Colleges accepting Latin as Foreign Langauge requirement

[Connections]

I was surprised to see some online sources indicating that colleges no longer (no references were made as to when or why a change was made) are accepting Latin for their foreign language high school requirements.

 

I know you all will have the answer.

 

(If this has been addressed before, I apologize. I cannot seem to search with the new format. My searches never turn up any posts!)

 

Thanks,

[Barbara H]

There are two considerations. 1. will it be accepted for admissions 2. will it be accepted to meet the college foreign language requirement.

 

The vast majority of schools will accept Latin for meeting the high school language requirement. Four years of Latin, especially including AP, can be helpful in admissions. People think of kids who study Latin as being intellectual and also colleges that have classics departments are eager to attract students who may take those classes. The second question is trickier. Some colleges want a modern language particularly for certain majors. If your student is interested in service academies I would pay special attention to those requirements.

[Kimm in WA]

I have one son in his 2nd year of college and two seniors, so college applications are pretty recent in my life. Ü

 

Our experience has bee that no, Latin does not meet the foreign language requirement for admissions. It has to be 2 years of a "modern language" like Spanish, German, Japanese, French, etc...some schools even accept ASL now as foreign language (check with the schools your kiddos are interested in).

 

What's funny is that my kiddos had 2 yrs. Latin and 2 yrs. Spanish. While Spanish met the admissions requirement, they listed foreign language as 4 yrs. for overall info. on the application. It seems funny that it doesn't meet the admissions requirement but it "counts" for foreign language totals for high school courses.

 

The best course of action would be to check with colleges to where your children aspire to apply, well before the high school years.

 

Kimm

[snowbeltmom]

I was surprised to see some online sources indicating that colleges no longer (no references were made as to when or why a change was made) are accepting Latin for their foreign language high school requirements.

 

 

 

I asked this question a couple of years ago on a different list when the topic was brought up there. With the exception of the service academies, no one was able to provide me with the name of a college that will not accept Latin for their high school foreign language requirement.

 

My boys have zero talent or interest in studying a foreign language. The only language that they will have on their high school transcripts is Latin. All the potential colleges on their lists will accept Latin.

[snowbeltmom]

I

Our experience has bee that no, Latin does not meet the foreign language requirement for admissions. It has to be 2 years of a "modern language" like Spanish, German, Japanese, French, etc...some schools even accept ASL now as foreign language (check with the schools your kiddos are interested in).

 

 

Kimm

 

What colleges did you encounter that would not accept Latin for admissions? :bigear:

[Kareni]

My daughter was accepted to eight colleges all of which happily accepted her five years of Latin studies (plus a year of Ancient Greek and a dabbling of Japanese). Admittedly, she was applying as a Classics major so all of these colleges had Classics Departments ....

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Kimm in WA]

I don't recall specifically because I didn't pay that much attention since they each had 2 years of Spanish also. Sorry, my memory isn't THAT good. Ü

[Gwen in VA]

Our experience has bee that no, Latin does not meet the foreign language requirement for admissions. It has to be 2 years of a "modern language" like Spanish, German, Japanese, French, etc...

 

I too would love to know exactly which colleges don't accept Latin as meeting the foreign language requirement for admissions.

 

Kimm -- what schools were your kids looking at?

 

My kids have all successfully applied to a WIDE range of colleges, and not one blinked about their Latin (or Greek).

 

Other than the Academies, I have never heard of a college that did not accept Latin (or Greek) as meeting the foreign language requirement for admissions.

[Luckymama]

DS was accepted by all his schools (variety of research universities and small universities) with three years of Latin in high school.

[snowbeltmom]

I too would love to know exactly which colleges don't accept Latin as meeting the foreign language requirement for admissions.

 

Kimm -- what schools were your kids looking at?

 

 

 

Kimm, if it is not too much trouble, could you provide a list of the schools your kids were considering? I'll do the research to see which schools from your list don't accept Latin.

