Switching from Spanish to German

collegeboundrva
Sat, 24 Dec 2016 21:17:35 +0000

It could, but I wouldn’t worry about it.

Let me be clear — you made a mistake in not following through with Spanish. It’s become something of an expectation that students take 4 years of a foreign language, and more if they started in middle school. I would have strongly recommended against it, even if you didn’t love the language. Keep in mind that — if applying to the Ivies — you are trying to set yourself apart from students who, like you, have great grades and test scores. Anything that can put you ahead of them is an asset.

Andrea Thomas, Hamilton College’s Dean of Admission said, “While most colleges do not require four years of a language or a science for admission, dropping a discipline can be detrimental to a student’s chances of being admitted. Admission Officers are looking for students who have challenged themselves in many areas. At the most competitive colleges in the country, Admission Officers are making distinctions between thousands of overly qualified applicants. In speaking with students about senior year course selection, we encourage students to think carefully before dropping a language.”

With that being said, there are many other ways you can distinguish yourself. Hopefully, you’ve done something with the time freed up by dropping Spanish classes — harder classes, extracurriculars, better grades, etc. While a bad decision, it certainly does not mean you can’t get in to schools like Harvard, Princeton, or Stanford. Best of luck!