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Anonymous wrote:DS took Spanish in MS and hated it. He switched to Latin in HS and liked it so much that he's considering majoring in it.

She should take what she thinks will be most interesting.

Congrats to your DS! Now he can speak with the, um . . . ancient Romans? Oh, wait! He can understand the Latin Mass! That's the ticket!

Lol this wins for most ignorant DCUM comment today.

Why? What good does taking high school Latin do other than prepare you for the SAT? Who do you talk to?

Latin is great prep for lawyers; all kinds of legal terms are Latin. Ditto for medicine.

Anonymous wrote:Learn Spanish to work in customer service with low income people. There are a lot of them, so this is very "practical".

Learn Mandarin or Russian to work at a 3 letter agency.

Honestly not everyone wants to work with the poor and not everyone wants to work at a 3 letter agency, so this debate can go on forever depending on your priors.

Anonymous wrote:If kid is considering pre med or healthcare, then definitely take Spanish. In nyc and other major cities, Spanish is very useful in health care. My kid was interested in international relations so chose mandarin. It was a good fit for them, they enjoy the challenge and it helped their application narrative bc they plan to continue that path. Choose what makes sense for your kid and their interests/goals. Some premed kids take Latin bc it can help with vocabulary but Spanish is more practical from a patient care perspective.

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Anonymous wrote:Colleges don't care, but you're an idiot if you take a language that isn't Spanish.

My kids who took Russian certainly aren't idiots. Maybe you're talking about yourself?

A lot of good that’s gonna do them since Americans can’t even travel to Russia.

The UN, State Dept, and intel agencies have LOTS of job openings for people who know Russian or Mandarin. As an example, NSA only wants them to be able to listen/read and translate; NSA explicitly does not want their people to go to any high risk country. NGIC in Charlottesville and NASIC in Ohio also want those people.

Langley HS in FCPS has a full Russian language program as a first foreign language. Every year there are students who transfer to Langley HS from some other FCPS HS in order to study Russian. It can be a great move career wise. Same applies to Mandarin Chinese, which some schools in MCPS offer (e.g., Potomac’s ES in MCPS has a Mandarin Chinese immersion program that people fight and claw to get their DC into).

The State Department barely exists anymore. Spanish speakers aren’t going anywhere.

UN and the IC still have lots of openings for Russian and Mandarin linguists. I get that Spanish is useful for many. However, it is not the only valid choice. You are just trolling. Bye.

I’m not trolling in the least. I’m just supporting my view that from a practical standpoint it makes the most sense for an American high school student to study Spanish as a second language. I am not saying it is the only choice, I am saying it is far away the most practical choice. And I sometimes think that the students whose parents have their children study languages other than Spanish or doing it for classist reasons or competitive ones. And that’s sad.

But you are saying it’s the only choice, because people are giving you reasons why studying other languages can make sense and you are refusing to accept any of them.

No, I accept that parents can offer reasons for other languages -- but I think they're generally, for want of better terms, snobby or strider ones. Not practical ones. But, again, this is DCUM, so I'm not surprised.

Except most of the reasons people are giving you are not snobby or strider ones. But I get it, you have to be the most “practical.” That’s fine. And I’m sure you will force your kid into the most “practical” college and career choices and then they’ll be frustrated Trump-type voters when they’re older because other people have more than them and they don’t understand why. Because they did all of the most “practical” things.

LOL, you've made quite the stretch there.

First, the OP herself asked whether certain languages may be "more impressive" for college admissions. That's striving.

Second, many of the responses suggested that certain languages are better for training to become doctors or lawyers or working at the state department or UN. That's striving.

Third, others suggested that other languages are better for traveling to obscure places or studying the classics. That's snobby.

There is, without question, a bias among the educated elite against having their kids study Spanish over other second languages because they're snobby and don't think native Spanish speakers are worth their time. There's no doubt about it.

As for my own family, every one of my (four) kids has a masters degree and none is employed in a remotely "practical" field. And we all bleed deeply, deeply blue. That you read into my posts that I'm a Trump supporter not only says a lot about you -- it says a lot about what's wrong with the (or what I assume is our) Democratic party. Our collective heads are in the clouds and we've lost touch and we are living in a bubble.

DP. With every post, you're proving to be even less imaginative than initially thought. "Practicality" is in the eye of the beholder. If a student knows they want a job within the intelligence community or State Dept., then choosing a critical language is very practical. Knowledge of that language will help them land the job they want. How is that "striving" or "snobby"? We get that you just want to argue, but you've made no salient points. You just sound like a rube, insisting Spanish is the only "practical" language American students could possibly take.

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Anonymous wrote:Colleges don't care, but you're an idiot if you take a language that isn't Spanish.

My kids who took Russian certainly aren't idiots. Maybe you're talking about yourself?

A lot of good that’s gonna do them since Americans can’t even travel to Russia.

