My high school requires 3 years of language to graduate, but I speak/read/write fluent Spanish. I took the credit exam and got all 3 credits and am currently in AP Spanish as a sophomore (I didn’t take a foreign language class freshman year). I saw a thread about colleges wanting to see foreign language study as a core class, should I try to pick up a new language next year?
Does your high school offer any Spanish beyond AP? Conversational/literature/etc.?
Is Spanish a heritage language for you (IOW is it the language you speak at home)?
There is an AP Spanish Lit exam. Another option is to take a college or grad school class in SPanish at a nearby college.
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Sadly, no
Yes
I think taking AP Spanish was then a good thing to do. Agree that if there is another higher level offered by your school, or a college, you should take that.
@MYOS1634 @Mwfan1921 your thoughts?
Are more advanced Spanish courses available to you at nearby colleges?
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I am a heritage speaker and even though my Spanish was strong in high school, I still wanted more written essay practice and more advanced Spanish literature.
My HS counselor said that the UC’s and many colleges would expect me to challenge myself and take something, other than Spanish, given my last name and I had already mastered the AP level Spanish per a test given to me by the Spanish department. I was enrolled in French. It did challenge me but I loved it! I learned a lot about the culture, the country’s history, the beautiful architecture, the developmental history of how the French was modified to make the language flow and sound beautiful.
I think you need to read the descriptions of the colleges, where you hope to apply, and see what their foreign language departments recommend.
My son, who is currently a senior and a heritage Spanish speaker, took AP Spanish in 10th and stopped there. His school college counselor said it was not necessary to continue. His school offered a Spanish film and literature class after AP but he was not interested and he decided to stop foreign language there. He has been accepted to 7 out of 9 colleges we have heard back from, deferred from 2. This includes Purdue engineering which is competitive. His counselor’s reasoning was that he is a STEM kid and he would benefit more from adding another STEM class than another language.
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Check out your state’s requirements for a High School Seal of Biliteracy. Your high school may require more years of a language than your state does. If you qualify for the HSB ask your school for an exemption. The seal will show on your transcript (or at least does in many states).
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