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University Course, should I? | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Language Programs, Books & Tapes |  | |
| soclydeza85 Senior Member United States Joined 3701 days ago 357 posts - 502 votes  Speaks: English* Studies: German, French | Message 1 of 7 17 July 2015 at 5:55pm | IP Logged |
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Just for fun, I took the placement test at the university I'm attending (US) and placed
into Advanced German I, which I am now considering taking. It would not be required for me to take, but I would really enjoy taking it (plus, a GPA booster always helps). I've never taken a university level language course, would it be worthwhile for me to take this? What are your thoughts? 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| iguanamon Pentaglot Senior Member Virgin Islands Speaks: Ladino Joined 5056 days ago 2237 posts - 6731 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Creole (French) | Message 2 of 7 17 July 2015 at 6:16pm | IP Logged |
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What would you be giving up if you don't take it? What's the opportunity cost involved? In other words, what other possibly useful class would you be giving up to fit it in?
Also if you are looking for GPA and extra hours, since you have been tested and placed into "Advanced German" you could probably get at least 6 hours credit (and up to 12 hours) via the CLEP German Exam. CLEP stands for College Level Examination Program where if you successfully pass the test, you will receive credit hours for a much lower price and a lot less time. The exam costs $80. $80 is not a bad price to get up to 12 hours credit! You pay a reduced credit hour rate depending on the individually university. That's what I did, many years ago, with Spanish. If you'd like to see what an advanced level university language course is like have a look at the free to download materials at MIT OpenCourseWare Languages for German III and German IV. They also have a course called Germany Today: An Intensive Study of German Language and Culture. I'm not suggesting that you do these courses- just have a look at them to get an idea of what your course may be like. Edited by iguanamon on 18 July 2015 at 12:26am 2 persons have voted this message useful | |
| AlexTG Diglot Senior Member Australia Joined 4432 days ago 178 posts - 354 votes Speaks: English*, French Studies: Latin, German, Spanish, Japanese | Message 3 of 7 17 July 2015 at 6:17pm | IP Logged |
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Have you checked what other advanced German units are on offer? At my old uni there were
3rd year literature and film units which were actually taught in the foreign language. Even if taught in English this might be a good alternative to classroom language learning. Edited by AlexTG on 17 July 2015 at 6:20pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| osoymar Tetraglot Pro Member United States Joined 4530 days ago 190 posts - 344 votes Speaks: English*, German, Portuguese, Japanese Studies: Spanish, French Personal Language Map | Message 4 of 7 17 July 2015 at 6:17pm | IP Logged |
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Without knowing anything about your level in German, your goals for German, or the
professors and their lesson plans, it's going to be hard to give you any advice. But if it's a US university, I assume you have a drop/add period- so yes, sign up. If it's terrible you can either convince the faculty you're ready for a higher level, or just drop it and continue studying on your own. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| slikew Groupie United States Joined 3867 days ago 79 posts - 95 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Spanish | Message 5 of 7 17 July 2015 at 6:18pm | IP Logged |
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If you could get a good grade in the course (boosting your GPA) and improve in German at the same time without having to spend too much extra money (assuming you have a scholarship or are paying for your college yourself), I would say yes. It looks good on a transcript to have advanced language courses. That is of course, unless you have an actual language certification in German already. You never know what doors it may open for you.
1 person has voted this message useful | |
| soclydeza85 Senior Member United States Joined 3701 days ago 357 posts - 502 votes Speaks: English* Studies: German, French | Message 6 of 7 17 July 2015 at 7:00pm | IP Logged |
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Thanks for the quick replies
Iguanamon - I'm a junior level engineering major and each class is very rigorous. I could take another required engineering course in that extra space but then I run the risk of overloading myself, which I did recently and it wasn't pretty. The idea of taking the German class is that it would be a nice break from all that technical stuff, keep me moving with my German and it would be enjoyable. Plus, it might give for a nice GPA boost. The other option is, of course, not to take any extra class, which would mean no extra expense and more time to devote to other things, but that is what I'm trying to weight my decision against. Also, I was unaware of the CLEP, or those MIT courses, I will definitely look into those. AlexGT - There are a few other options (Cinema, Lit, Independent study), I emailed the head of the German department at the school and told her my situation and what she'd suggest, so perhaps she will tell me whether or not I'd be prepared for these kinds of courses. Osoymar - As far as level and goals, I'm probably somewhere in the B1 range and though language learning is essentially a hobby, I would really like to be able to use German professionally one day. We do have add/drop periods at universities, the only downside is that it shows up with a W (withdrawal) on the transcript if dropped, which isn't horrible, but is definitely cause for questioning by any future school/employer that sees it. My school might have a more lenient policy with it, I'll have to check (I'm a recent transfer) slikew - Those are good points and are things I've considered Edited by soclydeza85 on 17 July 2015 at 7:02pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| aokoye Diglot Senior Member United StatesRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5335 days ago 235 posts - 453 votes Speaks: English*, German Studies: Dutch, Norwegian, Japanese | Message 7 of 7 17 July 2015 at 9:33pm | IP Logged |
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I don't think you have a whole lot to lose if you do take it though if you're particularly worried you
might think about auditing it. I think talking to the director of the German department is a really good move as well. Just an FYI, CLEP tests aren't actually courses, just tests. If you pass the tests at a specific level you can get credit in them if your university recognizes it - not all colleges/universities give students credits for passing the exams. Think of it like testing out of a freshman writing course - you pay money to take the test and if you pass it then you'll get credit for the course. 1 person has voted this message useful |
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