The UN, State Dept, and intel agencies have LOTS of job openings for people who know Russian or Mandarin. As an example, NSA only wants them to be able to listen/read and translate; NSA explicitly does not want their people to go to any high risk country. NGIC in Charlottesville and NASIC in Ohio also want those people.

Langley HS in FCPS has a full Russian language program as a first foreign language. Every year there are students who transfer to Langley HS from some other FCPS HS in order to study Russian. It can be a great move career wise. Same applies to Mandarin Chinese, which some schools in MCPS offer (e.g., Potomac’s ES in MCPS has a Mandarin Chinese immersion program that people fight and claw to get their DC into).

The State Department barely exists anymore. Spanish speakers aren’t going anywhere.

UN and the IC still have lots of openings for Russian and Mandarin linguists. I get that Spanish is useful for many. However, it is not the only valid choice. You are just trolling. Bye.

I’m not trolling in the least. I’m just supporting my view that from a practical standpoint it makes the most sense for an American high school student to study Spanish as a second language. I am not saying it is the only choice, I am saying it is far away the most practical choice. And I sometimes think that the students whose parents have their children study languages other than Spanish or doing it for classist reasons or competitive ones. And that’s sad.

What's sad is your very narrow, very myopic view of why someone should learn a foreign language. You clearly have zero imagination. The PPP listed many reasons difficult languages such as Russian and Mandarin are in demand. But that's ok. Your kids will be able to understand Dora the Explorer nicely.

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Anonymous wrote:Language for College Admissions is a different topic then which language is practical. Consensus seems to be: No it does not matter for Admissions.

Finally - I never met a person that got fluent by taking HS Language. I never met a person that got fluent by taking College Language.

I do see a lot of over confident kids that get a reality check when landing in a country of the targeted language.

The people that say Spanish was helpful - the exercise of interacting with native speakers is where you actually made progress. The HS Spanish just gave you a starting point.

Hi! I took 2 years of middle school French, 4 years of high school French, and 2 years of college French, and I am now fluent; I consumer Francophone media on a regular basis and have been able to hold sustained conversations with French speakers about relatively high-level topics, such as college majors.

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Anonymous wrote:My kid chose French in middle school and I wish she hadn’t because a teacher shortage in our area means she has to complete French 4 online. Apparently this is not uncommon. Spanish seems like the safest bet.

I wish I had better understanding of this for my child. They are a big foreign language enthusiast, but after deciding to skip French 4, AP French is only offered asynchronously online this coming year. They are really bummed about losing the chance for an interactive class.

Anonymous wrote:My kid chose French in middle school and I wish she hadn’t because a teacher shortage in our area means she has to complete French 4 online. Apparently this is not uncommon. Spanish seems like the safest bet.

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Anonymous wrote:Language for College Admissions is a different topic then which language is practical. Consensus seems to be: No it does not matter for Admissions.

Finally - I never met a person that got fluent by taking HS Language. I never met a person that got fluent by taking College Language.

I do see a lot of over confident kids that get a reality check when landing in a country of the targeted language.

The people that say Spanish was helpful - the exercise of interacting with native speakers is where you actually made progress. The HS Spanish just gave you a starting point.

Hi! I took 2 years of middle school French, 4 years of high school French, and 2 years of college French, and I am now fluent; I consumer Francophone media on a regular basis and have been able to hold sustained conversations with French speakers about relatively high-level topics, such as college majors.

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Anonymous wrote:Colleges don't care, but you're an idiot if you take a language that isn't Spanish.

My kids who took Russian certainly aren't idiots. Maybe you're talking about yourself?

A lot of good that’s gonna do them since Americans can’t even travel to Russia.

The UN, State Dept, and intel agencies have LOTS of job openings for people who know Russian or Mandarin. As an example, NSA only wants them to be able to listen/read and translate; NSA explicitly does not want their people to go to any high risk country. NGIC in Charlottesville and NASIC in Ohio also want those people.

Langley HS in FCPS has a full Russian language program as a first foreign language. Every year there are students who transfer to Langley HS from some other FCPS HS in order to study Russian. It can be a great move career wise. Same applies to Mandarin Chinese, which some schools in MCPS offer (e.g., Potomac’s ES in MCPS has a Mandarin Chinese immersion program that people fight and claw to get their DC into).

Oh, really? They do that in Potomac? You've proven my point.

You have such a chip on your shoulder about this, it’s really weird.

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Anonymous wrote:Colleges don't care, but you're an idiot if you take a language that isn't Spanish.

My kids who took Russian certainly aren't idiots. Maybe you're talking about yourself?

A lot of good that’s gonna do them since Americans can’t even travel to Russia.

The UN, State Dept, and intel agencies have LOTS of job openings for people who know Russian or Mandarin. As an example, NSA only wants them to be able to listen/read and translate; NSA explicitly does not want their people to go to any high risk country. NGIC in Charlottesville and NASIC in Ohio also want those people.

