I really want to thank everyone for the feedback and reassurance. As of right now, I came across a few options available to me , however it’s still a little too early for me to hop aboard.
I do have another question.
Let’s say that I am given the chance to take a foreign language. I would now have fulfilled the goal of taking a language at least once throughout HS. However, if I should get the chance to take a second course - should I do it?
Obviously, most would say that it depends on the college/university. But will I still have a chance with 2 years worth of a language against some of the colleges requiring 3-4 years?
I do not know of any place that has an absolute requirement for 3 or 4 years of study. Yes, they might prefer it, but that is a different thing. Provided the rest of your application is solid, fitting only 2 years of foreign language into your schedule will not be the thing that keeps you from being admitted. The real question is just exactly how good the rest of your application is.
What do you want to study in college? How much can your family afford to pay? Have you run the Net Price Calculators at the websites of the places currently on your list? Those are issues you need to sort out too.
Since you have only one year to go before high school graduation, would you be taking two high school year 1 courses?
“Two years of high school foreign language” for college admission purposes requires completion of at least the high school year 2 course (or equivalent college course; some colleges accept high enough test scores in the language as well).
Some options to get to high school year 2 (or higher) in the one year you have left:
Take an appropriate higher level course in your heritage language.
Take a year 2 course in a language closely related to your heritage language (e.g. if your heritage language is Portuguese and your school offers Spanish).
Self study a language in the summer to the point of being able to take the year 2 course.
Take foreign language courses at a local college; a year of college foreign language is commonly equivalent to two or even three years of high school foreign language.
Prove your proficiency in your heritage language with SAT subject and/or AP scores (for colleges that accept that).
I have decided on a foreign language, so I can easily add it to next year’s schedule. I also have the option of taking the second course (2nd year) of that language online (I cannot take both 1 & 2 in school, throughout the same year)
Our school languages can only be taken in order (i.e. you have to complete Spanish 1, before continuing to Spanish 2)
I’m more curious about doing my second year online. I don’t know if it will be during the school year or after graduation, and how long that will be.
Most colleges want to see all high school course work completed by high school graduation in spring, rather than some of it being in the summer after high school graduation.
With Covid, you should be able to take an online language class where online classes were not offered in the past.
You can be in and take a class at your community college at the same time you are in HS — “concurrent enrollment”.
For example, you could take level 2 at CC fall quarter, level 3 at CC winter quarter. Assuming you can take a placement teat in your heritage language that allows you to skip level 1.
You don’t have to have the class completed before submitting your application. However, I agree with another poster the summer after graduation will likely not be accepted. So it should be planned to complete before graduation.
If you dual enroll at a college you could complete up to level 3 (one in the fall, one in the winter session, and one in the spring). If a college recommends 3-4 years of foreign language and you can get those credits, why would you skip it?
What you need to do is take foreign language at a community college: if you complete two semesters in a foreign language at the CC level, it counts as ‘level3’ and you’re good for basically all colleges out there. Obviously it requires more time commitment than a HS course since you complete three levels in one year.
concurrent enrollment is also called dual enrollment, PSEO, running start, or CiS. Often the class is paid for by the HS/district but you do have to pay for the book.
it’s the fastest and surest way for you to meet that requirement.
what colleges are you targeting? what major? what state are you a resident of? what’s your GPA (w, uw)? any test scores? What AP classes have you taken so far, or are registered for?
How long does it take to complete a language like Spanish IN a Community College? Could you hypothetically work at your own pace and finish the class in like 2-3 months?
My next year’s schedule is filled up to the brim. Online, I can easily handle - but having to physically go over to a separate location after 8 hours of school and loads of homework? It’s a bit of a stretch.
If it’s an online class you don’t go to the campus. Language classes are usually in-person, however, with Covid there are more online classes.
CC classes usually follow their school calendar so it’s not self paced. There may be other self paced programs online. CC is often free to HS students.
If there are colleges you are targeting that require a foreign language, you should prioritize your schedule to fulfill the minimum requirement.
There are a number of colleges/universities offering “start anytime”, self-paced online courses. The University of North Dakota is one and offers Spanish and German (see link below). If you can afford the cost, it is one good option. You should plan to take both semesters of an elementary language course. You could even start now and complete some of the first course this summer.
How is it full to the brim with no language? There’s English, history, science and math. That’s four classes. Your next priority should be a foreign language, before any other electives.
Taking it online is fine, but you really shouldn’t have to do that.