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I have a question. I speak Korean fluently (I'm second-generation Korean) and I speak Japanese semi-fluently (I've passed proficiency but I don't feel comfortable speaking it without further training). I also have a wee bit of fluency in Spanish but let's not discuss that.

But, as a 2nd Generation Korean, my Korean is not AS fluent (it's fine, I can speak to educators/diplomats and such as I have before), as a first generation Korean. I've annotated it in my application to Georgetown.

Also, I haven't taken an SAT II for a language, will this be a baddie? I really don't see the point in taking a language test for a language I already know, and has a disastrously forgiving curve.

Will my multi-lingual skills and ethnicity be a plus or a minus when applying to the SFS program? Please advise!

By Hoyadan (Hoyadan) on Saturday, August 14, 2004 - 10:30 pm: Edit

Hello! It will be a HUGE plus!!!! Don't be afraid to flaunt your language skills! I am a Mexican and speak both English and Spanish fluently, I am a native speaker of both languages, and to me it seems you are a native speaker of Korean, so don't be afraid to mention it. I would recommend you take the SAT II Korean as it will probably only embellish your application. I didn't introduce myself, sorry, I'm Dan, and I will be a freshman at Gtown, many of myfriends took the SAT II spanish and it really helped them. Good luck with ur application!

By Tlaktan (Tlaktan) on Saturday, August 14, 2004 - 10:37 pm: Edit

My scores are a bit on the lower end for Georgetown. Bah. Will the language be a plus there? I know it's not enough to completely counter, but some?

By Manderz (Manderz) on Tuesday, August 17, 2004 - 04:17 am: Edit

Language tests don't have a disastrously forgiving curve...they have disastrously EVIL curves, because so many native speakers take them.

My friend, who was born in Mexico City, was hesistant to take the test but I told her too..she got an 800, no sweat. It will only help.

Just because you speak it natively does not mean you should be demerited for having the super-cool ability of being bilingual.

If I were you, I would flaunt it- it's great!

By Tlaktan (Tlaktan) on Tuesday, August 17, 2004 - 10:02 am: Edit

Since one of the hottest languages right now is.. Japanese.. do you think in some way I could emphasize this and seek to enhance my lingual skills @ Georgetown? Or I may just go a completely different route altogether and try to learn Spanish. *shrug*

By Hoyadan (Hoyadan) on Tuesday, August 17, 2004 - 10:46 am: Edit

I would recommend u toolk Japanese, a friend who just grdauated from Stanford said that Japanese is in high demands by employers, as she had a friend who got a job one month before graduation at a Japan-USA company, so I would take Japanese and finish it off, then maybe you shoud take Spanish.

By Tlaktan (Tlaktan) on Tuesday, August 17, 2004 - 10:59 am: Edit

Well, how would I best present my lingual skills to Georgetown? I don't want to take the SAT II's, it just seems like a waste of time considering I can take it in other subjects.

Besides, the curves are vicious. I can't afford that! :-P