I was talking to someone to day who told me that Upenn actually did away with undergraduate Russian for awhile and recently introduced it again which astonished me for an Ivy that used to have one of the best foreign language programs in the country.
I am concerned about the level of foreign language instruction on campuses. Which schools are doing a great job? Where can you actually learn to read, write and speak somewhat fluently by the end of a year?
Also which schools still require a hefty foreign language commitment from all students?
Most US college foreign language courses are paced so that it takes four to eight semesters (depending on difficulty of learning the language for those who know English) for a beginner to reach the level of proficiency needed to take courses in that language that are not exclusively focused on language skills, such as courses in literature. Obviously, a student who has some knowledge of the language going in may start in a course more advanced than the beginner course.
Note that high school foreign language courses are typically slower paced. A common approximation is that one year in high school is like one semester in college, but high schools and colleges do vary enough that a student with high school foreign language would typically have to take a placement test or similar before enrolling in a college foreign language course. The same may apply to students with heritage speaker knowledge.
I agree with @ucbalumnus that the easiest way to learn a language quickly is to study full time to learn the language.
Depending upon what you are trying to accomplish, one option is to take an immersion course either over the summer, or in a semester that you take off from your âregularâ schooling.
712,240 Spanish
175,667 French
107,060 ASL
80,594 German
68,810 Japanese
56,743 Italian
53,069 Chinese
31,554 Arabic
24,866 Latin
20,353 Russian
13,936 Korean
13,264 Ancient Greek
9827 Portuguese
9587 Biblical Hebrew
5521 Modern Hebrew
Language enrollment shifts from 2006-2016
+95.0% Korean
+34.3% ASL
+31.4% Arabic
+5.20% Japanese
+3.28% Chinese
-4.68% Portuguese
-13.4% Spanish
-14.4% German
-14.7% French
-22.7% Latin
-23.9% Russian
-27.4% Italian
-32.2% Biblical Hebrew
-41.9% Ancient Greek
-42.6% Modern Hebrew
Iâve often recommended the Critical Language Scholarship to college students seeking to improve their language skills. CLS offers fully funded language immersion programs abroad through the US State Department.
You mentioned in another thread that you are having trouble getting your kid to study a foreign language. No college is going to fix that. Some people just donât have a knack for it or see the value. Starting kids very young is by far the easiest way. I wouldnât pick a college based on it.
Now⊠some colleges strongly prefer kids to have studied a foreign language in HS. So she may find it a challenge to get into some of the colleges being discussed on the other thread without doing it. Some colleges will require proficiency in a foreign language to graduate â but college language can be grueling compared to HS classes. Far better to attain the proficiency in a HS setting. But most colleges are pretty good at teaching the languages they do offer.
I know you think your kid needs the unorthodox path she is on. But it is a pretty precarious one from your description. A more standard HS experience would give her a more well rounded, solid basis for college and eventually graduate work, and improve her chances of a career related to her interests. One of my kids was a âsquare pegâ â we found ways to make regular HS work for her, though, and supplanted her interests outside of schools and in the summers. She is now a physics PhD student. Maybe there are more HS options in your area to explore.
For intensive learning, Middlebury. Summer language study is immersive, required
a pledge, selective.
If you want âlearn by doingâ, Concordia Language Village over the summer.
Closer to you, thereâs Penn State Intensive summer program - covers 3 years of HS study in a few weeks. (very intense).
I know Cornellâs foreign language courses (majors) are very intense. D2 was very advanced in Spanish (fluent in speaking, high level in reading and writing). She was going to minor in Spanish, but found the courses to be very challenging and time consuming. It seems to be the case for Chinese, and other languages, as well.
Foreign Language at a âgoodâ college is hardcore. Seriously. Starting from scratch or having AP requires a lot of time, talent, and dedication. You need to be willing to sound stupid in front of 12, 18, 24, 30 people, day in, day out. And no matter the college, foreign language classes are small, meaning you canât hide. It also means you learn effectively - in two years you cover more than HS in 5 years. My hatâs off for all these kids starting a foreign language in college, 4-5hours a week, 2-3hours of HW per class period, and being able to attend college in another country their junior year.
I was really just looking for information on which schools are still A) strong in foreign language instruction and B) still require a foreign language from students. Thank you for the information about Cornell and Penn State. .
Just a note of correction. Penn eliminated the Russian Ph.D. program long ago, but AFAIK, never eliminated Russian courses. They certainly offered them when I applied a few years ago. Since Penn has one of the widest assortment of language offerings in the country, I doubt that there was a time in our lifetimes when Russian was not amongst them. But Iâll be happy to stand corrected.
As for the question âWhere can you actually learn to read, write and speak somewhat fluently by the end of a year?â Iâd agree with @ucbalumnus and others. Either abroad or in an immersion program in the US. Nobody will become âfluentâ in 5 hours/week
Define âhefty.â Many college (way too many to list) require foreign language to graduate, although typically only to the 2nd or 4th semester, which is still far from fluent.
Many colleges still require a foreign language or a minimum proficiency. This is true even at STEM focused colleges. We were fortunate that my daughter placed out of her Spanish requirement because her school accepted her dual credit course from SLU and her national Spanish exams scores (she never got to the AP level because of scheduling conflicts in her school and didnât take the subject test). At most schools on her list, she would have had to take a placement test or continued on with the language in college.
Also agree with the above posters that fluency is not possible in a year of study in college unless you go abroad.
OP - Are you part of a homeschool parent group with access to GCs? Seems like you could use more/better guidance for your child. Regardless of major, there are certain core subjects that every college is going to want to see. Foreign language is one of them, 3-4 years worth.
I think many schools require foreign languages if doing international studies.
A relative majored in Chinese at Emory (she started it at high school though) and received a Chinese government scholarship to do a masterâs in Chinese literature at a major Chinese university, so she was certainly fluent to be awarded that.
Being immersed for learning a foreign language is very importantâŠbecause you HAVE to learn and use the language.
Sample of one. My DD took Spanish for a long time starting in 3rd grade. Letâs just sayâŠshe learned more Spanish use working from 9-12 every Saturday morning in college with a coworker who spoke only Spanish to her.
If you really want to learn a foreign language and arenât picky about which one (because for this you canât pick where you want to go) join the Peace Corps. Part of their in country training is learning the language of the countryâŠin less than two months. The Peace Corps really has it down. Of course, it helps that you will then be living where that language is used!
My same kid who learned very little Spanish in 10 years or so of classes learned a very hard language which she is fluent in (KinyarwandaâŠitâs like Swahili without the clicks).
Georgetown has a focus on languages. It used to have a school just for languages - School of Languages and Linguistics - but that school has now merged into the College. Both the School of Foreign Service and the College require students pass language proficiency. For the College - âAll students in the College must demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language (ancient or modern) through the intermediate level.â For SFS - âTo satisfy this proficiency requirement, a student must demonstrate the ability to exchange ideas in conversation on contemporary issues involving international affairs in a modern language other than English.â There is both a written and oral exam for proficiency for SFS. If you go to Georgetownâs website (for SFS) it offers several ways to achieve/pass proficiency including summer immersion as well as approved semester study abroad immersion experiences where all classes are taught in the local (foreign) language. Clearly you need some knowledge of the language in order to do that - but once there, that ability is solidified and it is hard not to become fluent in that environment. Hope that helps.
@momofsenior1 : âWe were fortunate that my daughter placed out of her Spanish requirement because her school accepted her dual credit course from SLU and her national Spanish exams scoresâŠâ
I never thought to consider this as a possibility.