot afford a college counselor. Expecting kids and families to know something that goes against high school college counselor’s advice in kind of insane. Just another example of the system favoring those with means.

The PP never said the counselor was private. I read it as public high school college counselor. And we were told the same. DS took four years of foreign language and got into UVA (also no. 1 in his class and 36 ACT)

You call your kids public school guidance counselor a college counselor? Because for most people, a college counselor means a paid, private counselor.

Honestly, if you child was able to have an in depth conversation of this nature with their guidance counselor they are very lucky. A LOT of guidance counselors quit over the pandemic and school are short staffed. Kids are lucky to get 15 minutes with the counselor for college planning, and that is mostly to give out form and re-enforce important deadlines. I think class selection is 5-10 minutes and involves a pre-completed form.

Our FCPS has guidance counselors AND a college counselor.

Our public guidance counselor neglected to inform my kid that switching languages was a bad idea for college apps.

Our college counselor doesn’t see the app until it’s too late.

That’s the problem - MOST kids need to know this by sophomore or junior year when they are selecting classes fro the next year, and very few kids are even going to the school’s college counselor at that point. Heck, most kids aren’t going to Dean J’s blog sophomore year, which is when my kid had to decide whether to pursue AP Latin as a junior.

I think most kids gunning for a T20 know 4 HS foreign language credits is a good thing. But I don’t know that most kids realize UVA considers world language a core course that you need pursue through the AP level. And given the turnover in guidance counselors, I think it’s a lot to even expect them to get good advice on this topic.

I think advice on foreign language for college is pretty basic and I don’t think that’s too much to ask of them. Really basic. I pay a small fortune for a crappy house in an a great pyramid, I shouldn’t have to pay for a private counselor to prevent my kid from making such a basic mistake. My kid thought they were ok because they took “four years of language.” Then came rejections.

So I'm guessing you didn't ask your public high school college counselor this questoin? It is "pretty basic" and everyone here seems to know what the four year requirement is. Or you could call UVA. Or you could look at College Confidential or Reddit. The info is all out there. You don't need to hire a private counselor.

Kids aren’t looking in these places if they have 4 high school credits by sophomore year and are told by their guidance counselors they can take AP XYZ instead of AP WL.

And to the PP who got three hours with a college counselor at Langley, that is a very nice perk, but I assure you that is not the norm for most large high schools. The 10-15 minutes with a guidance counselor who may be brand new is much more common.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pretty solid consensus that 4 years of language is a clear UVA preference. Follow up question - is it important for your UVA prospects that the fourth year be at the AP level or would Spanish 1 - 4 for example meet the need?

I don’t think there is a clear consensus because some people are defining four years and four years of classes in HS and others are defining it as four years of high school credits (where you could reach level IV of a language before senior year). Our school guidance counselors advise kids that 4 years of credit meats the requirement, so it’s really confusing.

Also since when did WL become a core class?

We were told by a college counselor that WL is a core subject She said the ideal is as to take all 5 core subjects all years of high school or until you exhaust the available classes.

Most families cannot afford a college counselor. Expecting kids and families to know something that goes against high school college counselor’s advice in kind of insane. Just another example of the system favoring those with means.

The PP never said the counselor was private. I read it as public high school college counselor. And we were told the same. DS took four years of foreign language and got into UVA (also no. 1 in his class and 36 ACT)

You call your kids public school guidance counselor a college counselor? Because for most people, a college counselor means a paid, private counselor.

Honestly, if you child was able to have an in depth conversation of this nature with their guidance counselor they are very lucky. A LOT of guidance counselors quit over the pandemic and school are short staffed. Kids are lucky to get 15 minutes with the counselor for college planning, and that is mostly to give out form and re-enforce important deadlines. I think class selection is 5-10 minutes and involves a pre-completed form.

Our FCPS has guidance counselors AND a college counselor.

Our public guidance counselor neglected to inform my kid that switching languages was a bad idea for college apps.

Our college counselor doesn’t see the app until it’s too late.

That’s the problem - MOST kids need to know this by sophomore or junior year when they are selecting classes fro the next year, and very few kids are even going to the school’s college counselor at that point. Heck, most kids aren’t going to Dean J’s blog sophomore year, which is when my kid had to decide whether to pursue AP Latin as a junior.

