Non-Native Spanish Fluency as a Hispanic Applicant

[Holland]

I'm a multiracial URM (white, black, hispanic). I culturally identify with both of my underrepresented backgrounds and have been heavily influenced by both. However, I'm not fluent at a native level because while my grandmother is a Guatemalan immigrant, my mom was born and raised in the US and by the time I was growing up, Spanish wasn't really used in the home. I do speak a decent amount of Spanish from having learned it through middle and high school and casually using it in different settings, and I'm trying to make it a point to use it more often when I can in everyday life, but I'm far from the level of a lot of native speakers.

Do you think this could be a problem at all? I don't want to give the impression that I'm disconnected from my heritage because this isn't true at all--at the same time, I understand why being able to speak fluent Spanish is an extremely useful asset.

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[yuhh]

no one is gonna test ur proficiency in spanish

 

[NaKATPase413]

I'm of Chinese heritage and I struggle with Mandarin at times. Don't worry about how well you speak Spanish. Just represent it accurately on your application. It doesn't make you less Hispanic or take away your heritage.

 

[jhmmd]

I'm a multiracial URM (white, black, hispanic). I culturally identify with both of my underrepresented backgrounds and have been heavily influenced by both. However, I'm not fluent at a native level because while my grandmother is a Guatemalan immigrant, my mom was born and raised in the US and by the time I was growing up, Spanish wasn't really used in the home. I do speak a decent amount of Spanish from having learned it through middle and high school and casually using it in different settings, and I'm trying to make it a point to use it more often when I can in everyday life, but I'm far from the level of a lot of native speakers.

Do you think this could be a problem at all? I don't want to give the impression that I'm disconnected from my heritage because this isn't true at all--at the same time, I understand why being able to speak fluent Spanish is an extremely useful asset.

It all depends on what you want to do with this aspect of your application. If you claim that you're fluent, be prepared to have part of your interview in Spanish--people have been known to do this. If you can't converse, it will tank your application.

Your Hispanic and African-American heritage is an asset. Try to think about how it has impacted you and how you can reflect on this in your essay/secondaries/interviews, even if it is just a few sentences or so.

Good luck

 

[Dogruffle01]

no one is gonna test ur proficiency in spanish

I wouldn’t be so sure. I put that I knew Spanish on a basic level on one of med school apps and, as soon as I got into the interview at a school , my interviewer grilled me on my Spanish speaking. I told him I just knew a few conversational phrases and he spoke to me in paragraphs faster than a speedboat.

It was such a rough interview.

 

[deleted1111654]

As the child of first generation immigrants, Spanish is my second language. I wrote in my application that I had the highest level of fluency and no one in any of my interviews has interviewed me in Spanish.

 

[jhmmd]

As the child of first generation immigrants, Spanish is my second language. I wrote in my application that I had the highest level of fluency and no one in any of my interviews has interviewed me in Spanish.

It's not a requirement or anything. Just be prepared for this to happen cuz it could! 👻

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

As the child of first generation immigrants, Spanish is my second language. I wrote in my application that I had the highest level of fluency and no one in any of my interviews has interviewed me in Spanish.

You got lucky.

 

[deleted1111654]

You got lucky.

True. I wouldn’t have a problem at all but I’m surprised I haven’t had one.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

True. I wouldn’t have a problem at all but I’m surprised I haven’t had one.

If you’re actually fluent, then it really doesn’t matter. For some reason I got the impression that you maybe overestimated your level of fluency.

For the OP, if they want to list Spanish, they need to be very honest about their level of fluency because they very well may get an interviewer who tries to interview them in Spanish.

And to another point they made, not being fluent in Spanish doesn’t change how Hispanic you are.

 

[deleted1111654]

If you’re actually fluent, then it really doesn’t matter. For some reason I got the impression that you maybe overestimated your level of fluency.

For the OP, if they want to list Spanish, they need to be very honest about their level of fluency because they very well may get an interviewer who tries to interview them in Spanish.

And to another point they made, not being fluent in Spanish doesn’t change how Hispanic you are.

Nope. Doing that would certainly be digging myself a grave.

Never said I didn’t agree with those points, just said in my experience I haven’t come across any Spanish interviews.

 

[throwaway01564]

no one is gonna test ur proficiency in spanish

Absolutely untrue. I am p sure I've been matched to Hispanic interviewers at many of my schools bc I'm hispanic and said I spoke spanish (too often for me to think it's coincidental) and at several I've been spoken to in Spanish--one even for a prolonged part of the interview.