2 years of language in one year?

[Hunter's Moon]

Background: Took Italian for 2 years and received poor instruction. Tried continuing on by myself but can't afford the curricula and there aren't many resources where I live.

 

My library is full of Spanish resources. I live in a Hispanic community, so I would also have more practice than with Italian. I found the whole Pimsleur program at my library for Spanish, not Italian.

 

For colleges, would you try to squeeze in two Spanish credits in one year with Pimsleur plus supplements, or would you just not do language at all and hope colleges find me challenging enough? Would you do one year in 12th? Wouldn't that look strange, though?

 

Thanks.

[J-rap]

I think it is entirely possible to cover two-years' worth of language studies in one year, if you are willing to work at it. Two of our older daughters attended a charter school for one year in high school, and it was on the block system, like in college. They completed all typical one-year high school courses in half year. (This included foreign language.)

 

If you chose to continue taking a foreign language once in college, you would probably have to pass a proficiency test, and that would determine your real level.

[Riverland]

I also think you can cover two years in one. That is consistent with taking a year of community college equaling one year of high school. Just be sure that you devote enough time to studying Spanish.

 

No, it would not look weird to take Spanish your senior year

[K-FL]

The easiest way to do this would be to take 2 semesters @ cc. No questions on the curriculum or methods. Plus if you have to have a for. lang. to graduate from the U, you may have that totally covered if your classes matriculate.

 

For example: My niece had 4 yrs of hs Spanish. Easily qualified to be admitted to college, BUT she is required to have either a semester or year (I can't remember) of language @ college level to graduate w/her Bachelors in Biology. Her time would have been better spent taking one of those hs years taking the cc class.

[katilac]

Were your two years of Italian high school years? Because I certainly do think it's possible to do 2 years of high school Spanish in one year, but it may or may not be needed, or the best use of your time.

 

Are you angling for a program where showing an interest in languages is important? If not, I don't think taking the two credits of Spanish is going to add a great deal to your transcript, certainly not in the same way that taking four years of the same language would. You need to check with the schools you are interested in, of course, but most schools that require more than two years of language are going to require that it be the same language, so 2 of Italian and 2 of Spanish is no more helpful than just 2 of Italian, kwim?

 

Unless you are attempting to show an interest in languages, I would probably be inclined to put my efforts elsewhere, adding to a strength rather than shoring up a weakness (because the weakness is not in a core area). Many, many students do poorly in high school language classes, and most "start over" in college (that is, they take Spanish 1 even if they took Spanish in high school).

[Hunter's Moon]

Were your two years of Italian high school years? Because I certainly do think it's possible to do 2 years of high school Spanish in one year, but it may or may not be needed, or the best use of your time.

 

Are you angling for a program where showing an interest in languages is important? If not, I don't think taking the two credits of Spanish is going to add a great deal to your transcript, certainly not in the same way that taking four years of the same language would. You need to check with the schools you are interested in, of course, but most schools that require more than two years of language are going to require that it be the same language, so 2 of Italian and 2 of Spanish is no more helpful than just 2 of Italian, kwim?

 

Unless you are attempting to show an interest in languages, I would probably be inclined to put my efforts elsewhere, adding to a strength rather than shoring up a weakness (because the weakness is not in a core area). Many, many students do poorly in high school language classes, and most "start over" in college (that is, they take Spanish 1 even if they took Spanish in high school).

 

Yes, it was high school level.

 

If I continue on with my plan to be an Early Education teacher, I will have to major in Liberal Studies, so I'm sure they will look at my languages.

 

I would like to continue with Spanish in college, as Spanish is more useful in my area (sorry Italian lovers! It is a beautiful language, though!)

 

The colleges I am looking at recommend either 4 years of one language, or 2 years of 2 different languages. I'm sure they like to see 4 years of one over 2 years of two, but it is what it is right now.

[Lori D.]

Check out your state board of education and/or community colleges and universities to see what is allowed, but here our dual enrollment in Spanish counts not only as both high school AND college credit, but also, a semester course counts as a year's worth of high school class:

 

1 semester (4-unit) Spanish class at Community College = 1 year of high school Spanish class

 

The information may be:

- in the state board of education's list of information having to do with high school students taking college classes

- or in the state board of education's dual enrollment information

- or in the community college's policies re: high school students

- or on the community college's dual enrollment form

- or in the university's admissions policies

 

BEST of luck! Hope that works out for you! Warmest regards, Lori D.

[Hunter's Moon]

Check out your state board of education and/or community colleges and universities to see what is allowed, but here our dual enrollment in Spanish counts not only as both high school AND college credit, but also, a semester course counts as a year's worth of high school class:

 

1 semester (4-unit) Spanish class at Community College = 1 year of high school Spanish class

 

The information may be:

- in the state board of education's list of information having to do with high school students taking college classes

- or in the state board of education's dual enrollment information

- or in the community college's policies re: high school students

- or on the community college's dual enrollment form

- or in the university's admissions policies

 

BEST of luck! Hope that works out for you! Warmest regards, Lori D.

 

The CC I attend for my dual enrollment classes allows Massachusetts high school Seniors to take ONE free class per semester. After this semester, I will only have Spring semester left.

 

My plan: Do the complete Pimsleur program (at my library :D), add in some grammar, reading, comprehension etc. workbooks that I can also find at my library and online worksheets, converse (my best friends' (twins) mother is fluent and they are both relearning (they understand it perfectly)) and then sit for the placement test for the Spring semester. If I place into 3rd semester, great! If I only place into 1st or 2nd, I'll be a bit bummed because then I couldn't have Spanish I and II on my transcript, just whatever level I completed at home and then at the college, but it is what it is.

 

The CC also uses Latin American Spanish, so no problems there, though I doubt the few differences in pronunciations would be too hard if it was not Latin American Spanish. I know different regions within Latin America also have pronunciation issues, so it's all good :tongue_smilie:

 

I am mainly around Puerto Rican Spanish, which if I am correct is a bit more "slang" than the rest of Latin America, but I could be wrong. My best friends' mother kind of mixes Puerto Rican and Dominican and she has no trouble speaking with her Hondurian (is that the right word?) ex-husband.