Like many other college students, I studied 5 years of a foreign language in high school and didn't want to see all of my time and effort go to waste, so I decided to continue studying a foreign language in college. Besides, being fluent in another language is something all employers are interested in. Although the foreign language curriculum is relatively easy and doesn't require many classes, my studies haven't been all a walk in the park. There are so many struggles when studying a different language that simply only other foreign language students will understand.
1. Word Reference being sooo not user-friendly.
For whatever reason, every professor (like, ever) is very persistent on the fact that Google Translate is the spawn of the devil and that we must use Word Reference instead. Not only is the Word Reference website hard to read, it's hard to navigate as well. Sorry, but I'll be sticking to Google Translate instead.
2. "OMG! Say something in a different language!"
The most annoying part of telling someone what you're studying is their inevitable response of wanting you to say a sentence back to them. Not only is it awkward, but it's also pointless since they clearly don't know what you're saying and don't even know if you're saying it correctly.
3. Homework questions are the same as in other classes, just in a different language.
I think that a lot of people assume that the homework of a foreign language student is simply translating things like "I like dogs" or "My favorite color is..." when, in reality, the questions we are being asked are complex issues like "How should we solve racism?" Sure, these questions are asked in other questions as well, but such complex concepts can be hard to answer in a different language.
4. Making your class schedule is literally impossible.
The most annoying part of foreign language classes is trying to make your class schedule each semester. Every language class must be taken in a very particular order that is very crucial to learning the language correctly and efficiently. Each course has a very specific set of prerequisites and trying to make a class schedule that works but also honors every prerequisite is nearly impossible.
5. Needing to find complete silence in order to get any work done.
I'm the type that's completely unbothered by background noise when I'm doing homework. I even prefer to listen to music as I crank out my assignments. However, when I'm studying a foreign language, I must have complete silence in order to focus on my language and not the English going on in the background. And if you've ever stepped foot on a college campus, you know that silence is hard to come by.