Do I Need Four Years of a Foreign Language?
The short answer is: No.
To be a competitive applicant to Tufts, you should enroll in a full and rigorous curriculum each year. That means five classes total, pulled from the five core academic areas: English, Social Sciences, Science, Math, and a Foreign Language. (Note: this does not apply to students taking the A levels, or other more structured programs)
Not every academic area needs to be represented every year but, typically, all should appear in 9th and 10th grade. In 12th (and 11th occasionally) some students start specializing. That might mean you drop your foreign language, but pick up an extra science or math course. This is absolutely fine by us, particularly if you feel drawn to a specific area of study (like engineering) and we see that reflected in your potential major(s) when you apply.
The long answer is: Maybe.
My father once joked that my greatest failings are my terrible hand writing and my inability to speak another language. He’s right (on both counts… my handwritten scrawl is, at its best, toddler-esque). After attempts at Latin and French, I habla English and English alone. And it’s kind of awful. In the past seven years I have traveled to dozens of places where I can neither eavesdrop nor order off a menu.
Continuing in a foreign language means you might have more study abroad options down the line, you might be able to place ahead in (or out of) our foreign language requirement for Arts and Sciences students, you might be able to study engineering and easily add in a language minor, you might be able to impress friends and relatives while ordering international cuisines. It may not make or break you in the admissions process, but these are ideas worth considering.
The safest answer is: Yes.
Four years of English, Social Sciences, Science, Math and a Foreign Language will make you “broadly qualified” (this is a phrase that one of our Associate Directors, Walker Coppedge, LOVES to use when describing applicants). Being broadly qualified, or “well-rounded” as is often the phrase, does not make you better or worse than a student who is “lopsided” or a “specialist.” There are merits to both, and we admit students who fit both molds without preference or prejudice. Again, the short answer to “Do I need four years of a foreign language?” is “No.”
But you’re still learning, growing, and changing. By sticking with one class from each subject area, you’re well prepared to study ANYTHING in college. Chemistry, Anthropology, Latin American Studies, Film, Economics, you name it! You’re on good footing for wherever the wind takes you. You’ll always be able to make up any lost ground when you arrive (an extra semester of Spanish at Tufts because you dropped it senior year isn’t the end of the world), but in the name of maximizing your options, it can be helpful to continue pursuing all areas of study.
In the end: you do you. If you can look yourself in the eye and say with confidence that your schedule was both interesting and challenging, you’re good to go. And if you need more scheduling help, go here!
(Feature Image used with Creative Commons license by Emory Maiden. Original image here.)