Arizona State?

[8filltheheart]

Does anyone have a student at ASU? We are running out of options to look at for our 11th grade dd and it is looking like ASU might be one of 2 schools that might work.

 

We just got home from a tour that went OK. The fit wasn't perfect bc dd is entering at such a high level of both Russian and French profiency and is beyond a lot of their students, but we left thinking she might be able to make it work. Then yesterday she got an email from one of the professors we met with (dd sat in on one for her classes) and she told dd what she really needs to look for in a dept and a list of schools to look into. (At least she is being 100% honest that their dept is really not a good match.)

 

Bc ASU has the obnoxious lab report hurdle, it is not a school I though we would ever, ever consider. But it is the only school on any list that at this point we can afford (and that is only if she does end up being a NMS, which at this point we think she whould be, but obviously no guarantees.)

 

Anyone have some encouraging words about ASU? I am ready to start crying bc we have visited just about every school we can afford and not one of them can really meet her language levels.

 

ASU is also an incredibly long way from here. I can't afford to pay for a visit unless we can really make it work as a viable option. :(

[Granny_Weatherwax]

I have no experience with ASU but I want to give you some hugs. :grouphug:

 

[8filltheheart]

Thanks. I am frustrated, but I am sure glad we started looking this past fall. If I weren't in the midst of it, I am sure it is actually funny. We toured 2 colleges in the fall where the Russian dept's were incredibly obnoxious. Both dept's told dd that she would have to start at their 101 level bc they didn't let students place out of their introductory classes. Seriously. One dept head held up a stack of dry erase board markers and told dd that she expected her students to be able to discuss the color of their clothes in Russian. (After we left, I told dd she was way too polite bc I would have been making comments about the color of her clothes in Russian on our way out if I were her! Yes, it was just that bad! :p)

 

Then we go to this school which actually offers some 500 level courses (though usually only 1 student in the class) and this prof tells her she is too advanced for their program to meet her needs! At least this perspective is accurate and I am glad to know in March of Jr yr than later. But it has definitely been a roller coaster ride.

 

I just found out the Missouri offers good merit aid. That might be another school we can look into, though I know nothing about their dept.

[Granny_Weatherwax]

Is she fluent in Russian?  If so, maybe she should think about majoring in something else.

 

[8filltheheart]

Is she fluent in Russian?  If so, maybe she should think about majoring in something else.

 

Fluent?  No.  She will just be entering 4 yrs of Russian. Most students enter with 0.

[MysteryJen]

Hugs, 8. We looked at ASU and Missouri for dd1. I can't help with the academics, but know a few things about the schools.

ASU is huge. Think shuttle services needed for classes and it gets really, really hot. By end of May, it is like an oven. This was a serious problem for dd1 as she was going to be there year-round. The price is right, though.

Missouri (never got far in discussions...dd1 didn't click with the coach) is also big. They are very generous with granting in state residency. Basically, live and work there over a summer and you can apply for instate rates. Several girls we know are headed to swim there, PM me if you want me to talk to the moms or dd1 to talk to the girls. I should be seeing them next week at a meet.

[Crimson Wife]

Has she considered studying in France? If she can get accepted, the cost looks pretty reasonable even taking into consideration transportation: http://www.studyineurope.eu/study-in-france/tuition-fees

[8filltheheart]

Thanks. Hot dd can deal with. We live in the South. The farthest north dd has ever lived is Richmond, VA. (I think study abroad in Russia is going to be a major shock to her system! ;) )

 

I am going to have dd contact both depts. I do wonder about ASU, though. I found one common data set that listed only 26 homeschooling applicants and 16 attending. With a university that large, obviously homeschoolers are not flocking there. The lab hurdle is obnoxious. But I wonder if there is more that I haven't noticed.

[8filltheheart]

Has she considered studying in France? If she can get accepted, the cost looks pretty reasonable even taking into consideration transportation: http://www.studyineurope.eu/study-in-france/tuition-fees

No, she hasn't. I will mention it to her, but I am not sure what her reaction will be. At the last university we toured, she was told she could study abroad for 2 full yrs on her scholarship money. One complete yr in France and o e complete yr in Russia. I thought that would be a positive for her, but she surprised me bc her response was, "Do I really want to attend a school where 50% of my time is not at that school?"