 

I have a rising 9th grader who only has a vague idea of where he is applying, and I would not be surprised if his list of colleges changes from the short list he has now. I had planned on him starting Latin in 9th grade. It would be helpful to get an idea of the schools that don't accept Latin to see if I should alter my upcoming plans for him.

[dirty ethel rackham]

I have one in college and a junior who is now looking. Every one of the schools we had considered accepted Latin for their high school language requirement. Almost all of them accepted Latin as the language requirement for college graduation. I think there was only one school that insisted on a modern language. In our experience, ASL is much less likely to be accepted than Latin.

[RootAnn]

Not that I'm expecting anyone to care about my alma mater, but The University of Nebraska - Lincoln will accept Latin. However, homeschoolers have to be prepared to explain how they learned the "verbal component" of the language. For some majors, you can still get in with no foreign language at all. UNL used to be a stickler that your foreign language be learned in a "classroom environment." It looks like they are starting to relax that requirement. (They still require a "lab component" for one of your high school science courses. Getting together with your friends to do Apologia's labs doesn't count, even if you have a certified teacher supervising. :glare: )

[shanvan]

Getting together with your friends to do Apologia's labs doesn't count, even if you have a certified teacher supervising. :glare: )

 

What on earth do they consider acceptable?

[In The Great White North]

(They still require a "lab component" for one of your high school science courses. Getting together with your friends to do Apologia's labs doesn't count, even if you have a certified teacher supervising. :glare: )

 

I'm guessing they don't want all that many homeschoolers?

[RootAnn]

What on earth do they consider acceptable?

 

CC classes and opting into a local high school for their lab class are the only ones I'm aware of right now. (Yeah, not very homeschool friendly.) I don't know any homeschooler who has tried in the last three years to get in, so I'm not sure what the current ( < 3 yrs) rules are.

 

I'm glad they are relaxing the "classroom (spoken)" component of the foreign language requirement. Speaking the language around the house with siblings/parents is apparently enough now. :laugh:

[FaithManor]

Dd applied to and was accepted at 12 uni's. All of them accepted Latin for her high school requirement and all of them accepted her abilities as meeting their graduation requirement. Now, let me preface this by saying DD was going into science - specifically, chemistry with a future eventually in either med school or nursing, and she also attained paramedic licensing..she's now a level two and on her way to level three. Latin was HUGELY helpful to her since most medical terminology as well as general scientific vocabulary have their roots in Latin and Greek. She never studied Greek, but we did put her through all of the levels of Classical Roots in addition to 2.5 years of Henle Latin and so frankly, memorizing anatomy terms, pharmaceuticals, etc. was a breeze for her compared to her classmates.

 

Now, maybe if she had been declaring an intended major outside of STEM, there could have been an issue. I will never know. All of my kids have declared an intention to major in STEM related fields and all of the uni's they are looking at have indicated Latin is fine with them. We do add on two - three years of modern foreign language to go with it. However, we've been specifically told it was unnecessary and that Latin would hold on its own.

 

20 years ago, this may not have been the case. I attribute the generally positive reaction to the study of Latin to the rise in classical homeschooling since the mid-90's (Waving Hi to SWB whose books have had a hand in that for certain) and the number of classical preparatory schools that have popped up. We have three such academies here in Michigan and their college acceptance rates are quite handsome. All of their students are studying Latin for several years at some point K-12. Add to that schools such as Highlands in Louisville whose reputation is enormous and some of the top 2000 high schools in the U.S. who have dared to go out on a limb and offer languages outside the "norm", and colleges are seeing more diversity in language study than ever before IF they are getting applications from a wider reach than say, the school next door - mine being the pathetic one that only offers now two years of Spanish with a teacher - or two years of French online with almost no conversational component whatsoever...a story for another day.

 

I do advise, however, that one do some digging. Most people end up shocked to find out that getting into college does not equal getting into one's desired major. Many departments have additional requirements for entrance beyond the minimum requirements to get admitted to the institution. So if one wanted to study X, it's entirely possible that Latin might not count and one would be required to take two-four semesters of a different language before seeking admission to the department which could delay graduation. It's best to do your research now while you have time to change the path if that is deemed necessary.

