Firstly I spoke to Brendon Chang, who is taking Mandarin 3. Mandarin only has two classes at SJND, Mandarin 3 and Mandarin 4 Honors. Mandarin will shrink to just one class in 2024 and may be gone after that. Despite this, Brendon is still enjoying the small class.
Brendon said that Mandarin “is a class that almost no one takes so it looks good on college applications” and that “some parts are hard, you’re learning a new language, and you aren’t writing English letters but aside from that it’s pretty fun.” Brendon has a high opinion of the small Mandarin program at SJND and recommends it to anyone interested in Mandarin in the future.