 

I don't know if that is her real reaction or if it is her, "I am tired of this entire process" reaction. It has been incredibly frustrating, and I know in the back of her mind the thought of just how sick she was last yr is always hovering. Every time she has any symptoms that indicate she might be going into a flare, I can sense her underlying fear. I think at this point she is honestly just scared of being that far away from home if she got sick.

[Crimson Wife]

 

 I know in the back of her mind the thought of just how sick she was last yr is always hovering. Every time she has any symptoms that indicate she might be going into a flare, I can sense her underlying fear. I think at this point she is honestly just scared of being that far away from home if she got sick.

 

That totally makes sense. Getting sick in a foreign country (even a 1st world one like France) where family could not easily travel to help out is a legitimate concern. I was an au pair for a summer in rural France and got a dental crown knocked loose. Even though that was a relatively minor issue, it was not fun to try & figure out how to deal with it on my own in a place where my French language skills were on the basic side and so were the English language skills of the villagers.

[EKS]

Have you looked at University of Wisconson-Madison? It appears to be similar to ASU tuition wise and supposedly it has some strong foreign language programs.

[8filltheheart]

Have you looked at University of Wisconson-Madison? It appears to be similar to ASU tuition wise and supposedly it has some strong foreign language programs.

Madison would be awesome bc they are home to the Russian language flagship, but they are stingy with merit aid and their OOS tuition is high, whereas ASU offers good NMS scholarships.

[SilverMoon]

LOTS of valley homeschoolers are going there, and they're very welcoming of homeschoolers during open houses and such. They provide a worksheet to fill out for science. It's not terrible, just annoying. If you did the science at home just fill out the stupid form, making sure to say official equipment names like beakers and such instead of kitchen gadgets, and perhaps photocopy the cover and copyright page of the textbook.

[8filltheheart]

LOTS of valley homeschoolers are going there, and they're very welcoming of homeschoolers during open houses and such. They provide a worksheet to fill out for science. It's not terrible, just annoying. If you did the science at home just fill out the stupid form, making sure to say official equipment names like beakers and such instead of kitchen gadgets, and perhaps photocopy the cover and copyright page of the textbook.

Thank you!! That is reassuring!

[anne1456]

Wisconsin just announced they are going to offer more merit aid to attract more students:

 

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/12/18/university-wisconsin-ups-its-merit-aid-effort-better-compete-peers

 

I don't know how much more aid, but it is worth checking out.

[8filltheheart]

Wisconsin just announced they are going to offer more merit aid to attract more students:

 

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/12/18/university-wisconsin-ups-its-merit-aid-effort-better-compete-peers

 

I don't know how much more aid, but it is worth checking out.

 

I called Madison about that article.  They said that the article said "might" not "will."  Nothing has been finalized and they don't know if they will be actually increasing scholarships or not.  

[clementine]

I don't know where you live, but have you looked at the University of Minnesota?

[raptor_dad]

I don't know where you live, but have you looked at the University of Minnesota?

 

My take on UMN... they are very enthusiastic to recruit NMF kids and have a dedicated admissions counselor to cut through the red tape but don't really have that much money... the top scholarship they prefer NMF kids for is Gold Star which is 10k/year which is pretty light compare to ASU or UA etc. So you still have high out of pocket expenses... especially since there is an ongoing plan to jack up OOS tuition to more typical Big10 levels... think Michigan or Wisconsin OOS tuition levels rather than the current more moderate rates.

[Crimson Wife]

Madison would be awesome bc they are home to the Russian language flagship, but they are stingy with merit aid and their OOS tuition is high, whereas ASU offers good NMS scholarships.

 

Would she qualify for any DoD scholarships for linguists? I want to say that Russian is one of their high-need languages. Or would her health issues preclude that?

[8filltheheart]

I don't know where you live, but have you looked at the University of Minnesota?

  

My take on UMN... they are very enthusiastic to recruit NMF kids and have a dedicated admissions counselor to cut through the red tape but don't really have that much money... the top scholarship they prefer NMF kids for is Gold Star which is 10k/year which is pretty light compare to ASU or UA etc. So you still have high out of pocket expenses... especially since there is an ongoing plan to jack up OOS tuition to more typical Big10 levels... think Michigan or Wisconsin OOS tuition levels rather than the current more moderate rates.

