Learning a Foreign Language

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Does it come up in the interview? I'm not fluent in any foreign language I think I'd use in medicine, atleast not very frequently.

Should I learn spanish really quick? I'm alright at spanish but not fluent, yet

How do medical schools look at the foreign language thing? Is it something that just makes you interesting, or do they want you to be fluent in a language you will use frequently, ie spanish.
 
No, I wouldn't. Do something more valuable with your time. You won't get good enough from this point to be able to impress anyone.
 
Do it if you're interested in it or if you're required to take it to graduate. Otherwise, you're just wasting your time.
 
How do medical schools look at the foreign language thing? Is it something that just makes you interesting, or do they want you to be fluent in a language you will use frequently, ie spanish.
 
Ok. I'm not going to go on a full tangent but none of you are going to be "fluent", or very few of you will be. You are probably going to be "proficient" if anything. Sorry, just one of those things that bothers me. Take the language if it interests you. I'm taking spanish now and am miserable. I just despise the format of the teaching, and the language kind of bores me.
 
I've been studying Japanese off and on since high school. I've also TAed two elementary level classes, and privately tutored two people. It was something I did because I absolutely loved the language. So, only do it if it's something that interests you. Not because it's another "check" on the pre-med map.

I definitely wouldn't call myself fluent. I've only ever taken two semesters of it 😛 I just used my limited knowledge efficiently. I've forgotten most of it.
 
I doubt a foreign language will make any big difference in an application.

On the other hand, if you live in a place that a foreign language might benefit you down the road (Spanish in Texas, for example), learning a little bit might make med school or your career easier.
 
I'm through the application season, but I'm currently teching myself Spanish because I have always wanted to be bilingual, and I think it will be a good skill to have in medicine.

I'm spending the summer in Bolivia to jumpstart my language learning. But they key is that I'm doing it because I want to... Not to impress some adcom.
 
Learning languages in US universities is not the way to do it. The format is not conducive to actually internalizing the language unless you participate heavily in activites outside of class where you speak the language.

Take two semesters in college so that you understand the basic grammer and structure, then take a summer and go to Guatemala to study at a language school for $50 a week. For another $70 a week you can stay with a family and have 3 meals a day included. You will be fluent (remember, fluent is not the same as being a native speaker) at the end of the summer. While knowing a language may or may not be beneficial when applying to medical school, I know for a fact that it is looked upon favorably by program directors (for residency) if you speak Spanish and are looking to enter a primary care field. Perhaps this is only true in states with a large Spanish speaking population, but with 10% of the US population speaking Spanish as their first language, you can be certain that even if it doesn't help you get into a residency, it will be extremely helpful while you are in residency (again that is if you are entering primary care) so that you don't have to wait for an interpreter for every other patient.
 
I'm in my fourth semester of Japanese study right now, and I'm planning on majoring in it. I'm taking it because I want to study and maybe live in Japan in the future. Don't force yourself to learn a language (or do any other activity) if it's not something you're genuinely interested in, but rather focus on things you like to do. Your enthusiasm for what you WANT to do will make the effort more genuine than forcing yourself to do something because you think it will look good on your application.
 
Ehhh...I dont think you can become fluent in a language without living in the country for extended periods of times...Proficient??? maybe...but Not fluent
 
I second the notion that American universities are not the best place to learn a language.
 
Ehhh...I dont think you can become fluent in a language without living in the country for extended periods of times...Proficient??? maybe...but Not fluent
Click to expand...

Yeah but an extended period of time isn´t really all that extended. I´m in SA right now picking up Spanish (waiting for a flight from Chile to Peru right now, actually, thus the SDN timewasting) and it took me about 12 weeks to get from pretty much nothing to pretty much fluent. That ain´t all that much time.

As for what schools think about language, I´ve heard different stories. Rumor is it matters for the Cali schools, but that could just be an SDN rumor.

Take two semesters in college so that you understand the basic grammer and structure, then take a summer and go to Guatemala to study at a language school for $50 a week. For another $70 a week you can stay with a family and have 3 meals a day included. You will be fluent (remember, fluent is not the same as being a native speaker) at the end of the summer.
Click to expand...

Second this, though I´d spring for the extra 8K to go to a country like Chile or Argentina where you won´t get sick from the water.
 
It never hurts to be fluent in a second language. Americans love it when other people are.

But it takes more than university classes to gain fluency.
 
Well, now, that website is a classic. Everyone has seen it!
 
ChubbyChaser said:
Ehhh...I dont think you can become fluent in a language without living in the country for extended periods of times...Proficient??? maybe...but Not fluent
Click to expand...

