AMCAS Languages

[RachRach24]

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I grew up in a multilingual home and thus have a few languages listed on my primary, two of which are listed as basic proficiency.

Per AMCAS, a basic proficiency is "I speak the language imperfectly and only to a limited degree and in limited situations. I have difficulty in or understanding extended conversations".

Russian was spoken often in my home. While I understand the language in certain situations and don't have an accent when I speak what I know, I don't remember enough of the language to hold conversation in an interview. I listed this as "basic", but after reading some posts on this forum I'm worried that my Russian will be tested in an interview!

I have a similar concern for French, which I also listed as basic because I studied it for two semesters in college. I thought it would be weird that I took two semester of the language but didn't list a basic proficiency.

Is this something I should be worried about?

 

[GodComplex]

Probably not. I listed advanced in Spanish and wasn't tested on it once and went to several interviews (not counting an entire interview in Spanish for a particular program). Even if you were, you did list basic and not much will be expected of you as long as you can say and understand a few phrases and other basic things. They shouldn't expect a conversation out of you.

 

[Catalystik]

I grew up in a multilingual home and thus have a few languages listed on my primary, two of which are listed as basic proficiency.

Per AMCAS, a basic proficiency is "I speak the language imperfectly and only to a limited degree and in limited situations. I have difficulty in or understanding extended conversations".

Russian was spoken often in my home. While I understand the language in certain situations and don't have an accent when I speak what I know, I don't remember enough of the language to hold conversation in an interview. I listed this as "basic", but after reading some posts on this forum I'm worried that my Russian will be tested in an interview!

I have a similar concern for French, which I also listed as basic because I studied it for two semesters in college. I thought it would be weird that I took two semester of the language but didn't list a basic proficiency.

Is this something I should be worried about?

Due to your honesty in assessing your language skills, you have nothing to worry about, assuming you can get out a polite greeting (which is unlikely to be called for, even so). You certainly won't be expected to explain your research in another language, as happened to another interviewee who claimed significant proficiency.

 

[RachRach24]

Due to your honesty in assessing your language skills, you have nothing to worry about, assuming you can get out a polite greeting (which is unlikely to be called for, even so). You certainly won't be expected to explain your research in another language, as happened to another interviewee who claimed significant proficiency.

Thank you! Such a relief.

 

[PreciousHamburgers]

I listed a language as "basic" on my AMCAS. I had an interviewer ask me what languages I spoke, and when I said that language (at a basic level), he asked me "why?" in that language (it was not a usual language, and not one spoken by my ethnicity). I knew JUST enough to answer his very basic questions (I'm not even sure he knew what I was saying). He did not get that I spoke that language off of my AMCAS though, he asked me about languages in the interview.

I agree that since you listed something as basic, you have nothing to worry about. You were completely honest. They aren't out to "get you."