I think most kids gunning for a T20 know 4 HS foreign language credits is a good thing. But I don’t know that most kids realize UVA considers world language a core course that you need pursue through the AP level. And given the turnover in guidance counselors, I think it’s a lot to even expect them to get good advice on this topic.

I think advice on foreign language for college is pretty basic and I don’t think that’s too much to ask of them. Really basic. I pay a small fortune for a crappy house in an a great pyramid, I shouldn’t have to pay for a private counselor to prevent my kid from making such a basic mistake. My kid thought they were ok because they took “four years of language.” Then came rejections.

So I'm guessing you didn't ask your public high school college counselor this questoin? It is "pretty basic" and everyone here seems to know what the four year requirement is. Or you could call UVA. Or you could look at College Confidential or Reddit. The info is all out there. You don't need to hire a private counselor.

I see you’re eager to blame me instead of the PROFESSIONALS employed to do this exact job. Ok, silly me for not helicoptering and trusting the professionals.

But what professionals did you rely upon? It sounds like the guidance counselors. They don’t know squat about college admissions. You should have asked the college counselor at your high school or at least googled it. Even I as an out-of-it parent knew that the elite schools wanted to see four years of language back when my kid was a junior and our small private was going to stop giving a fourth year of foreign language. I sad “you can’t do that! The rising seniors have to have a fourth year of language!”. And I linked in that info from all of the schools DD was interested in where they say they want to see “most rigorous@ curriculum taken and four years (bear in mind the elite universities then have their own foreign language requirement (unless you can opt out via AP testing) on top of the high school proficiency so they are very serious about the foreign language requirement. Those graduating seniors went on to Ivies,MIT and UVA

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pretty solid consensus that 4 years of language is a clear UVA preference. Follow up question - is it important for your UVA prospects that the fourth year be at the AP level or would Spanish 1 - 4 for example meet the need?

I don’t think there is a clear consensus because some people are defining four years and four years of classes in HS and others are defining it as four years of high school credits (where you could reach level IV of a language before senior year). Our school guidance counselors advise kids that 4 years of credit meats the requirement, so it’s really confusing.

Also since when did WL become a core class?

We were told by a college counselor that WL is a core subject She said the ideal is as to take all 5 core subjects all years of high school or until you exhaust the available classes.

Most families cannot afford a college counselor. Expecting kids and families to know something that goes against high school college counselor’s advice in kind of insane. Just another example of the system favoring those with means.

The PP never said the counselor was private. I read it as public high school college counselor. And we were told the same. DS took four years of foreign language and got into UVA (also no. 1 in his class and 36 ACT)

You call your kids public school guidance counselor a college counselor? Because for most people, a college counselor means a paid, private counselor.

Honestly, if you child was able to have an in depth conversation of this nature with their guidance counselor they are very lucky. A LOT of guidance counselors quit over the pandemic and school are short staffed. Kids are lucky to get 15 minutes with the counselor for college planning, and that is mostly to give out form and re-enforce important deadlines. I think class selection is 5-10 minutes and involves a pre-completed form.

Our FCPS has guidance counselors AND a college counselor.

Our public guidance counselor neglected to inform my kid that switching languages was a bad idea for college apps.

Our college counselor doesn’t see the app until it’s too late.

That’s the problem - MOST kids need to know this by sophomore or junior year when they are selecting classes fro the next year, and very few kids are even going to the school’s college counselor at that point. Heck, most kids aren’t going to Dean J’s blog sophomore year, which is when my kid had to decide whether to pursue AP Latin as a junior.

I think most kids gunning for a T20 know 4 HS foreign language credits is a good thing. But I don’t know that most kids realize UVA considers world language a core course that you need pursue through the AP level. And given the turnover in guidance counselors, I think it’s a lot to even expect them to get good advice on this topic.

I think advice on foreign language for college is pretty basic and I don’t think that’s too much to ask of them. Really basic. I pay a small fortune for a crappy house in an a great pyramid, I shouldn’t have to pay for a private counselor to prevent my kid from making such a basic mistake. My kid thought they were ok because they took “four years of language.” Then came rejections.

So I'm guessing you didn't ask your public high school college counselor this questoin? It is "pretty basic" and everyone here seems to know what the four year requirement is. Or you could call UVA. Or you could look at College Confidential or Reddit. The info is all out there. You don't need to hire a private counselor.

Kids aren’t looking in these places if they have 4 high school credits by sophomore year and are told by their guidance counselors they can take AP XYZ instead of AP WL.