Langley HS in FCPS has a full Russian language program as a first foreign language. Every year there are students who transfer to Langley HS from some other FCPS HS in order to study Russian. It can be a great move career wise. Same applies to Mandarin Chinese, which some schools in MCPS offer (e.g., Potomac’s ES in MCPS has a Mandarin Chinese immersion program that people fight and claw to get their DC into).

In our Middle School traditionally kids are transfers to Langley “to study Russian” when they don’t get into TJ. 25 years living here and I’ve only known kids to use Russian as the excuse not to have to go to Chantilly, Westfield, or South Lakes.

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Anonymous wrote:Colleges don't care, but you're an idiot if you take a language that isn't Spanish.

My kids who took Russian certainly aren't idiots. Maybe you're talking about yourself?

A lot of good that’s gonna do them since Americans can’t even travel to Russia.

The UN, State Dept, and intel agencies have LOTS of job openings for people who know Russian or Mandarin. As an example, NSA only wants them to be able to listen/read and translate; NSA explicitly does not want their people to go to any high risk country. NGIC in Charlottesville and NASIC in Ohio also want those people.

Langley HS in FCPS has a full Russian language program as a first foreign language. Every year there are students who transfer to Langley HS from some other FCPS HS in order to study Russian. It can be a great move career wise. Same applies to Mandarin Chinese, which some schools in MCPS offer (e.g., Potomac’s ES in MCPS has a Mandarin Chinese immersion program that people fight and claw to get their DC into).

The State Department barely exists anymore. Spanish speakers aren’t going anywhere.

UN and the IC still have lots of openings for Russian and Mandarin linguists. I get that Spanish is useful for many. However, it is not the only valid choice. You are just trolling. Bye.

I’m not trolling in the least. I’m just supporting my view that from a practical standpoint it makes the most sense for an American high school student to study Spanish as a second language. I am not saying it is the only choice, I am saying it is far away the most practical choice. And I sometimes think that the students whose parents have their children study languages other than Spanish or doing it for classist reasons or competitive ones. And that’s sad.

But you are saying it’s the only choice, because people are giving you reasons why studying other languages can make sense and you are refusing to accept any of them.

No, I accept that parents can offer reasons for other languages -- but I think they're generally, for want of better terms, snobby or strider ones. Not practical ones. But, again, this is DCUM, so I'm not surprised.

Except most of the reasons people are giving you are not snobby or strider ones. But I get it, you have to be the most “practical.” That’s fine. And I’m sure you will force your kid into the most “practical” college and career choices and then they’ll be frustrated Trump-type voters when they’re older because other people have more than them and they don’t understand why. Because they did all of the most “practical” things.

LOL, you've made quite the stretch there.

First, the OP herself asked whether certain languages may be "more impressive" for college admissions. That's striving.

Second, many of the responses suggested that certain languages are better for training to become doctors or lawyers or working at the state department or UN. That's striving.

Third, others suggested that other languages are better for traveling to obscure places or studying the classics. That's snobby.

There is, without question, a bias among the educated elite against having their kids study Spanish over other second languages because they're snobby and don't think native Spanish speakers are worth their time. There's no doubt about it.

As for my own family, every one of my (four) kids has a masters degree and none is employed in a remotely "practical" field. And we all bleed deeply, deeply blue. That you read into my posts that I'm a Trump supporter not only says a lot about you -- it says a lot about what's wrong with the (or what I assume is our) Democratic party. Our collective heads are in the clouds and we've lost touch and we are living in a bubble.

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Anonymous wrote:Colleges don't care, but you're an idiot if you take a language that isn't Spanish.

My kids who took Russian certainly aren't idiots. Maybe you're talking about yourself?

A lot of good that’s gonna do them since Americans can’t even travel to Russia.

The UN, State Dept, and intel agencies have LOTS of job openings for people who know Russian or Mandarin. As an example, NSA only wants them to be able to listen/read and translate; NSA explicitly does not want their people to go to any high risk country. NGIC in Charlottesville and NASIC in Ohio also want those people.

Langley HS in FCPS has a full Russian language program as a first foreign language. Every year there are students who transfer to Langley HS from some other FCPS HS in order to study Russian. It can be a great move career wise. Same applies to Mandarin Chinese, which some schools in MCPS offer (e.g., Potomac’s ES in MCPS has a Mandarin Chinese immersion program that people fight and claw to get their DC into).

The State Department barely exists anymore. Spanish speakers aren’t going anywhere.

UN and the IC still have lots of openings for Russian and Mandarin linguists. I get that Spanish is useful for many. However, it is not the only valid choice. You are just trolling. Bye.

I’m not trolling in the least. I’m just supporting my view that from a practical standpoint it makes the most sense for an American high school student to study Spanish as a second language. I am not saying it is the only choice, I am saying it is far away the most practical choice. And I sometimes think that the students whose parents have their children study languages other than Spanish or doing it for classist reasons or competitive ones. And that’s sad.