UVA and 4 years of foreign language
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Anonymous
Wait until they find out about gen eds or the core. Telling them they can take whatever they want is setting them up for disappointment. |
Anonymous
I agree. I have heard Dean J say several times they want highest rigor in all courses because you don’t really know what their major will be at this age. Need to show depth. |
Anonymous
Very good point. 80% of all College students change their major at least once. My UVA kid entered as an aerospace engineering major and switched to College of Arts & Sciences second year (PPL) their second and is now in a T3 law school. |
Anonymous
Of course they are. |
Anonymous
I asked Dean J about AP CS - she said that isn't core; according to her it's an elective. They want highest rigor in core. She looked hesitant when I hinted at compensating: APUSH with AP CS(and higher) with a lot more AP Sciences. This is for a STEM major. You have to choose where to put your time right? I don't agree with DeanJ but you wanna play ball - her rules. |
Anonymous
Very good point. 80% of all College students change their major at least once. My UVA kid entered as an aerospace engineering major and switched to College of Arts & Sciences second year (PPL) their second and is now in a T3 law school. T3= tier 3 
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Anonymous
They clearly aren’t “rules” though. I’m the pp who knows at least 5 UVA admits/attendees from one HS in just 3 years that didn’t follow said “rules.” They are guidelines. Not rules. Anxious people can jump through all the hoops they want to. But a strong enough candidate can clearly make an argument that they qualify without some of these “rules.” Now, maybe if you are applying TO or don’t have good junior year AP scores or don’t have strong leadership or don’t have outstanding LORs, the “rules” are more important. I don’t know. |
Anonymous
It’s not just Dean J. All of the very top schools want to see maximum rigor in core subjects and that includes foreign language. If you intend to apply to an Ivy or top SLAC, this is what you do. Remember the top schools then have their own foreign language requirement for their own undergraduates. They are dead serious about raising citizens of the world who will have to increasingly deal in world affairs in multiple languages.. |
Anonymous
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This is wild that this thread is dragging on.
Fact: UVA says that it would like to see max rigor Fact: UVA has said many times (both on website and through Dean J) that they would like to see four years of a foreign language Fact: If you go to UVA in A&S, by the time you graduate you will have to show language competency either through an upper level class, AP credit or testing Probably a fact: You can get in with fewer than four years of foreign language (some anonymous person knows at least five people's course load somehow from one HS). Unknown how much this hurts your application and if other things are needed to overcome a lack of language proficiency. If you want to put yourself in the best position for UVA (and a lot of other schools), just take four years of language. It's not that hard. If you didn't take four years, you can still apply and you might get in. |
Anonymous
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Stop saying “4 years of language” when you mean “language in senior year.”
Many stop after junior year with 5 years of HS credit. I’m the “5 ppl” poster and it’s common at our HS to stop before senior year. And yes, my child knows many people from her sport and/or choir who are now at UVA who didn’t take language senior year. How does she know? She asked. |
Anonymous
I feel like people who are saying “4 years of a foreign language” mean exactly what they say. Not whatever you are imagining they mean. |
Anonymous
+1, yes to all of the above. The intense competition among NOVA families to achieve a perceived (to them) entitlement, e.g. a slot at the state public flagship, which is frequently denied due to said intense competition leads to posters on this site spouting off truisms about UVA. The "rule" about 4 years of a single foreign language is a best practice, but not a necessity. Our own FCPS DC had 2 years of a foreign language in MS, 2 years in HS and stopped. This was the equivalent of 3 years of that foreign language. DC then took up another foreign language for 2 years. So, not 4 years of a single foreign language, and definitely not AP level. DC was accepted EA into CAS, and is now taking a third foreign language to satisfy the language requirement. DC's not happy about that, but likes the class and the teacher. I agree with other posters who emphasize the rigor of the core subjects. DC took AP US History, AP World History, AP Government, AP Calculus AB, and perhaps importantly for DC's candidacy, IMHO, AP Lang. DC did not take APs in science except Environmental Science. DC did not have all As in those subjects, and in fact had Bs in most of them. But DC took the classes, demonstrating rigor. In our little example, Bs in AP courses > As in honors courses. FYI, we are not hooked in any way, and in fact are Asian (the "anti-hook"). This worked for our DC. Will it work for your DC? Perhaps, perhaps not. But I post our own one-person example to show that the process is not rigid; it definitely can get arbitrary. Good luck! |
Anonymous
Well then that’s not “highest rigor” which at many schools would be 6 years of foreign language. So it can’t be both. |
Anonymous
+1. Here’s a CollegeVine breakdown- e.g. 4 years required for Princeton; 4 years recommended for a Harvard application, etc. CV’s overall recommendation is to go with 4 years if you think you may apply to any of these top schools. https://blog.collegevine.com/foreign-language-requirements-for-college-admissions#:~:text=Most%20colleges%20want%20to%20see,have%20foreign%20language%20requirements%2C%20too. |
Anonymous
Why are you acting like UVA is an outlier in not considering it a core subject? Like one UVA AO made up a rule when it’s common knowledge? |