Foreign Language at "Good" level, interview in Spanish?

[HopelesRomantic]

I took Spanish all throughout middle and high school (up to AP). I'm applying to med school this summer and will take my first Spanish college course (Advanced, 500level, whatever what means) in the fall. If I put down "Good" as my level of proficiency, can my interviewer speak to me in Spanish? And to what extent?

Thanks!

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[anegron519]

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[HopelesRomantic]

Look at threads before posting. Three threads below yours is the answer. Yes.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=995619

Yeah, I'm not finding the answer. My question distinguishes people who select "Good" from those who select "Advanced" or "Native." This was only just changed on the 2012 app, so only a very small number of people would actually know the answer to this.

 

[alpinism]

It's entirely up to your interviewer(s). They can speak to you in whatever language they'd like. Keep in mind though, the categories are more subjective than objective. As long as you don't put advanced when you can only say hola and como se llama and adios, you should be fine.

I'd categorize "good" as being able to hold a basic short conversation en Español.

 

[music2doc]

Yeah, I'm not finding the answer. My question distinguishes people who select "Good" from those who select "Advanced" or "Native." This was only just changed on the 2012 app, so only a very small number of people would actually know the answer to this.

Yes and no. It's entirely up to the interviewer how to interpret it.

It's entirely up to your interviewer(s). They can speak to you in whatever language they'd like. Keep in mind though, the categories are more subjective than objective. As long as you don't put advanced when you can only say hola and como se llama and adios, you should be fine.

I'd categorize "good" as being able to hold a basic short conversation en Español.

I would agree.



If I were interviewing you, I would consider someone with a "good" proficiency "fair game" to talk to in Spanish.

Here is the rating system for foreign language proficiency used by the US Government (and in Bold what I correlate to the AMCAS):

1: Elementary proficiency <--Basic (think 1-3 yrs HS Spanish)

2: Limited working proficiency<--Fair (think 2+ yrs college Spanish, little/no in-country experience)
2S Able to satisfy routine special demands and limited work requirements.
2R Sufficient comprehension to read simple, authentic written material in a form
equivalent to usual printing or typescript on familiar subjects.

3: General professional proficiency<--Good (think studied abroad; probably majored/minored in Spanish)
3S Able to speak the language with sufficient structural accuracy and vocabulary to
participate effectively in most formal and informal conversations.
3R Able to read within a normal range of speed and with almost complete
comprehension.

4: Advanced professional proficiency<--Advanced (probably lived abroad for at least a year and/or uses Spanish professionally)
4S Able to use the language fluently and accurately on all levels.
4R Nearly native ability to read and understand extremely difficult or abstract prose,
colloquialisms and slang.

5: Functional native proficiency<--Native/Near Native (grew up in a Spanish-speaking area or moved there at a young age)
5S Speaking proficiency is functionally equivalent to that of a highly articulate well-
educated native speaker.
5R Reading proficiency is functionally equivalent to that of the well-educated native
reader.

For a "good" speaker, I would expect:

ILR Level 3 &#8211; Professional working proficiency

Professional working proficiency is the third level in the scale. This level is sometimes referred to as S-3 or Level 3. S-3 is what is usually used to measure how many people in the world know a given language. A person at this level is described as follows:

able to speak the language with sufficient structural accuracy and vocabulary to participate effectively in most conversations on practical, social, and professional topics
can discuss particular interests and special fields of competence with reasonable ease
has comprehension which is quite complete for a normal rate of speech
has a general vocabulary which is broad enough that he or she rarely has to grope for a word
has an accent which may be obviously foreign; has a good control of grammar; and whose errors virtually never interfere with understanding and rarely disturb the native speaker.

To me, that says I could absolutely expect you to be able to hold your own in an interview. This is also about the level that most med students who say they speak Spanish come in at. Most who are below this level do not consider themselves Spanish speakers in my experience, since this is the first level at which you are truly have functional use of the language without it being a burden to use.

 

[WhittyPsyche]

I took Spanish all throughout middle and high school (up to AP). I'm applying to med school this summer and will take my first Spanish college course (Advanced, 500level, whatever what means) in the fall. If I put down "Good" as my level of proficiency, can my interviewer speak to me in Spanish? And to what extent?

Thanks!

How are you taking level 500 now? Placement testing? I ask because isn't AP Spanish equivalent to low 200s with a 4 and low 300's with a 5?