Thank you both for the info.

[8filltheheart]

Would she qualify for any DoD scholarships for linguists? I want to say that Russian is one of their high-need languages. Or would her health issues preclude that?

The only scholarships we have been able to find are for study abroad, not actual UG costs.

 

I have no idea why the 4 universities that have the Russian flagships were chosen, bc they are not accessible to students w/o big budgets. If the language is "critical", you'd think they'd want students to be able to attend those programs.

[Lori D.]

Don't know if University of Arizona (in Tucson) is a possibility, but they have the only graduate program in Russian in the Rocky Mt. area, which suggests that they would have a decent undergrad program as well. Tucson also has a surprisingly high number of Russian-speakers in the community, as it is a common "landing site" for Russian-speaking immigrants.

 

Don't know what the current undergrad program is like, but a DF of mine got her Bachelor's in Russian from UA back in the '80s and went to live/work in what was then the USSR, and did well with the language. She was focused on language/culture/literature rather than linguistics.)

 

Downside is that UA tends to have a low amount of merit aid to hand out, and has high out-of-state costs. I believe they do offer NM scholarships, however.

 

The UA does not have a special lab form for homeschoolers to fill out. UA and ASU are big state schools and don't go out of their way to court homeschoolers, but neither do they make it extremely difficult or unwelcoming. Campus life -- it's easy to get lost at the UA campus.

 

 

What about a Canadian school? Might be cheaper… McGill university in Montreal has a Russian and Slavic Studies program, and Carleton University in Ottawa has a Russian program

 

Indiana University in Bloomington, and University of Kansas in Lawrence, have post-bachelor programs in Russian -- might they have affordable undergrad programs?

 

 

:grouphug:  BEST of luck in finding something that fits and is financially feasible! Warmest regards, Lori D.

[8filltheheart]

Thanks, Lori. Our budget is really, really small. Room and board is our limit. She has to find something with at least a full tuition award. McGill is too expensive. We looked at a different program in Ottawa where all international fees are waived if you take your courses in French (which dd wanted to do), but her Russian tutor said the Russian program was too weak.

 

I'll have her look into UA. (That would be too funny. Ds attends another UA. ) She spent most of today reading ASU's website and sent a request for more info. It doesn't sound like the lab requirement is as bad as I anticipated.

[chiguirre]

I think you may need to look into other majors and just perfect the language through study abroad. What does your dd see herself doing after college?

[Upward Journey]

Thanks. Hot dd can deal with. We live in the South. The farthest north dd has ever lived is Richmond, VA. (I think study abroad in Russia is going to be a major shock to her system! ;) )

 

I am going to have dd contact both depts. I do wonder about ASU, though. I found one common data set that listed only 26 homeschooling applicants and 16 attending. With a university that large, obviously homeschoolers are not flocking there. The lab hurdle is obnoxious. But I wonder if there is more that I haven't noticed.

 

I'm thinking that the statistic is deceptive.  Many homeschooled kids in AZ also finish high school with an AA, so they end up being transfer students.

[Lawyer&Mom]

I was a German major. Here is how language departments/majors work: 1) Spend two years learning the language. 2) Spend one year abroad. Hope your students take full advantage of the breadth of courses offered at the host institution. 3) Try to offer enough advanced classes to somehow fill a fourth year. For smaller departments this fourth year can be a problem. One solution is offering literature classes taught in English to fill seats with non-majors. Another is independent research, honors thesis etc. Another is letting advanced undergrads take graduate classes. With four years of Russian already under her belt, your daughter will hit the 4th year problem early. ASU doesn't have a Russian graduate program. How much independent study/literature taught in English is your daughter willing to do? If I was her I would at least consider the two full years of study abroad school. It might be more satisfying than two plus years of studying Russian by herself. ASU has more French offerings, but she could run out of things to take in that department as well. They expect you to fill two years with elementary language classes.

 

Are there any languages she wants to start from scratch? She can double major in French/Russian, but maybe pick up Latin? Minor in linguistics?

[8filltheheart]

I think you may need to look into other majors and just perfect the language through study abroad. What does your dd see herself doing after college?

