<p>2 years of mandarin doesn’t sound like all that much of a language in & of itself. For my S, he much preferred to have as solid a background in math & physics as possible before starting college engineering. He did repeat all the math & science when he started EE, but was very comfortable as nearly everyone else in his classes had also taken all the AP physics offered by their respective HSs.
There are many ways a student can show breadth, especially in college course selection & ECs.</p>
<p>I know I already referenced this point in my very short post, but Himom’s “2 years of Mandarin doesn’t sound like all that much of a language in & of itself” inspired me to track down my mother and get her opinion on how useful 2 years of Chinese would be. My mother teaches Chinese at a prestigious, top-tier college that, it feels, most CC denizens apply to. She was understandably reluctant to offer any sort of a final opinion - how far two years carries you really varies from student to student, textbook to textbook, class to class (although I would think that a Chinese class that has just begun might be less settled down in terms of quality than a long-established Chinese class, just from personal experience). Last year, they had one 2-years-of-learning kid who placed in a surprising level 4, where newspapers and excerpts from novels and short stories are read daily, while many more 4-years-of-learning were asked to begin again completely from scratch. But in the end she conceded that two years of learning “would probably start from the beginning,” which sounds about right. Nothing unexpected, but I thought I’d provide this little conversation in case any other thread lurkers are taking Chinese and interested. Your college may have less challenging Chinese programs; this Chinese department is known for being exacting.</p>
<p>I guess I just wanted to give some (redundant?) back-up to my opinion that two years of Chinese at the typical high school level is essentially dabbling and will not help much, although I also concede that it’s very good to demonstrate a range of passions!</p>
<p>Just want to point out that going for a prep class for college is OK but be aware that it does not guarantee knowing more or doing better or demonstrating desire. </p>
<p>The thread started by, menloparkmom, Is it any wonder that some Chinese students try to get into US Colleges? is reflected in the US student’s parents and their kid’s desire to take the most rigorous classes to get into a “good school” ??</p>
<p>The point of 4 years of foreign language is not necessarily to achieve a certain proficiency level, but to demonstrate an ability to learn in the subject. Just like kids are suppose to have 4 years of English, Math, and Science when applying to competitive colleges. The 4 years of science can be any combination of biology, physics, chemistry, etc. One year of High School biology, physics, or chemistry is as useful (or useless) as 2 years of mandarin.</p>
<p>If a kid has a good reason to switch foreign languages, then ending up with 2 years of Latin and 2 years of Mandarin will be fine for the college. The point is: It is better to meet the 4 year requirement than to have 3 years and punt because you don’t think the 4th year will have “benefits”. At a minimum, it might let him place into 3rd semester Mandarin in college if the college has a foreign language requirement.</p>
<p>I would rather explain in my application: I couldn’t take AP physics because it conflicted with my 4th year of foreign language.</p>
<p>The alternative is: I hope you don’t mind that I don’t have the 4 years of foreign language you like to see in candidates. I preferred to take AP Physics. It is a yellow flag, and could easily be interpreted as an excuse to skip taking another year of foreign language.</p>
<p>Operadad, not really. Exceptions do not prove the rule. Here is what Harvard says:</p>
<p>
[Harvard</a> College Admissions § Applying: Preparing for College](<a href=“http://www.admissions.college.harvard.edu/apply/preparing/index.html]Harvard”>http://www.admissions.college.harvard.edu/apply/preparing/index.html)</p>
<p>I would just like to point out that S is not looking at Harvard or any top n (where n is very small) engineering schools. </p>
<p>We do agree with Harvard that there is value in “the study of languages not commonly taught in American secondary schools.”</p>
<p>He does already have Latin 4.</p>
<p>If he has Latin 4, then he’s set for languages. But I still think that he needs to demonstrate interest in his intended major. And usually, it’s by taking the highest course offered in that subject.</p>