foreign language?

[jwtaylor]

i've begun to study spanish this summer. i intend to go as far as i can with it and work towards fluency. my question is, how do adcoms regard fluency in a foreign language? especially spanish? i plan to learn it regardless just because i can read the writing on the wall and know that speaking spanish will help me better treat and interact with a growing population of americans. plus being bilingual is never a bad thing.

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[notdeadyet]

If you're starting to study Spanish this summer, do not worry about fluency. That is years and years away, if ever. Do not check the box on AMCAS.

That said, a second language is a good thing, and Spanish is usually a safe bet. Taking a two week medical spanish class has much less value than being able to actually carry on a conversation. Good for you.

 

[jwtaylor]

well i dont expect to be as fluent as a native speaker by the time i apply in 3 years, but i do have a 4 year background in it and it mostly a matter of brushing up and getting more advanced. fluency is definitely my goal though. in fact multicultural competence is just a major imperative for me. id love to apply to a school in or near a city that has a major spanish speaking population. because fluency is nearly impossible without conversing with someone else. i live in podunk town and people here rarely even use an intelligible form of english.

 

[boodthedog]

I started taking Spanish when beginning an informal post bacc a few years ago. I don't know yet how favorable it will look while applying, but I know from the shadowing I've done that I will certainly be able to use it. Fluency is years away if all you're doing is taking college classes, but this isn't your only option. I took three semesters of Spanish and then went to Guatemala last summer for language lessons and volunteering. When I returned, I couldn't function at the levels of the doctors I was shadowing, but could understand nearly everything. Plus, the volunteering in a foreign country was rewarding and will look good on my app this summer. It was also a bargain and tons of fun.