While study abroad is great for language acquisition, it isn't enough for her objectives. She wants to achieve a high level of proficiency and even with studying abroad and entering with 4 yrs of language, she has been told most programs can't get her there. (She was originally told her equally high goals were unrealistic for French until she gave them one of her essays she recently wrote. Her French is at a pretty high level already. They acquiesced and told her it might be possible. She is very determined.

 

Right now she is contemplating being an analyst. She is possibly considering adding Econ as a minor or maybe international business, but those are out on the periphery. Her main focus is on the languages themselves. She is only a Jr, so she has time to sort it all out.

[mommytobees]

I attend ASU and I have several thoughts that you may or may not like.

 

First, does she have any interest in going military? There are lots and lots of opportunities through the Dept of Defense, but she has to WANT that.

 

Second...ASU....

 

One, while the school is trying hard to change this, it IS a party school. I've known plenty of people outside the Barrett Honors College living in dorms who have a horrible freshmen year because of their dorm. It sucks. So, is she a Barrett student? Barrett students have their own dorm and it's in the old campus buildings in the heart of the school.

 

Two, I would have to say that about 1/3-1/2 of the school are "serious students". Drinking, partying, and generally "stupid college" behavior is the norm on Tempe campus. Socially, how is she going to do with that. Again, Barrett is more serious than not.

 

Three, you do know that ASU has a placement option for the languages. I just went looking for the link...and can't find it. I know a fellow ugTA of mine who did that with Japanese. She tested out of 1 & 2 and placed straight into 3 due to written, not verbal. I'll ask her how she did it. If I forget to come back here and/or you can't find it, send me a message. 

 

 

Honestly, if this were my kid....... I'd be expanding the search. Have her take both the SAT and the ACT and see if she can sit the Army language school test. Look overseas with these results. 

 

Good luck and feel free to message me....esp if I forget to come back to this thread!

Kris

[8filltheheart]

I was a German major. Here is how language departments/majors work: 1) Spend two years learning the language. 2) Spend one year abroad. Hope your students take full advantage of the breadth of courses offered at the host institution. 3) Try to offer enough advanced classes to somehow fill a fourth year. For smaller departments this fourth year can be a problem. One solution is offering literature classes taught in English to fill seats with non-majors. Another is independent research, honors thesis etc. Another is letting advanced undergrads take graduate classes. With four years of Russian already under her belt, your daughter will hit the 4th year problem early. ASU doesn't have a Russian graduate program. How much independent study/literature taught in English is your daughter willing to do? If I was her I would at least consider the two full years of study abroad school. It might be more satisfying than two plus years of studying Russian by herself. ASU has more French offerings, but she could run out of things to take in that department as well. They expect you to fill two years with elementary language classes.

 

Are there any languages she wants to start from scratch? She can double major in French/Russian, but maybe pick up Latin? Minor in linguistics?

That pretty much sums up her problem. She had told a French prof that her goal was superior and was originally told that was unrealistic. We asked if she was willing to read an essay bc we have no way of beginning to classify her level. When she finished reading it she said, "This is good. This is really good." She told dd that she had never seen a freshman with that level of ability and that some of their srs are not at that level and that superior might be a feasible objective.

 

Her Russian is definitely not even close to that level, but it is still good. (She was awarded best non-heritage speaker at the Russian Olympiada.) Finding a program that will at least even work with her on her level has been a problem. The last school said they would offer her 500 level classes even if she was the only one in them. But it is far from ideal. At least ASU has the critical language institute, so that should help.

 

She has already completed 4 yrs of Latin. I am not sure she wants to go that direction. We are getting ready to start a linguistics course to see if that is an interest.

 

We have been on more college visits than all of our other kids combined. I'm tired of looking. :(

[Arch at Home]

If Missouri is still an option from a Russian point of view, I definitely would look at it as at least a fall back. Columbia is a nice college town. We definitely have winter but not to the extent of Minnesota or Canada. Missouri has had racial issues this year so they are predicting a significant drop in enrollment for next. I am not sure how that will translate in the future but it could mean more financial aid.

 

In addition, with the possibility of being national merit, you might consider applying a decent fall back and then look at private schools that meet her needs with good sized endowments for stretches. Some people on this board have been successful getting great financial aid packages this way.

