<p>How effective is starting a foreign language in college? As in, is there still hope of becoming almost fluent (and what kinds of factors can affect that), or would I be doomed to just knowing to conjugate verbs?</p>
<p>You can definitely learn a foreign language in college. Take 4 semesters and then go on a trip to the country of your language over the summer, or take a semester of classes there.</p>
<p>plenty of students learn another language in college, in particular those not offered in their high school, such as Chinese or Japanese, or Tibetan or Sanskrit, but also more common languages. College language classes go much faster than high school classes and definitely cover more ground.</p>
<p>I started German in college, did not get particularly good grades, but did become fluent after spending my junior year abroad.</p>
<p>It is definitely possible if you are determined to learn the language – if you go abroad, live with native speakers and spend minimal time with English speakers.</p>
<p>It’s well worth doing. I studied french all through grade, middle and high school and then started Spanish in college. I was reading novels in Spanish and could converse relatively well. Ended up minoring in it. If I’d been more ambitious I SHOULD have done junior year abroad but I was having too much fun on campus, oh well. Go for it.</p>
<p>My brother began learning Chinese in college. He spent 6 months in Beijing studying abroad during his junior year and completely immersed himself in the language, culture, etc. By the time he finished college, he was completely fluent in Chinese. He is currently a diplomat with the foreign service and has served two posts in Beijing and also one in Moscow (he spent one year in DC in intensive language training to learn Russian, and became fluent during that time). It takes a certain level of commitment to become fluent in a foreign language at that age, but it most certainly can be done. Best of luck! :)</p>
<p>~berurah</p>
<p>Mine began Italian in college and is now fluent (just home from a year in Italy). But all college programs are not the same. In my d’s, they required (in the abroad year) that all papers be written in Italian, all classes be in Italian, and students were forbidden from speaking anything but Italian as part of the program. (She lived with a family who speak no English.)</p>
<p>D started learning Latin in college. She did well with it, although she never had the chance to take a trip back to ancient Rome to polish up her conversational Latin.</p>
<p>start your frosh year and find a college with a good foreign study abroad program – homestay, such as mini’s daughter experienced.</p>
<p>My daughter has taken four semesters of Chinese in college, starting from no previous knowledge. The classes were very intense, with many more class hours than most college classes. She is spending the summer in Taiwan taking Chinese language classes. She got there two weeks ago, but the classes did not start until this week. She is being hosted by Taiwanese friends of a friend of mine, and spent the last two weeks exploring Taipei and socializing with Taiwanese people. We are happy to hear that she is able to speak and understand well enough to get around the city and converse with her hosts and others, although I am sure her Chinese sounds rough to them. She will be spending the fall semester abroad in Beijing, and, similar to what Mini described for his daughter’s program, will be in a program there where speaking English is forbidden.</p>
<p>Coureur - I’m guessing your D’s lack of practice probably means she’s not very good with the conversational part. :)</p>
<p>My S2 took Latin in HS, and took German in college. His school only offers 2 years of German, so he can’t go any further, but he can practice with his sister and brother, who are both fluent. Next year (senior year), he will take French instead. Living overseas has made all my kids love learning languages. My D is spending her summer trying to get herself further in Ancient Greek. Hopes to have room in her college schedule to at least sample several languages.</p>
<p>I started German in college. Spent a month in Germany at a Goethe Institute after the first year. Then took one semester more of German. My German was pretty good at that point though not 100% fluent. Several years later I went to Germany with my husband. Took a 3 month course at a Goethe Institute and then went job hunting. I was pretty fluent at that point though as a non-native in a new situtation there was plenty of vocabulary to get up to speed on. (I spent the first week in the office learning words like template, blueprint, masking tape, drafting, parallel rule etc.!) </p>
<p>I am by the way, naturally very ungifted at languages. I have to work very, very hard. I did terribly in high school at French, but after spending a year in France getting fluent I found that some gene for language learning had been switched on. Or at least sort of switched on. I learned Italian while I was in Germany as well, but totally failed to learn Chinese.</p>
<p>I’m studying Chinese at university, I’d never done it at high school or anything. I spent 4 months in Beijing last year and I’m heading to Taipei this summer. I’d say it’s definitely possible, although classes move much faster than my high school French classes did and you do have to work to keep up. Definitely much more fun than high school French as well though!</p>