Are there any 4 year colleges in California I can get into without having foreign language credits from HS?

Question

Im 24 and really want to go to a 4 year college. Problem is I dont have two years foreign language credits from high school. I was attending a career college but droped out because I was unhappy with the education I was receiving. I know most of you will say go to a jr college and transfer, but I really feel like thats not a good option for me.

mister_pisces you are an ***! I didn't waste 6 years of my life doing absolutely nothing. Why do you assume this just because I have not gone to college yet.

Answer 1

Chapman doesn't appear to require foreign language for admittance. I suspect many of the less prestigious privates don't. Chapman does require you to take foreign language once there, unless you can get the requirement waived by taking a test, etc.

You're really better off going to a JC and then transferring though. Why don't you think it's not a good option? Save you a ton of money and you have a much better chance of getting a degree at a school you can be proud of.

Answer 2

Most if not all universities will require foreign language credits. If there's a particular university you'd like to go to, I would suggest talking to an adviser there, who can tell you exactly what your options are.

At your age and without the foreign language, yes, you'll probably need to start at a community college. I felt the same way about them that you do, when I finished high school; I wasn't interested in going to one because they're open admission and I didn't feel I would be challenged. Due to some medical problems I decided to go to the local community college for a year and then transfer (I did get accepted to several good universities) but I liked the college enough I stayed two years and got my associate's degree before transferring. The nice part about community college is it has smaller classes and is focused totally on education (while at a university the emphasis is also on research, which may not matter to you at this stage of your life)

Best of luck.

Answer 3

You may have trouble getting accomodations without appropriate supporting materials, but there's no reason you can't take the SATs. Just sign up through ETS's website, make sure you've got all the things they ask you to bring, and show up. Even if you don't do anything more than fill in your name, they can't turn you away as long as you aren't being a distraction to other students. The language requirements may be a little trickier. Your best bet if you wanted to go straight to a four year university would be to take courses on your own at a community college and/or to explain the issue in an addendum to your application, but you may want to consider taking the community college route and transferring after two years. It won't take you any more time to finish, and you'll probably find the transition smoother in terms of coursework.

Answer 4

The foreign languages isn't the problem, the problem is that you've wasted 6 years of your life and have done absolutely nothing. There is no way any college is going to accept you as a freshman regardless of what language classes you did or didn't take in highschool

If you refuse to go to a community college, then you will not be able to go to a 4 year college.

Answer 5

Most universities - and almost all state university systems - require you to have two years of foreign language credits or equivalent. In California, your state university system requires it. If you didn't get them in high school, you can satisfy the requirement if:

-Your first language is something other than English, which you'd have to prove (often by taking a test)
-You take 2 years of foreign language at the university level before you apply (community college courses are fine)

I know you're adverse to starting at a community college, but going to a cc could give you a real advantage - you may not have to take a language at all. You'd go to cc, then transfer, and the prerequisite language would be waived for you, as this requirement usually applies to incoming freshmen, not incoming transfer students. In order for this to work, most universities will want you to complete your associates, then transfer. And note that many universities, depending on your major, will then require you to take one or two years of language at their college - but if you pick the right major (usually a BFA or a BS rather than a BA), you may not have to take a language at all. Check to see if this works in California.

Otherwise, you're left looking at the private schools in your area. I'm not sure if any of them don't require this prerequisite.

The other option is to attend a professional school, rather than a traditional university. For example, most art schools don't require the prerequisite language (Academy of Art University, California College of Arts and Crafts, Otis, etc.) You could also check out other types of professional schools in your area - San Francisco School of Mortuary Science as an example (don't groan. It's a profitable profession). To help you, I've linked a list of all the colleges in California:

Answer 6

you should be able to get into college with out the language credits, you'll just have to take the language in college. shouldn't be a problem.

Answer 7

I dont belive colleges even need 2 years of FL.
Just apply and take the entrace exam