How strict are IR programs about language requirements?

[Nico Corr]

Many of them stipulate that you must demonstrate a high proficiency of understanding in a foreign language before you graduate. I myself consider myself to have a moderate-proficiency of Spanish as I use it at work and in my personal life on almost a daily basis. If it's anything related directly to my current job, soccer, or food, I can get by. I don't know that I could necessarily use it in a political context. I also have a very basic understanding of Arabic and am trying to hone my Arabic skills via a CD language set. I figure between now and before I begin my studies I can really clamp on studying the language enough to pass the language exam. 

Edited February 13, 2018 by Nico Corr

[pickledcarrots]

I think it would vary a bit by program, but my take from visiting Fletcher: you should be able to navigate a professional environment with relative ease. Your Spanish sounds like it's nearly there. Their program distinguishes between oral and reading proficiency, and you need to score a bit better on the latter in order to fulfill graduation requirements. More on this here:

http://fletcher.tufts.edu/~/media/Fletcher/Microsites/congratulations/Foreign Language Entry 2014-15 Handbook.pdf

I'm in the same boat with you as Spanish, and will work on it ASAP once I hear admissions decisions. I plan on taking a local class to boost my oral abilities and self-studying some of my old academic resources to refresh my reading skills. Did you study Spanish or Arabic in school at any point? If you take the next few months to boost your reading skills in either language, you may be able to get yourself to a more comfortable position and then fine tune throughout your studies. You'll notice that this program also has a lower requirement for Arabic, and it's possible that other programs adjust for difficulty as well.

[Nico Corr]

3 hours ago, pickledcarrots said:

I think it would vary a bit by program, but my take from visiting Fletcher: you should be able to navigate a professional environment with relative ease. Your Spanish sounds like it's nearly there. Their program distinguishes between oral and reading proficiency, and you need to score a bit better on the latter in order to fulfill graduation requirements. More on this here:

http://fletcher.tufts.edu/~/media/Fletcher/Microsites/congratulations/Foreign Language Entry 2014-15 Handbook.pdf

I'm in the same boat with you as Spanish, and will work on it ASAP once I hear admissions decisions. I plan on taking a local class to boost my oral abilities and self-studying some of my old academic resources to refresh my reading skills. Did you study Spanish or Arabic in school at any point? If you take the next few months to boost your reading skills in either language, you may be able to get yourself to a more comfortable position and then fine tune throughout your studies. You'll notice that this program also has a lower requirement for Arabic, and it's possible that other programs adjust for difficulty as well.

Thanks for the input pickledcarrots. My father's family is from Central America, so I grew up speaking it with extended family in my early teens and also took classes all through high school. I took a semester of Arabic as well, and have studied it on and off since graduation. I've had limited opportunities to use my Spanish and Arabic with foreign diplomats/military in a professional atmosphere. I have to take micro and macroecon courses in the Spring before I start grad school in the fall, so I'll have to balance out further study with econ.