Is it bad that I don't have three years of a foreign language?

I have two years of French and decided not to take French III my junior year. I am a pretty good student otherwise (all honors courses, 3.7 GPA), but I just don't seem to be able to pick up french. I know most good schools recommend three years of a foreign language. How bad is it that I only have two? Should I take French III my senior year even though I don't seem to have the ability to pick it up?











I've studied hard. I've even had a tutor, but even when I was working my hardest I still couldn't do better then C's and D's in French.

Is it bad that I don't have three years of a foreign language?
When you go to college, your grades will matter, so poor grades in French are hurting you. On the other hand, most colleges require proficiency in one language other than English (in the US), so you are better off keeping at it.





The problem may be the language you are studying.





If you school offers Latin or German, I recommend you considering taking the intro course to either of them.





Neither one is at all easy. However, the benefit of both those languages is the fundamental structure they employ, and the insight you acquire about language forms. Teaching language - including English - in the continental U.S. is usually poor to utterly incompetent because there is no effort to convey a great deal of the structural aspects of the tongues. Taking Latin or German forces you to address those elements, and will aid you in building knowledge of any language you later study in college.





Although a lot of people in Hawaii complain about the poor quality of the schools, there is one advantage to learning languages there. They teach it differently and well.





As an aside, human beings have mental hardwiring that changes at about age 14. If we haven't been well-exposed to other languages before then, acquiring a new one after that age is really, really hard. In the future, maybe you can advocate earlier mandatory foreign language teaching in American schools. You know why.





Good luck!
Reply:A lot of colleges require the three years. They will usually allow for you to cover a year of classes at their college to make up for it, but you're better off doing it in high school rather than college if you're not so good at it. If you don't do it, you'll limit your options for college. Take the class.
Reply:Depends, if you like or hate the subject

floral