 

Best of luck,

 

Sarah

[8filltheheart]

I attend ASU and I have several thoughts that you may or may not like.

 

First, does she have any interest in going military? There are lots and lots of opportunities through the Dept of Defense, but she has to WANT that.

 

Second...ASU....

 

One, while the school is trying hard to change this, it IS a party school. I've known plenty of people outside the Barrett Honors College living in dorms who have a horrible freshmen year because of their dorm. It sucks. So, is she a Barrett student? Barrett students have their own dorm and it's in the old campus buildings in the heart of the school.

 

Two, I would have to say that about 1/3-1/2 of the school are "serious students". Drinking, partying, and generally "stupid college" behavior is the norm on Tempe campus. Socially, how is she going to do with that. Again, Barrett is more serious than not.

 

Three, you do know that ASU has a placement option for the languages. I just went looking for the link...and can't find it. I know a fellow ugTA of mine who did that with Japanese. She tested out of 1 & 2 and placed straight into 3 due to written, not verbal. I'll ask her how she did it. If I forget to come back here and/or you can't find it, send me a message.

 

 

Honestly, if this were my kid....... I'd be expanding the search. Have her take both the SAT and the ACT and see if she can sit the Army language school test. Look overseas with these results.

 

Good luck and feel free to message me....esp if I forget to come back to this thread!

Kris

Analyst, currently yes. Military, definitely not. (Her health issues would exclude her anyway.

 

She would probably be in Barrett's. She can only attend ASU if she is a NMS and Barrett's seems to give preference to them. She is a100% non-partier. She would fit in on BYU's campus if she were Mormon!

 

The problem is that we have pretty much exhausted all of the high merit $$ schools. Missouri is all that is really left. FSU does grant some students in-state tuition. We are planning a visit there this summer. Other than that, almost every other school is simply way, way, way out of our price range bc even extremely generous need-based schools expect us to pay way more than we can.

[8filltheheart]

If Missouri is still an option from a Russian point of view, I definitely would look at it as at least a fall back. Columbia is a nice college town. We definitely have winter but not to the extent of Minnesota or Canada. Missouri has had racial issues this year so they are predicting a significant drop in enrollment for next. I am not sure how that will translate in the future but it could mean more financial aid.

 

In addition, with the possibility of being national merit, you might consider applying a decent fall back and then look at private schools that meet her needs with good sized endowments for stretches. Some people on this board have been successful getting great financial aid packages this way.

 

Best of luck,

 

Sarah

We are checking Missouri out. Their website is difficult to understand, so we need to hear back from them to decipher everything. I really don't understand their graduate French level offerings.

 

Non-merit aid schools are not an option. She has to attend on scholarship $$, even if it means significantly poor fit.

Edited March 23, 2016 by 8FillTheHeart

[chiguirre]

The best way to be truly fluent in another language is to go live in a country where you're forced to speak it and write it 24/7. I really learned to speak Spanish when I did an MBA in Venezuela. Perhaps her best option is to go and study in Russia? She could certainly earn some cash giving English conversation classes, possibly enough to make it affordable for you. If nothing else, she could always go for a year as an au pair to perfect the language and get a feel for the feasibility of studying there.

 

ETA: If she does have to go to a poor fit school, have her major in something fairly marketable and then try for a job overseas. It might get her where she wants to go the long way round.

Edited March 23, 2016 by chiguirre

[8filltheheart]

The best way to be truly fluent in another language is to go live in a country where you're forced to speak it and write it 24/7. I really learned to speak Spanish when I did an MBA in Venezuela. Perhaps her best option is to go and study in Russia? She could certainly earn some cash giving English conversation classes, possibly enough to make it affordable for you. If nothing else, she could always go for a year as an au pair to perfect the language and get a feel for the feasibility of studying there.

 

ETA: If she does have to go to a poor fit school, have her major in something fairly marketable and then try for a job overseas. It might get her where she wants to go the long way round.

She does have the opportunity to study abroad for 2 yrs, but at this point that isn't something she wants. That might change after moving out and being on her own for a yr.

[Lawyer&Mom]

She's done Latin? Okay. Next is Sanskrit.

 

I'm not kidding. A serious Russian/French scholar needs a deep understanding of Indo-European! Sanskrit often hides out in Religous Studies or Asian Studies.