And to the PP who got three hours with a college counselor at Langley, that is a very nice perk, but I assure you that is not the norm for most large high schools. The 10-15 minutes with a guidance counselor who may be brand new is much more common.

The kids shoukd be asking these questions if the high school COLLEGE counselor, not the guidance counselor, especially if they want to attend an elite school. Princeton was very clear in its expectations when we toured and all of this info is online

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pretty solid consensus that 4 years of language is a clear UVA preference. Follow up question - is it important for your UVA prospects that the fourth year be at the AP level or would Spanish 1 - 4 for example meet the need?

I don’t think there is a clear consensus because some people are defining four years and four years of classes in HS and others are defining it as four years of high school credits (where you could reach level IV of a language before senior year). Our school guidance counselors advise kids that 4 years of credit meats the requirement, so it’s really confusing.

Also since when did WL become a core class?

We were told by a college counselor that WL is a core subject She said the ideal is as to take all 5 core subjects all years of high school or until you exhaust the available classes.

Most families cannot afford a college counselor. Expecting kids and families to know something that goes against high school college counselor’s advice in kind of insane. Just another example of the system favoring those with means.

The PP never said the counselor was private. I read it as public high school college counselor. And we were told the same. DS took four years of foreign language and got into UVA (also no. 1 in his class and 36 ACT)

You call your kids public school guidance counselor a college counselor? Because for most people, a college counselor means a paid, private counselor.

Honestly, if you child was able to have an in depth conversation of this nature with their guidance counselor they are very lucky. A LOT of guidance counselors quit over the pandemic and school are short staffed. Kids are lucky to get 15 minutes with the counselor for college planning, and that is mostly to give out form and re-enforce important deadlines. I think class selection is 5-10 minutes and involves a pre-completed form.

Our FCPS has guidance counselors AND a college counselor.

Our public guidance counselor neglected to inform my kid that switching languages was a bad idea for college apps.

Our college counselor doesn’t see the app until it’s too late.

That’s the problem - MOST kids need to know this by sophomore or junior year when they are selecting classes fro the next year, and very few kids are even going to the school’s college counselor at that point. Heck, most kids aren’t going to Dean J’s blog sophomore year, which is when my kid had to decide whether to pursue AP Latin as a junior.

I think most kids gunning for a T20 know 4 HS foreign language credits is a good thing. But I don’t know that most kids realize UVA considers world language a core course that you need pursue through the AP level. And given the turnover in guidance counselors, I think it’s a lot to even expect them to get good advice on this topic.

I think advice on foreign language for college is pretty basic and I don’t think that’s too much to ask of them. Really basic. I pay a small fortune for a crappy house in an a great pyramid, I shouldn’t have to pay for a private counselor to prevent my kid from making such a basic mistake. My kid thought they were ok because they took “four years of language.” Then came rejections.

So I'm guessing you didn't ask your public high school college counselor this questoin? It is "pretty basic" and everyone here seems to know what the four year requirement is. Or you could call UVA. Or you could look at College Confidential or Reddit. The info is all out there. You don't need to hire a private counselor.

I see you’re eager to blame me instead of the PROFESSIONALS employed to do this exact job. Ok, silly me for not helicoptering and trusting the professionals.

I just googled “UVA high school foreign language requirement “. The first entry (3 seconds max) states that four years of foreign language is “highly recommended”. . Folks, do your homework!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pretty solid consensus that 4 years of language is a clear UVA preference. Follow up question - is it important for your UVA prospects that the fourth year be at the AP level or would Spanish 1 - 4 for example meet the need?

I don’t think there is a clear consensus because some people are defining four years and four years of classes in HS and others are defining it as four years of high school credits (where you could reach level IV of a language before senior year). Our school guidance counselors advise kids that 4 years of credit meats the requirement, so it’s really confusing.

Also since when did WL become a core class?

We were told by a college counselor that WL is a core subject She said the ideal is as to take all 5 core subjects all years of high school or until you exhaust the available classes.

Most families cannot afford a college counselor. Expecting kids and families to know something that goes against high school college counselor’s advice in kind of insane. Just another example of the system favoring those with means.

The PP never said the counselor was private. I read it as public high school college counselor. And we were told the same. DS took four years of foreign language and got into UVA (also no. 1 in his class and 36 ACT)

You call your kids public school guidance counselor a college counselor? Because for most people, a college counselor means a paid, private counselor.