 

For what it's worth, all of my kids will have two or three years of Henle Latin and then non-standard languages after that. Eldest - Ancient Egyptian and Greek due to his interest in archaeology which he will pursue as a double major with his computer software engineering degree. Middle boy - Icelandic with high hopes he'll be able to read and translate the Icelandic Sagas by graduation, and if he can squeeze in the time, intends on pursuing at least one year of Danish due to paternal family lineage. Youngest - Hebrew...out and out Hebrew. Not Arabic, not Yiddish....Hebrew. This one is going to challenge me the most in terms of finding resources and curriculum of high enough calibur to award full credit. But then, my youngest has always been the one that has stretched me the most as a parent/teacher. If it weren't Hebrew, it would be Swahili, or some obscure Polynesian language from Papua New Guinea or something. I think he loves to bend my brain! Honestly, I do not see any of these languages as being a barrier to college admissions nor their intended science majors. If anything, they have something unique to discuss during college visits and interviews. Standing out, being remembered for uniqueness, can be a very good thing if the college is at all selective.

 

Faith

[FaithManor]

I have one in college and a junior who is now looking. Every one of the schools we had considered accepted Latin for their high school language requirement. Almost all of them accepted Latin as the language requirement for college graduation. I think there was only one school that insisted on a modern language. In our experience, ASL is much less likely to be accepted than Latin.

 

 

This was our experience as well. ASL was not accepted. However, as a medic, DD could get a HUGE pay raise if she were fluent in it and many of the hospitals will give sign-on bonuses to individuals who can translate for a hearing impaired patient. So, it can be a big advantage at hiring time, just not so much for college admissions.

 

Faith

[Lawana]

 

What colleges did you encounter that would not accept Latin for admissions? :bigear:

Georgia Tech is one that requires a modern spoken language for admission.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

 

Georgia Tech is one that requires a modern spoken language for admission.

 

Did you have their admissions tell you this recently. Their admissions requirements mention 2 years of the same language with an emphasis on speaking listening reading and writing following state university guidelines http://www.usg.edu/student_affairs/documents/Staying_on_Course.pdf

But I didn't see a specific reference to ancient languages. ASL is specifically acceptable even though it doesn't have reading and writing afaik.

 

Not disputing if you have better info. Just like to read how the colleges lay it out.

 

Eta. I did find GTs homeschool guidance. http://www.admission.gatech.edu/homeschool

[snowbeltmom]

Not disputing if you have better info. Just like to read how the colleges lay it out.

 

 

:iagree:

 

I am not disputing the info either, but I can find nothing on GT's website that states that Latin is not acceptable. While I doubt that GT would end up on any of my kids' lists, what concerns me is that other schools may have the same policy as GT, but I would not know if from reading their websites either.

 

I would have thought that GT would have accepted Latin for the simple fact that some of the public schools in GA offer Latin as a foreign language requirement.

 

Being the guidance counselor is a daunting task at times. :svengo:

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I found a great summary of high school gradution requirements listed by state for world languages. This is from the National Council of State Supervisors for Foreign Languages

 

While this list is for graduation requirements, the comments include a lot of reference to state university systems.

 

For Georgia:

 

 

Beginning in 2012, Georgia high school students are no longer required to fulfill a World Languages requirement for graduation. Rather, the requirement has been re-titled CTAE/ Modern Language/ Latin/ Fine Arts, and students can choose to fulfill the three credit requirement from courses in these broader fields. Currently, the Georgia Board of Regents continues to support World Languages study by requiring two units of credit in the same Modern Language or Latin for students planning to enter or transfer into a University System of Georgia institution. The Georgia Department of Technical and Adult Education, including the Technical College System of Georgia, do not require a modern language/Latin for admission.

 

[bolding added.]

 

The linked summary is from 2010, but includes several changes scheduled to go into effect after that date. I'll keep looking for a more recent summary.