I agree.

I lived in a French speaking country for 2 years; working and taking classes in the language. I came in with some basic skills and vocab and I still don't think that I'm fluent. Definitely proficient and people can understand me, but I am not comfortable writing papers or giving eloquent speeches in French. I can't express myself nearly to the level that I can in English. Native speakers understand me and I get my point across, but not as well as I would like. I guess I'm kind of a perfectionist though.

And amongst the people that I went with who had similar skills, I ended up the most advanced speaker FWIW.
 
Edit: @ Perrot

lol @ You checking out the website.

You are SO white!
 
MossPoh said:
Ok. I'm not going to go on a full tangent but none of you are going to be "fluent", or very few of you will be. You are probably going to be "proficient" if anything. Sorry, just one of those things that bothers me. Take the language if it interests you. I'm taking spanish now and am miserable. I just despise the format of the teaching, and the language kind of bores me.
Click to expand...
PERIOD. I hate hearing people say I'm fluent in language X. Unless your parents have spoken it at home during most of your life or you have lived abroad for at least a year or more you are PROBABLY NO WHERE NEAR FLUENT. I DON'T CARE IF YOU ACED YOUR FOREIGN LANGUAGE CLASSES IN COLLEGE, SO DID I AND I STILL SUCK AT IT. /rant /self
 
Don't give me that look.

Actually, keep going. I like it.
 
lmao.

dArroway, you so crazy! But you still have a lot of catching up to do with meeeee =)

BRB taking meds.
 
I am fluent (yes I really am) in Japanese, Portuguese and Spanish. I lived in Brazil for 3 years, Japan for 2 and California (Spanish) for 10. I also worked with Brazilians, Bolivians and Peruvians everyday in Japan...ANyway, that was just to make sure that none of the people in this thread who think fluency is hard to have question mine.
I am a 2nd year, and my language ability definitely came up in my interviews. It was not however the fact that I speak all those languages, rather, that I had lots of experience living in other countries, being diverse, etc...I would learn Spanish just so you can cater to an increasing number of Hispanic patients (using a translator sucks especially if you can do it yourself) but NOT for some interview. You will not come off impressive, especially if the person interviewing you happens to be, oh lets say from Mexico and tests you. (Actually happened to a classmate who is fluent) That would be really embarrassing if you said you were fluent, but you weren't.

頑張ってね！
 
Aaronkun said:
I am fluent (yes I really am) in Japanese, Portuguese and Spanish. I lived in Brazil for 3 years, Japan for 2 and California (Spanish) for 10. I also worked with Brazilians, Bolivians and Peruvians everyday in Japan...ANyway, that was just to make sure that none of the people in this thread who think fluency is hard to have question mine.
I am a 2nd year, and my language ability definitely came up in my interviews. It was not however the fact that I speak all those languages, rather, that I had lots of experience living in other countries, being diverse, etc...I would learn Spanish just so you can cater to an increasing number of Hispanic patients (using a translator sucks especially if you can do it yourself) but NOT for some interview. You will not come off impressive, especially if the person interviewing you happens to be, oh lets say from Mexico and tests you. (Actually happened to a classmate who is fluent) That would be really embarrassing if you said you were fluent, but you weren't.

頑張ってね！
Click to expand...

I'd agree about being totally honest about foreign language ability with the app process, that it's not recommendable to learn a foreign language because it'll sound good in an interview, and very strongly that it helps to be able to communicate with patients in their language. (writing as a Spanish major way back in college w/a number of French courses completed also)

I find it interesting to read subtitles or 'translated' spanish, understand the words being spoken, and recognize that the meaning has been modified or something has been left out of the translation. In my clinical volunteer experience, I've gotten a much more open response from patients speaking in Spanish than in English, if Spanish is their primary language. Whenever speaking individually with Spanish-speaking classmates in my science courses, it's interesting to switch over to Spanish to get more practice.

There are many levels of proficiency, the one I shoot for is to be able to understand & communicate major concepts, I'm sure there are always more words to learn. (same goes in english, when's the last time the words "donnybrook" or "obdurate" came up in a spoken sentance?)
 
nontrdgsbuiucmd said:
There are many levels of proficiency, the one I shoot for is to be able to understand & communicate major concepts, I'm sure there are always more words to learn. (same goes in english, when's the last time the words "donnybrook" or "obdurate" came up in a spoken sentance?)
Click to expand...

Couldn't agree more. Fluency is all about ease of speech and understanding, not about knowing every word in the language. If it were so I am not fluent in any language.
 
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