Debating on whether to take AP Spanish
Essentially my dilenma is whether or not to drop a class to take AP Spanish. For context, I'd have to drop AP Stats, and take AP Spanish. I would be fine taking either of these classes, I like both the teachers and I think I'd succeed in both of them. However, I am worried that not having 4 years of language on my transcript will negatively affect my admissisons chances. But, I do have a background in other languages. I took AP Chinese, and got a 5 (I'm not a native speaker, English is my 1st language, but I speak it at home). I also took the chinese credit test and got 4 high school credits and got the seal of biliteracy in Washington State. I took 3 years of Spanish, did well in them as well. I'm just worried that the AP Class is not on my transcript and not taking AP spanish will reflect poorly on my application. Should I still take it so I can complete the 4 year package or will admissions officers not care? I was planning on just doing it senior year and not taking the test for an easy AP A senior year but thats not relevant to the question. For context, I plan on majoring in something STEM/Business related, and don't know if having 2 languages will really boost me much.
Not too sure yet, but some schools I think I realistically can yet would be UC Berkely, or UCLA. Does a different school care about AP Classes differently?
Yes, for sure. Some colleges tend to draw more competitive applicants, which makes taking AP classes (and the hardest ones) of greater importance. I’m not too sure about the UCs, but for other T50 colleges, many applicants have four years, which would put you at a disadvantage.
But wouldn't colleges see that I already have 4 years of Chinese credits, as well as a 5 on the AP Test, and the seal of billiteracy? I don't know if Spanish is really worth it at that point you know what I mean?
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Hi! I'm a senior who just started taking AP Spanish and has taken AP Stats already. I cannot say how it will affect your admissions chances, but I can tell you about my experiences in both of the classes to hopefully help you out a bit! Firstly, with AP Spanish, be prepared that it is a lot of writing. I have a wonderful teacher, but even he cannot fully combat the monotony of practicing writing emails and essays. On the flip side though, I will say my Spanish skills have improved rapidly. If your goal is to become fluent in the language, I'd say take the class. In terms of AP Stats, it will look great on your transcript as a prospective STEM major, and I learned some really interesting concepts. Funnily enough, it felt a lot like taking a foreign language course to me, due to the amount of specific vocabulary and concepts that come with the course. Additionally, you'll spend a decent amount of time learning how to use your calculator. It is not a traditional math class. I went weeks without doing any basic algebra in class. You'll write a lot and spend time proving why your answer is right, instead of simply trying to reach the correct answer. Overall, for you, I would recommend taking AP Stats if you're mostly worried about your transcript. I hope that some of this helped!
Colleges require 2 years of foreign language most of the time but recommend three. Taking that extra year could boost your application but since you already have the recommended amount of three it wouldn't hurt your chances if you don't take the 4th year. With you being a STEM major, AP stats are way more important. I took AP stats in high school as well as in college for my major. (also STEM) If you were forced to pick one, take the AP Stats as that shows your interest in a STEM-related field.
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@jefe what colleges are you looking at? I'd like to answer this but I need more info