Spanish Advising FAQs

Force-add policies for SPAN courses | How to declare a major or minor | How to obtain a SPAN Advisor | Advising details | Placement exam for 2000- and 3000-levels | How to add Oral Proficiency (3125-6) | Spanish Program | Dept. of Foreign Languages and Literatures

Force-Add Policy for ALL Spanish classes:

Do NOT contact the professor about force adding.
Limited force-adds may be allowed for Spanish classes, depending on enrollments.
What to do: If you are unable to add the class online, you should attend the class the first week of the semester (unless the professor tells you otherwise). Each day, the professor will pass around a "force add hopefuls" sheet or use another method for determining which students want to force add.
We must give first consideration to declared Spanish majors, Spanish minors majoring in International or Interdisciplinary Studies, other SPAN minors, then other students, in rank order within each category.
Often by the end of the first week of classes, students' schedules shift around so that space does open up. If space becomes available, the professor will force add you and notify you of this. It is wise to continue attending the class and doing the assignments in the meantime, in case you are able to get into the class.

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How to Declare a Spanish Major or Minor:

To declare the major or minor, go by the department office in 331 Major Williams Hall and fill out the "declaration of major or minor" form and submit it to the secretary.

You can also access the form at http://www.fll.vt.edu/studentuse/studentforms.html --print it out, fill it out, and mail it to: Ms. Pam Saville, Dept of Foreign Lang & Lit, 331 Major Williams Hall, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061.

NOTE: The office staff is too overloaded to process this form during the first week of the semester, so you should submit it at a different time.

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How to obtain a Spanish Advisor:

Contact the office staff in the FLL Department Office (331 Major Williams Hall, 540-231-5361) and ask to be assigned to a Spanish advisor. If you have difficulties, contact Dr. Folkart (jfolkart@vt.edu), who is in charge of the Spanish Program.

If you have already declared the Spanish major or minor, then you have already been assigned to a Spanish Advisor. To find out who it is, consult the Spanish Advisor print-out posted on the bulletin board across the hall from the department office, 331 Major Williams Hall. That list is generally updated each Friday during spring and fall classes.

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Advising Details:

Who needs a Spanish Advisor? Anyone thinking about or actually majoring or minoring in Spanish. It is your responsibility to contact your Spanish Advisor.

What kind of Spanish advice might you need? It is very important that you consult with your Spanish Advisor, especially for the following types of issues: ensuring the appropriate placement level for incoming students; getting any AP or IB credit properly assigned on your transcript; planning your schedule of courses and your Spanish graduation requirements; getting advanced approval for Spanish transfer credit; getting advanced approval for courses taken on a Spanish study abroad program; and getting study abroad courses properly transferred after your return to VT.

Information to give your Spanish Advisor: When you first meet with your Spanish advisor, be sure to give her or him a list with the following information:

1) How many years of Spanish you took in high school, and the grades you earned; 2) Any AP or IB Diploma exam scores you got from high school (VT does not award college credit for the IB certificate, only the IB diploma); 3) Any Spanish classes you took at other colleges, and the grades you earned; 4) how long it has been since you took a Spanish class; 5) Any extended live-abroad experience you have had in a Spanish-speaking country; 6) What semester and year you plan to graduate; 7) Your VT Student ID number
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Diagnostic exam for 2105/6 and 3105/6:

In SPAN 2105, 2106, 3105, and 3106, a brief diagnostic placement exam will be administered to all incoming students on the first day of the semester to ensure that they are at the correct level. After grading the exam, the professor will notify the student if s/he should move to a different level.

It is very important that students begin their VT coursework in Spanish at their actual skill level, since learning a language is like building a pyramid: if there are holes in the foundation, then students are bound to fall through those gaps and struggle when they try to succeed at a more advanced level.

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How to get into Oral Proficiency (3125 or 3126):

You will notice that Hokie Spa will not allow you to add Oral Proficiency to your schedule. The only way to get into the OP courses is to attend class on the first day and make an appointment with the professor to take an individual oral exam. If this oral exam shows that you are at the appropriate level for the course, the professor will force add you. Space is highly restricted in order to provide maximum speaking opportunities to all participants. Priority is given to Spanish majors, then minors, in rank order.
If you test too high for 3125, which is always offered in the fall, you will be advised to take 3126 in the spring instead. If you test too high for 3126, then the professor will send a note to the Associate Chair of the Department in certification of this; you should then take another SPAN course at the 3XXX or 4XXX level in lieu of 3126, and have your Spanish Advisor submit a substitution to the Registrar's Office.

If you test too low for 3125 or 3126, you must take other coursework and/or find other means of improving your speaking skills in Spanish before you can test into the course.

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