Honestly, if you child was able to have an in depth conversation of this nature with their guidance counselor they are very lucky. A LOT of guidance counselors quit over the pandemic and school are short staffed. Kids are lucky to get 15 minutes with the counselor for college planning, and that is mostly to give out form and re-enforce important deadlines. I think class selection is 5-10 minutes and involves a pre-completed form.

Our FCPS has guidance counselors AND a college counselor.

Our public guidance counselor neglected to inform my kid that switching languages was a bad idea for college apps.

Our college counselor doesn’t see the app until it’s too late.

That’s the problem - MOST kids need to know this by sophomore or junior year when they are selecting classes fro the next year, and very few kids are even going to the school’s college counselor at that point. Heck, most kids aren’t going to Dean J’s blog sophomore year, which is when my kid had to decide whether to pursue AP Latin as a junior.

I think most kids gunning for a T20 know 4 HS foreign language credits is a good thing. But I don’t know that most kids realize UVA considers world language a core course that you need pursue through the AP level. And given the turnover in guidance counselors, I think it’s a lot to even expect them to get good advice on this topic.

I think advice on foreign language for college is pretty basic and I don’t think that’s too much to ask of them. Really basic. I pay a small fortune for a crappy house in an a great pyramid, I shouldn’t have to pay for a private counselor to prevent my kid from making such a basic mistake. My kid thought they were ok because they took “four years of language.” Then came rejections.

So I'm guessing you didn't ask your public high school college counselor this questoin? It is "pretty basic" and everyone here seems to know what the four year requirement is. Or you could call UVA. Or you could look at College Confidential or Reddit. The info is all out there. You don't need to hire a private counselor.

Kids aren’t looking in these places if they have 4 high school credits by sophomore year and are told by their guidance counselors they can take AP XYZ instead of AP WL.

And to the PP who got three hours with a college counselor at Langley, that is a very nice perk, but I assure you that is not the norm for most large high schools. The 10-15 minutes with a guidance counselor who may be brand new is much more common.

The kids shoukd be asking these questions if the high school COLLEGE counselor, not the guidance counselor, especially if they want to attend an elite school. Princeton was very clear in its expectations when we toured and all of this info is online

What year did you tour?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pretty solid consensus that 4 years of language is a clear UVA preference. Follow up question - is it important for your UVA prospects that the fourth year be at the AP level or would Spanish 1 - 4 for example meet the need?

I don’t think there is a clear consensus because some people are defining four years and four years of classes in HS and others are defining it as four years of high school credits (where you could reach level IV of a language before senior year). Our school guidance counselors advise kids that 4 years of credit meats the requirement, so it’s really confusing.

Also since when did WL become a core class?

We were told by a college counselor that WL is a core subject She said the ideal is as to take all 5 core subjects all years of high school or until you exhaust the available classes.

Most families cannot afford a college counselor. Expecting kids and families to know something that goes against high school college counselor’s advice in kind of insane. Just another example of the system favoring those with means.

The PP never said the counselor was private. I read it as public high school college counselor. And we were told the same. DS took four years of foreign language and got into UVA (also no. 1 in his class and 36 ACT)

You call your kids public school guidance counselor a college counselor? Because for most people, a college counselor means a paid, private counselor.

Honestly, if you child was able to have an in depth conversation of this nature with their guidance counselor they are very lucky. A LOT of guidance counselors quit over the pandemic and school are short staffed. Kids are lucky to get 15 minutes with the counselor for college planning, and that is mostly to give out form and re-enforce important deadlines. I think class selection is 5-10 minutes and involves a pre-completed form.

Our FCPS has guidance counselors AND a college counselor.

Our public guidance counselor neglected to inform my kid that switching languages was a bad idea for college apps.

Our college counselor doesn’t see the app until it’s too late.

That’s the problem - MOST kids need to know this by sophomore or junior year when they are selecting classes fro the next year, and very few kids are even going to the school’s college counselor at that point. Heck, most kids aren’t going to Dean J’s blog sophomore year, which is when my kid had to decide whether to pursue AP Latin as a junior.

I think most kids gunning for a T20 know 4 HS foreign language credits is a good thing. But I don’t know that most kids realize UVA considers world language a core course that you need pursue through the AP level. And given the turnover in guidance counselors, I think it’s a lot to even expect them to get good advice on this topic.

