Take Spanish 3 (university level) or start self-studying?

Question

I only have 2-3 "free" classes (not major-related) able to take before I graduate, and I want to learn both Spanish and Japanese. I'm taking Japanese 1 & Spanish 3 in the fall, but with such a tight remaining schedule, I was wondering if I should just stop taking Spanish classes and self-study that language to make more room for Japanese. I've been self-studying Spanish for the past few months and have honestly gained a lot more than what I have in class, but I'm still not sure.

What do you guys think? Formal learning or self-learning at this point? What have been your experiences?

Thank you!

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No estoy segura si debo tomar éste próximo clase de español (nivel tres) o sólo aprender por mi cuenta. Sólo tengo dos o tres clases libres antes de graduarme y quiero aprender japónes por dos semestres. Tengo la pasión para aprender por mi cuenta pero no estoy segura si yo aprendería mas rápido o mas mejor en esa forma.

Que piensan? Aprendizaje libre o formal? Gracias!

Answer 1

The best advice in this situation is to do what has been most successful for you as an individual. There's no general rule that any language learner to follow because we all learn languages differently.

In your question, you state

I've been self-studying Spanish for the past few months and have honestly gained a lot more than what I have in class

If this is the case and you have enough motivation to learn Spanish by yourself, the best course of action is to self-study Spanish and focus only on Japanese in your academic classes. Making this decision will not only benefit your Spanish skills, as you said you learn more through self-study, but it will also benefit your Japanese skills, as you will gain the ability to focus solely on Japanese in school.