I took 3 years of high school Spanish, starting with Spanish 2 and taking Spanish 4 this year (junior year). Given that Spanish 1 was taken in middle school, and Spanish 2-4 is a continuation, how bad would it be if I didn’t take Spanish senior year and instead replaced it with another AP so I would be taking AB Calc, AP Physics, AP Gov, and AP Econ instead? I am looking at more selective colleges and universities (i.e. Ivy’s, U Chicago, UC’s, etc…).
Basically, you are asking “level 4 or level 5”. In that case, it is usually what is more interesting to you. Consider the context of whether you want to continue in Spanish in college (or have to for some colleges’ graduation requirements) versus how the alternative courses align with your interests (and the context of other courses that you have taken in high school, meaning avoiding deficiencies in any subject area).
That is considered four years of foreign language assuming they structured it the same way my middle school did. Does Spanish 1 from middle school count toward you high school GPA? I don’t see anything wrong with either choice, personal preference really.
the ‘graduation requirements’ aspect that ucbalum mentions will vary from school to school. if this is your goal, be sure to look at the individual schools’ requirements. Some won’t give you credit regardless of the number of classes, some base it only on AP scores, some on school testing, some will give you credit if 4 HS classes … and most treat the 4 years to include 8th grade if appropriate (this happened with D), and possibly even 7th if you did AP in 10th. But check with the school to be sure. taking AP in jr year should be enough to satisfy a school’s admissions criteria for rigor.
Hi there,
I would not assume that your course path counts as four years, as someone above stated. Unless the middle school class appears on your high school transcript, I can’t imagine your middle school class counting.
Chicago recommends three years of a foreign language. Harvard, for instance, recommends four years of a single foreign language as part of an “ideal four-year preparatory program” prior to applying. I’d check the recommendations for the colleges you wish to apply to. If some recommend four, I’d strongly consider taking that fourth year. Plus, you may be able to take the A.P. exam in the language and fulfill the foreign language requirement at certain colleges (Chicago is one), if you don’t wish to take foreign language in college. Good luck!
Here’s my take based on my son’s experience. Language 4 is the equivalent of 4 years of language, independent of whether you have take 4 years of foreign language in HS. But as another commenter said, ideally, that middle school language 1 (or 2) will show up on a transcript. Alternatively, if your school system is known to certain colleges (Ivies, UChicago, etc.), then they may well know that Language 4 satisfies their basic requirements (not everyone is a linguist). I would check with your guidance counselor. If people from your school have obtained acceptances to top level schools with only Language 4 and nothing more, then there’s your answer. From my son’s results: obtaining credit for Language 1 and 2 in middle school, and only taking Language 3 in 9th grade, and Language 4 in 10th grade, and taking no other foreign language courses did not hurt him in the slightest. For the record, we were concerned about this as well, but his GC reassured us it would not hurt him. Keep in mind this is just one opinion based on one data point.