Can you get into Stanford with only 2 years of foreign language?
The Language Requirement
Competitive colleges typically require at least two years of a foreign language in high school. Many colleges also require undergrads to take one or more semesters of a foreign language. You may qualify for a waiver for the foreign language requirement.
Four years of a single foreign language. The study of history for at least two years, and preferably three years: American history, European history, and one additional advanced history course.
Language Requirement
Students may fulfill the requirement in any one of the following ways: Complete three quarters of a first-year, 4-5 units language course at Stanford or the equivalent at another recognized post-secondary institution subject to current University transfer credit policies.
Two years of college-preparatory coursework required (or through the second level of high school instruction) of the same language other than English (three years are recommended). Language levels are defined by the number of years of high school instruction (e.g., LOTE 1= 1 year; LOTE 2 = 2 years, etc.).
All Stanford undergraduate students are required to complete one year of college-level study or the equivalent in a foreign language.
If attending a U.S. high school, a minimum of 2 years of successive levels in the same language other than English is required. Language courses taken at higher levels will validate classes at the lower levels.
The Language Requirement
Students who have not studied a language before arriving at Yale, and those whose prior language study does not qualify them for placement into a second-year course, are required to study a single language through three terms to fulfill the distributional requirement.
Stanford requires that all students have at least the equivalent of one year's proficiency in a foreign language to graduate. You can fulfill the language requirement at any time during your undergraduate career.
How Much Language Do You Need? Most selective colleges and universities want to see at least two years of high school foreign language study. Highly selective schools such as the Ivies often want to see three or four years of a language.
What are the language bans at Stanford?
The 13-page guide contained more than 150 words and phrases organized into 10 categories of harmful language: ableist, ageism, colonialism, culturally appropriative, gender-based, imprecise language, institutionalized racism, person-first, and violent words and phrases.
There is not a set of required courses for admission to Stanford, and our guidelines leave room for flexibility. For example, if you complete the most advanced level of a world language offered by your school as a sophom*ore, it is not necessary to take additional world language classes your junior and senior year.
Required: Two years (or equivalent) of a modern foreign language. Required: One additional year of advanced and/or upper-division courses in the same language, or completion of the first year of a different language.
| Courses | Minimum Length |
|---|---|
| Science | 2 years |
| Foreign Language | 2 years |
| Visual Arts | 1 year |
| Electives | 1 year |
Foreign Language – 4 years of one language. Visual or Performing Arts – At least one course is highly recommended.
Did you know that in general, competitive colleges require your kids to have studied at least two years of foreign language classes. Colleges like Stanford University would like to see three or more years, and Ivy League schools like Harvard University urges students to take a minimum of four years!
Yes, you can certainly get into Stanford with a 3.7 GPA. Many people do every year - so getting a 3.7 GPA isn't a deal breaker. In fact, I've helped students with a 3.3–3.5 GPA get into an Ivy League before.
At Stanford, your GPA is recalculated based on the following formula: Grades from 10th and 11th grade only (no freshman grades) Academic courses only (no physical education, typing, band, orchestra)
To have the best shot of getting in, you should aim for the 75th percentile, with a 1570 SAT or a 35 ACT. You should also have a 3.95 GPA or higher. If your GPA is lower than this, you need to compensate with a higher SAT/ACT score.
Most ivies and other t20s recommend 4 years foreign language.
How many years of foreign language does Harvard require?
Harvard recommends four years of foreign language study in high school, but schools do not have to actually teach the language because students do not need to demonstrate knowledge to Harvard in order to gain acceptance.
Up to 4 semesters of language are required, depending on placement. Some students fulfill the language requirement through placement testing, standardized test scores, or other demonstration of native proficiency (see your assistant dean for studies).
Likewise, taking history and political science classes of foreign cultures will leave a student better versed in the culture than learning a language they may never use. All said, there's a reason Duke is an outlier in requiring three semesters of a language, and it's not because Duke is a leader or ahead of the curve.
Admissions officers are familiar with various types of advanced coursework, including AP, IB, A-Levels, Dual Enrollment, and others, but have no preference for one advanced curriculum over another.
- 4.18 - 4.32. ACT Composite Score.
- 29 - 32. ACT English Language Arts.
- 30 - 35. SAT Evidence Based Reading & Writing.
- 670 - 760. SAT Mathematics.
- 690 - 790. SAT Essay.
- 16 - 19.
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