For many students the college foreign language requirement begins before the student actually steps foot into a university classroom. According to "Getting Ready for College Early" many colleges and universities require that all in-coming applicants have at least two years and sometimes three years of high school foreign language study under their belts before entering university. During this time, students should seek academic advisement from school counselors. The counselor will help students research the foreign language requirements for each college on a student's potential college list.
The study of a language is more than just learning the words and sentence structure of another language. It also covers the culture and history of the places where that language was spoken. In today's global economy, understanding these influences plays a key role in a business and your success. Studying a language teaches you what one culture thinks is appropriate, helping nonnative speakers avoid many of the breaches of etiquette that inevitably arise from cultural misunderstandings. Universities that require that students fulfill a foreign language requirement cite this as one of the key reasons for learning a foreign language.
Knowing which language to study to meet the college foreign language requirement stumps many students. The answer to that question varies. Sometimes, a student has a specific language required by her major --- for example, many art history majors must study German or French, because those are the languages in which most of art history is written. For other students, studying a foreign language provides a way to access a person's family history in a more personal and meaningful way. Finally, students might study the language of a particular country in order to do business there.
True fluency and proficiency in a language takes a number of years. Most students, however, can develop proficiency in a language in two or three years of college study. Universities such as the University of Minnesota that have a foreign language requirement usually also have an understanding of how many years it will take to develop language proficiency. They also have language placement tests in place, which ensure that students develop the four language competencies --- reading, speaking, listening and writing. Studying abroad in a country that speaks a student's foreign language of choice develops language skills faster. Typically, one year of study abroad replaces several years of classroom study.