Mandarin 1 vs Spanish 1Answered
Im moving to a new school for senior year and I’ve already taken French 1 and 2. The school I’m thinking of going to, however, only offers Spanish, Latin, and Manderin. They require 3 years of a language to graduate.
Should I take Spanish 1 since it’s so similar to French? Or should I start over completely with Manderin? I have an interest in eastern Asian languages/culture (I’ve self-learned some Japanese and had a pen pal for a few months, currently taking bioethics in manga) so it would align with an interest I have.
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4 answers
Since you're in your senior year, I would either say take Mandarin 1 so that you can take a class that aligns with your passion or find a way to continue French at a local community college or online course if possible. The reason I'm saying this is because it might look slightly odd to completely change languages in your last year of high school, especially when you likely haven't taken enough courses to be completely fluent in French to begin with. I have heard from my counselor at my school that all students should aim for some sort of consistency when it comes to their language. However, I do think that this expectation only applies to highly competitive schools like Ivies. I suggest you do a little bit of research on the colleges on your college list and see what the requirements are for them.
Good luck!
Hey Amy!
(Side note: my older sister is also called Amy)
Anyways, greetings. If you are more interested in Asian languages/culture, then take the class you are interested in. However, switching languages is suspicious for colleges because they would then wonder why. Try searching if French is offered online or in another place, that way if you can't find French you have an excuse. If french is a big no no, then take what you desire.
I would take Spanish 1! It's better to take a class in something easier than have to learn a whole new alphabet. In the future, you can always learn an Asian language if it genuinely interests you and you want to set aside the time for it.
I personally haven't taken mandarin so I wouldn't know how the language class is so I say go for Spanish 1! I dont think it'll be difficult but its whatever suits your interests the most. If you think you can handle it go for it!
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The school I was going to before for 9th-12th didn’t have French 3 because of low interest. I couldn’t dual enroll for it because it clashed with my schedule that I needed to graduate. Now that I’m going to another school, they need 3 years of a language but they don’t do dual enrollment so I’m not sure what I should do. Do you know of any online colleges / courses that I can take the equivalent of French 3/4 in?