I think advice on foreign language for college is pretty basic and I don’t think that’s too much to ask of them. Really basic. I pay a small fortune for a crappy house in an a great pyramid, I shouldn’t have to pay for a private counselor to prevent my kid from making such a basic mistake. My kid thought they were ok because they took “four years of language.” Then came rejections.

So I'm guessing you didn't ask your public high school college counselor this questoin? It is "pretty basic" and everyone here seems to know what the four year requirement is. Or you could call UVA. Or you could look at College Confidential or Reddit. The info is all out there. You don't need to hire a private counselor.

I see you’re eager to blame me instead of the PROFESSIONALS employed to do this exact job. Ok, silly me for not helicoptering and trusting the professionals.

I just googled “UVA high school foreign language requirement “. The first entry (3 seconds max) states that four years of foreign language is “highly recommended”. . Folks, do your homework!

They don’t tell the kids that it has be 4 years of the same language. And when a kid changes mid way, they should have this conversation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pretty solid consensus that 4 years of language is a clear UVA preference. Follow up question - is it important for your UVA prospects that the fourth year be at the AP level or would Spanish 1 - 4 for example meet the need?

I don’t think there is a clear consensus because some people are defining four years and four years of classes in HS and others are defining it as four years of high school credits (where you could reach level IV of a language before senior year). Our school guidance counselors advise kids that 4 years of credit meats the requirement, so it’s really confusing.

Also since when did WL become a core class?

We were told by a college counselor that WL is a core subject She said the ideal is as to take all 5 core subjects all years of high school or until you exhaust the available classes.

Most families cannot afford a college counselor. Expecting kids and families to know something that goes against high school college counselor’s advice in kind of insane. Just another example of the system favoring those with means.

The PP never said the counselor was private. I read it as public high school college counselor. And we were told the same. DS took four years of foreign language and got into UVA (also no. 1 in his class and 36 ACT)

You call your kids public school guidance counselor a college counselor? Because for most people, a college counselor means a paid, private counselor.

Honestly, if you child was able to have an in depth conversation of this nature with their guidance counselor they are very lucky. A LOT of guidance counselors quit over the pandemic and school are short staffed. Kids are lucky to get 15 minutes with the counselor for college planning, and that is mostly to give out form and re-enforce important deadlines. I think class selection is 5-10 minutes and involves a pre-completed form.

Our FCPS has guidance counselors AND a college counselor.

Our public guidance counselor neglected to inform my kid that switching languages was a bad idea for college apps.

Our college counselor doesn’t see the app until it’s too late.

That’s the problem - MOST kids need to know this by sophomore or junior year when they are selecting classes fro the next year, and very few kids are even going to the school’s college counselor at that point. Heck, most kids aren’t going to Dean J’s blog sophomore year, which is when my kid had to decide whether to pursue AP Latin as a junior.

I think most kids gunning for a T20 know 4 HS foreign language credits is a good thing. But I don’t know that most kids realize UVA considers world language a core course that you need pursue through the AP level. And given the turnover in guidance counselors, I think it’s a lot to even expect them to get good advice on this topic.

I think advice on foreign language for college is pretty basic and I don’t think that’s too much to ask of them. Really basic. I pay a small fortune for a crappy house in an a great pyramid, I shouldn’t have to pay for a private counselor to prevent my kid from making such a basic mistake. My kid thought they were ok because they took “four years of language.” Then came rejections.

So I'm guessing you didn't ask your public high school college counselor this questoin? It is "pretty basic" and everyone here seems to know what the four year requirement is. Or you could call UVA. Or you could look at College Confidential or Reddit. The info is all out there. You don't need to hire a private counselor.

Kids aren’t looking in these places if they have 4 high school credits by sophomore year and are told by their guidance counselors they can take AP XYZ instead of AP WL.

And to the PP who got three hours with a college counselor at Langley, that is a very nice perk, but I assure you that is not the norm for most large high schools. The 10-15 minutes with a guidance counselor who may be brand new is much more common.

The kids shoukd be asking these questions if the high school COLLEGE counselor, not the guidance counselor, especially if they want to attend an elite school. Princeton was very clear in its expectations when we toured and all of this info is online

They don’t meet with the COLLEGE counselor until it’s too late. I didn’t consider UVA “elite”. We moved here in high school. Princeton and equivalent were never on the list.