 

Even if undergrad fit isn't the best, so many professors are going to love this kid. They will help her find amazing summer/research/graduate opportunities.

[anne1456]

Weren't you considering Temple? We visited it recently and liked it more than we expected to. I know there are some not so great areas near it, but the campus was nice, and it didn't strike us as more unsafe than most city campuses.

[8filltheheart]

She's done Latin? Okay. Next is Sanskrit.

 

I'm not kidding. A serious Russian/French scholar needs a deep understanding of Indo-European! Sanskrit often hides out in Religous Studies or Asian Studies.

 

Even if undergrad fit isn't the best, so many professors are going to love this kid. They will help her find amazing summer/research/graduate opportunities.

 

 

You made her smile.  :)

[8filltheheart]

Weren't you considering Temple? We visited it recently and liked it more than we expected to. I know there are some not so great areas near it, but the campus was nice, and it didn't strike us as more unsafe than most city campuses.

it is still on our list. I am watching the thread about requiring the GED. That is one hoop I will not jump through. But I think she is going to apply and see what happens.

Edited March 25, 2016 by 8FillTheHeart

[anne1456]

it is still on our list.  I am watching the thread about requiring the GRE.  That is one hoop I will not jump through.  But I think she is going to apply and see what happens.

 

Shoot I didn't realize that thread was about Temple! They specifically told us there were no special requirements for homeschoolers, but of course that was the Honors College, not admissions. Temple became my son's top safety school after our visit, so this is not good news.

[Mabelen]

Regarding ASU, if she is NMF, she will get the full tuition and fees scholarship which will get her into Barrett's, the Honors College. We looked into it and even visited with my oldest. They will pay for your student to visit, attend lectures, talk with professors and stay at Barrett's overnight with a current student. Yes, I agree ASU is huge and not selective, so you will find many students more interested in partying than studying. Having said that, the Honors College is very good and your daughter will be surrounded by other serious students on academic scholarships like herself. She will be very well looked after and will have access to all kinds of opportunities.

 

We also visited UoA, which at the time had the same scholarship, but I think they have now reduced it, you should look into it.

 

My daughter liked ASU better than UoA. In the end she decided to go to a UC campus where she had also been offered (a much, much smaller) academic scholarship. Good luck with your quest.

[Lawyer&Mom]

I talked to my sister. Her best friend in college transferred to Barrett from a elite liberal arts school due to a familial financial setback. Sister said Barrett was fine for her friend. She liked her classmates. She liked some of her professors and some of her classes. It wasn't the same level of challenge as the college she left behind, but she got great grades and is now in law school. ASU wasn't ideal, but it was the launching pad she needed that she could afford.

[8filltheheart]

Thank you Lawyer&mom. As long as there is a good base, my kids know how to make an OK situation a better one. It sounds like that is what ASU will offer.

 

Thanks again.

[mjbucks1]

If money is an issue, have you checked out University of Kentucky or University of Alabama?  UK gives a full ride for NM, and UA gives a near full ride.  UA only has a minor in Russian, but their NM scholarship covers 5 years of tuition.  That 5th year can be used for grad school or study abroad.  If you are OOS, then that means she would have $26,000 to spend on study abroad experiences!

 

UK has a pretty interesting study abroad program for Russian majors (the students stay with Russian families).  Here is a link to the site: https://mcl.as.uky.edu/study-abroad-russia.   I am thinking, like the others, that if she really wants to become fluent in the language she will need to spend some extended time in Russia.  

 

DS is a NMF and has visited both schools.  He really liked both schools, but has decided on UA.

 

You may have already checked out these schools, but I just thought I would mention them because their NM awards are great.

 

Blessings!

Michelle

 

 

 

 

[8filltheheart]

If money is an issue, have you checked out University of Kentucky or University of Alabama?  UK gives a full ride for NM, and UA gives a near full ride.  UA only has a minor in Russian, but their NM scholarship covers 5 years of tuition.  That 5th year can be used for grad school or study abroad.  If you are OOS, then that means she would have $26,000 to spend on study abroad experiences!

 

UK has a pretty interesting study abroad program for Russian majors (the students stay with Russian families).  Here is a link to the site: https://mcl.as.uky.edu/study-abroad-russia.   I am thinking, like the others, that if she really wants to become fluent in the language she will need to spend some extended time in Russia.  

