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I know that the high school recommends at least 2 years. Not required here.
Do universities require this for admission? Do you need a foreign language as a requirement to graduate most universities?
Even if the student plans on going into science/math field?
Most colleges want to see at least 2 years of a foreign language. They prefer to see 3 years. Many universities require foreign language as core academic class regardless of the student's major.
If you have a college bound high school student I would advise the student to take at least 2 years of a foreign language.
My alma mater currently has a foreign language requirement. Fortunately, I graduated before it was a requirement. I blew off my foreign language classes in high school around 1980 and '81 and I have come to regret it.
Even if the student plans on going into science/math field?
Especially if the student plans on going into a science/math field. Normally if you are doing that field, you are getting a BS rather than a BA, and one of the differences between a BS and a BA is that a BS requires a foreign language.
(The theory behind that is that you must have an understanding of a foreign language in order to read publications in translation.)
Also, pretty much every grad degree in the sciences requires a foreign language. The last thing you want is to be trying to learn a foreign language in 2 years in your mid-20s while trying to write a thesis or dissertation.
I know that the high school recommends at least 2 years. Not required here.
Do universities require this for admission? Do you need a foreign language as a requirement to graduate most universities?
Even if the student plans on going into science/math field?
Huge mistake. Most decent colleges and universities expect some foreign language.
More importantly, learning a foreign language broadens one's opportunities in life. I took German and Russian, and I kick myself every day for giving both up after two years.
Most colleges do ask for 2-4 years of a foreign language. It would be a shame for a student to realize that he/she has less of a chance of acceptance to a college because they didn't feel like taking a FL in HS. As the above posters have pointed out, it's also a good thing to be multi-lingual.
Not getting a few years exposure to a foreign language would be a detriment to a student.
We need to have a more multicultural approach to education and if the USA and its citizens want to be 'global' we should be teaching foreign languages in schools in ELEMENTARY school not just in middle or high school.
My son (Grade 8) is in year 2 of Spanish. I expect him to do all 4 years of high school and AP if possible.
Every university my 2 kids applied to required it from high schoolers, at least 2 years. I don't know if its actually required for kids to take here in order to graduate or not. It was required for kids who were on the college bound track however.
Some of the universities required it for all of their students as part of their core curriculum others only for those majoring in liberal arts subject or something related to some sort of international study. Neither of my kids chose universities that required all their students to take one, but both of them ended up in majors that did. Both my kids took more than the minimum required in high school. One took 4 years worth the other took 3 years. The one that took 3 years in high school still had a hard time with the 4 required semesters in college. He told me he couldn't imagine how someone could do it if they hadn't had it in high school.
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