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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]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?[/quote]

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?  [/quote]

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.

[/quote]

M[b]ost families cannot afford a college counselor. Expe[/b]cting 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. [/quote]

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)[/quote]

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. [/quote]

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.
[/quote]

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.  [/quote]

[b]
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. [/quote][/b]

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.[/quote]

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. [/quote]

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 [/quote]

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.  [/quote]

You  or your student calls or emails the college counselor.  They will respond to any student. Or google. Or post your question here. Or call the admissions office if the school your child is interested in. I don’t know how you didn’t know UVA was elite. isn’t UCLA? Berkeley? Michigan?  Stop blaming others[/quote]

PP, are you purposefully obtuse?  The point is most kids do not have this on their radar to ask when they very, very briefly plan out classes sophomore (or junior) year and are simultaneously told by a guidance counselor that their schedule is fine. Stop blaming 15-16 year old kids for not knowing better at that point.

My kid chose a language in 6th grade and it was a hard, less popular language. She got to level IV by 10th grade (4 HS credits on her HS transcript) and  
decided not to pursue AP in 11th because she hated doing the language by the end of 9th grade and figured she could start over on college. Her guidance counselor said that was fine if replaced by an equally rigorous class, which she did. She has 15 AP credit total, and a couple DE credits. Are you telling me she is to blame for not accepting her [b]guidance counselor’s[/b] advice in 10th and should have instead know to go the college counselor (or even crazier, the college itself)?

Moreover, the notion that a kid has to pick a language that young and stick to it at all costs is ridiculous. That alone is a reason why WL should not be considered a core class. [/quote]

Guidance counselors don't know squat. She should have visited the college counselor or emailed them.  Or you should have.  Or googled it.  It's very clear on college websites if they expect four years.[/quote]

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