 

DS is a NMF and has visited both schools.  He really liked both schools, but has decided on UA.

 

You may have already checked out these schools, but I just thought I would mention them because their NM awards are great.

 

Blessings!

Michelle

 

Thanks, Michelle.  We are very familiar with Bama b/c that is where our son attends. Roll Tide!!  But, no, their dept would not work at all.  She will be entering in at a 300 level.

 

We visited UKy earlier this week.  Yes, their study abroad is awesome.  She wants to double in French and Russian and they told her that she could actually study abroad for 2 full yrs on her scholarship.  She has been emailing back and forth with a sr there that they put her in touch with.  He entered close to where she is level-wise in Russian and he has been very frank about his experiences there.  She is definitely considering there.  The main issue is that there aren't really other students speaking at that level on campus.  The young man she has been emailing has really just affirmed what we suspected, but he has told her how he has made it work.  He also says that the profs are fabulously supportive and he does have classes where he is the only student in the class and they read out loud, talk, etc so that 1-on-1 is good.

 

The idea of studying abroad for 2 yrs is growing on her.  We talked about it earlier today.  If does France first, it will help her adjust to the transition.  Her French is already conversational (her tutor does not speak English) and the climate is much milder.  I think it was just an overwhelming idea when they first mentioned it b/c it was not something she had thought possible so never really considered it.

[Melissa B]

it is still on our list.  I am watching the thread about requiring the GRE.  That is one hoop I will not jump through.  But I think she is going to apply and see what happens.

 

I didn't see the other thread. Is it the GED they are requiring?

 

If it is the GRE, why do you not want your dd to take it? I was planning to have my dd take the GRE this summer and want to make sure I am not missing a good reason to wait.

[daijobu]

I don't know anything about languages, so I'm going to just throw this one out and see if anyone else more knowledgeable can comment:

 

Would straight to graduate school be an option for her since she's so advanced, beyond what a senior in college could do?  Is she interested in research?  PhD's learn for free!  

[8filltheheart]

I didn't see the other thread. Is it the GED they are requiring?

 

If it is the GRE, why do you not want your dd to take it? I was planning to have my dd take the GRE this summer and want to make sure I am not missing a good reason to wait.

Yep, that is a typo. It should be GED. I have been typing GRE a lot in reference to my ds.

 

Thanks for clarifying in case anyone else was confused.

[Ravin]

On the one hand, Russian is part of the CLI at ASU if I recall correctly, which has some independent funding sources making it relatively secure. OTOH, anything liberal arts/humanities related is being systematically gutted and defunded  at ASU at every opportunity. DH is a grad student in English there and I have been listening to him grumble for several years.

 

Because it is such a large university, it is very easy for a student to get lost in the shuffle, and torpid bureaucracy can be difficult to overcome. Also they charge outrageous out of state tuition and fees.

 

If she's ahead of the game in the language, consider that it will give her a boost in her in-major GPA and free up her time in early semesters to get general requirements out of the way.

 

Barretts often amounts to extra work for the same number of credit hours and extra fees. But, it does give an extra sphere of support/academically focused bubble (hopefully). 

[8filltheheart]

I don't know anything about languages, so I'm going to just throw this one out and see if anyone else more knowledgeable can comment:

 

Would straight to graduate school be an option for her since she's so advanced, beyond what a senior in college could do? Is she interested in research? PhD's learn for free!

She has no college credit. Everything is self-study. She can earn her Masters in French while an UG at UKy. She is currently feeling s lot more confident about their program.

[Lawyer&Mom]

The idea of studying abroad for 2 yrs is growing on her. We talked about it earlier today. If does France first, it will help her adjust to the transition.

France first is absolutely the way to go. She may even be able to keep up with her Russian while she is there. It looks like UK sends their humanities students to Marsailles, which has a Slavic department. You'd have to check the fine print. I know when I was studying abroad my home university had rules about studying another foreign language while you were abroad. They wanted us to focus on the language of our host university. However I don't know if that such a rule would apply to a double language major. It may also be possible to participate in classes informally, as it was at my host university. In that case what the home university doesn't know won't hurt them.