Is two years of language really not enough for the UC system?
Hi,
Wondering if there are any parents out there who have kids who only took two years of language and still got into UCs? My daughter dropped her language to take some interesting AP classes (in place of a pretty abysmal language class) but now we are wondering how to get the language in too. Additionally, if your kids didn't complete their language requirements at their high school, can you recommend some alternative asynchronous programs that were accepted by UCs? We are looking at UC Scout and Berkeley City College. I'd love to hear any specific experiences, suggestions or creative solutions to this problem. You can also contact me directly. Thank you!
Apr 18, 2024
Parent Replies
Our college freshman was accepted to all the UC's (except UCLA) with only 2 years of language, but they have a learning difference and their LOTE was ASL.
Generally speaking, for the more competitive UC's and barring a LD, you will want to do at least 3 if not 4. Our 2nd kid will apply this year and will have 4 years.
UC Scout or BCC are definitely a good way to go - they could try to squeeze a whole course or 2 in over this summer if they are ambitious enough. Tilden Prep also offers UC approved courses, but is much more $$$
But if they are not applying to a top UC it's probably not a deal breaker if they just meet the minimum, especially if they opted for a really challenging course load. Good luck!
Our son was accepted to every UC with 3 years of Spanish and no learning issues. But he took 7 APs and 7-8 community college classes. If it were me I’d have them do the class via UC Scout possibly supplementing with a tutor (because it’s hard to learn languages online). BCC classes are hard. It would be a shame to miss getting into a UC for this reason.
Having the minimum foreign language credits shouldn't be a barrier to getting into a UC if she has exceeded the minimums in other subjects, with AP classes and good grades etc. College admissions offices do look at the whole picture. But of course if she has her heart set on one of the most competitive campuses or majors, it's worth considering other resources to get another year or two of language.
My daughter took French 3 at Tilden Prep, after having some issues with COVID-remote-school era French 2 at Albany High. She did well at Tilden and was able to take advanced French to fulfill the foreign language requirement of the (private) university where she is now in one semester rather than two. Tilden is expensive but very flexible; the classes are 1:1 with a teacher and self-paced. I'm not sure how much they are offering remote/online these days, vs in-person at the Solano Ave location, but it's definitely possible to fit an entire semester class, possibly even two semesters if the student works quickly, into a summer session. Or the student can take a class three afternoons a week, after their public HS day. The school is accredited and the classes qualify for the a-g requirements.
My graduating senior took just 2 years and was accepted at UC Davis and Santa Cruz. Another option though more expensive is Fusion Academy which they can attend in person or remotely 1 on 1 within their scheduling needs. This 12. 5 weeks for 2-1 hour classes weekly and 2 -1 hour homework cafe.
If your daughter takes Spanish 1B through BCC or any community college it will fulfill the 3rd year HS language AND the UC language requirement once she gets there (assuming she's majoring in something that includes this GE requirement.) You can look at Rate My Professor to get an idea of the class format for a specific professor. She could even take it over the summer. Another A-G approved HS option is Silicon Valley HS. I believe they offer Spanish 3 online for a lower cost than other online providers. My son, now at UC Davis, took a few of their classes to supplement. Incidentally, he took Spanish 3 at his high school, but now really wishes that he had taken Spanish 1B instead.
UC Scout was a great way for our daughter to do her 3rd year of language. We were in a similar situation, after 2 wasted years of language in our local high school. Our daughter took UC Scout for 3rd year. She did the first semester of 3rd year (3a) over the summer--and that was a good call. Since she didn't learn the first 2 years of language, it was a heavy lift and she really needed all summer to comfortably cover the material in 3a, and backtrack to cover the implicitly expected materials from the previous 2 years at the same time. That said, she learned more of the language that summer than she ever did in 2 previous years of in class learning at her high school. UC Scout was surprisingly good, well structured, clear expectations, sound syllabus etc. She then did 3b independently in addition to her classes in the fall. She's glad she did UC Scout and opted out of the terrible language class at her high school. Since UC Scout courses are specifically built with the UC requirements in mind (check their website--they talk about AG requirements in detail) it should in theory, fulfill that 3rd year language recommendation. Community college is also a great option, but she liked that UC Scout allowed her the utmost flexibility to cover material at odd times around other activities that summer. With all that said, she won't be applying for another few years so we can't fully speak to impact on UC college applications yet.