 

BTW, I think "World Languages" refers to modern, spoken languages. Thus Latin or ASL being specified in some cases. ETA: Having said that, the use of World Languages may not always preclude Latin. Maryland's entry says world languages, but it looks like University of Maryland doesn't distinguish between modern and ancient languages.

[snowbeltmom]

 

BTW, I think "World Languages" refers to modern, spoken languages. Thus Latin or ASL being specified in some cases. ETA: Having said that, the use of World Languages may not always preclude Latin. Maryland's entry says world languages, but it looks like University of Maryland doesn't distinguish between modern and ancient languages.

 

I have also seen other colleges that state that a "World Language" must be studied, but then provide examples of "world languages" and Latin and ancient Greek have always been included on the lists that I have seen.

[Barbara H]

I am not disputing the info either, but I can find nothing on GT's website that states that Latin is not acceptable. While I doubt that GT would end up on any of my kids' lists, what concerns me is that other schools may have the same policy as GT, but I would not know if from reading their websites either.

 

I would have thought that GT would have accepted Latin for the simple fact that some of the public schools in GA offer Latin as a foreign language requirement.

 

Being the guidance counselor is a daunting task at times. :svengo:

 

Just for what it is worth though, I'm a counselor and one of my students who was accepted to Georgia Tech this year was an out of state applicant, with two years of Latin (9th and 10th grade) as his only foreign language on his transcript. GT says they do "holistic evaluations" meaning they really look at everything they receive and piece together a full picture of the applicant. I encourage families not to write off a schools without investigating. Also, as a parent of a classics major I have to say please don't write off Latin. Many of our homeschool kids have found some great opportunities and scholarships as a result of having a strong background in classics.

 

And, just in case I'm in any way unclear... Georgia Tech is super competitive. If your kids are thinking about competitive admissions they would be well advised to look at four years of core subjects including foreign language. I would just be wary of dismissing a college as a possibility over some individual technical requirement your student has not met. If your student is exceptional or strong in other ways, schools that evaluate holistically may still work.

[FaithManor]

I have also seen other colleges that state that a "World Language" must be studied, but then provide examples of "world languages" and Latin and ancient Greek have always been included on the lists that I have seen.

 

Hmmm... I wonder if this is in response to some rather "out there" things I've heard of. When we lived in Oregon there were groups of trekies who were really into speaking "Klingon"...apparently some writer came up with an actual Klingon language. Several kids wanted this to count for their foreign language requirement. Still others were into Tolkein's Elvish language and studied it with abandon. I suppose one could potentially see some strange cases of "not spoken in the real world" languages popping up.

 

The other thing that comes to mind is that maybe they are looking at it from a dialects perspective. There are Indonesian islands in which hundreds of dialects of related languages, plus tribal languages only spoken by very small groups of people, in which the language hasn't yet developed very far - several of these languages have as few as 3000 words and virtually no numbering system. I've known missionary kids who were fluent in such languages and ones for which the written element was still in development so one could not "read or write" much of anything in the language. Maybe a list of approved world languages is in reaction to something like that where any kind of academically, verifiable element is non-existent.

 

Personally, if I were a college admit person who came across the application of a kids that spoke "x" from Papua New Guinea, a tribal language so remote that only a couple of hundred people speak it, I'd be pretty impressed even without the academic element and would flag them as a "student of interest". However, I could see the point of not awarding academic credit for it.

 

Faith

[Sebastian (a lady)]

 

 

Personally, if I were a college admit person who came across the application of a kids that spoke "x" from Papua New Guinea, a tribal language so remote that only a couple of hundred people speak it, I'd be pretty impressed even without the academic element and would flag them as a "student of interest". However, I could see the point of not awarding academic credit for it.

 

Faith

 

Which of course is part of the juggling we have to do. What makes a student interesting vs meets minimums for admissions vs credit for college level or college graduation.

[arborite]

I was admitted to Harvard College with three years of HS Latin and three years of HS Spanish.

 

My Spanish was too weak to pass Harvard's undergraduate language requirement but my Latin did the trick! To this day, I am conversationally fluent in nothing, but I can order dinner and ask for directions in any Latin country.