A Guide to the Language Requirement at Dartmouth
I started my first year at Dartmouth feeling incredulous.
"I never thought I'd come to America to master French," I remember thinking on my way to Dartmouth Hall, where I took a French placement exam before the school year started. The test was designed to determine whether I should be enrolled in French 10 (the first course in the French major and minor sequence) or French 8 (the fourth course in the sequence for learning the language, after French 1, 2, and 3). You can skip the first three courses–French 1, 2, and 3, introductory French–if you have a good grade on the Advanced Placement exams in high-school or if you do well on the online placement exam you can do on Canvas in the summer before their first year starts.
I did well on the online placement exam (and effectively skipped the first three French courses) and that's how I found myself taking the in-person exam with a French professor whose name I sadly don't remember.
By now, you've probably scrolled up to check what my major is–it's not French–and you're probably wondering why I had to take French placement exams. Well… there's this thing called the foreign language requirement. Whether you speak a foreign language or not (that is, a language different from English), you'll need to take a language course or two (maybe three) in your college career.
- If you don't speak any language different from English, you're on the BIG GREEN PATH. This means that you'll have to take the first three courses in a foreign language (e.g. French 1 through 3) or go on a Language Study Abroad program. I have a lot of friends who are in Rome this summer, taking Italian courses 1 through 3 and having an amazing time! You can read about the Rome experience of People Places Pines blogger Lauren here.
- If you speak a language that is TAUGHT at Dartmouth, then you're on the BEMA PATH. This means that you can either start a new foreign language and take it's first two courses (e.g. French 1 and 2), or you can take a more advanced course in the same language (in my case, that was French 8), or you can take an accelerated-beginning language course such as Italian 11 (this course includes the material for Italian 1 and 2). You can also go in a Language Study Abroad program (also called an LSA).
- Last, if you speak a language that is NOT taught at Dartmouth (like Bulgarian, for example), then you're on the LONE PINE PATH. It's a common misconception that international students (like myself) don't need to take a foreign language course at Dartmouth, but we do. We have the same options the BEMA PATH gives, and we also have the option to take a Language Requirement for Proficient Speakers (LRP) course, which includes courses in linguistics, sociolinguistics, and translation (part of the Comparative Literature department).
I completed my foreign language requirement by transferring from the Lone Pine Path (I was placed there because I'm a native speaker of Bulgarian) to the Bema Path (I was placed there because I also speak French which is taught at Dartmouth) and taking an advanced course in French (French 8). I have a friend (also Bulgarian and on the Lone Pine Path) who decided to start a new language at Dartmouth, fell in love with it, and is now on the way to becoming an Ancient Greek minor. Other international friends of mine have taken linguistics courses or brushed up foreign languages they already speak like me.
Being an international student at Dartmouth also has one final perk when it comes to foreign languages. Introductory language courses often have a component called drill. These are speaking-practice sessions led by a student who is either proficient in the language or is a native speaker of the language. A lot of my Brazilian friends, for example, work as Portuguese drill instructors and they say it's rather fun.
Here's one final link to help answer any questions you might have. If you still have questions about the foreign language requirement, don't worry, once the time comes, your undergraduate dean will explain everything.