Julia Oudiz
Features Editor
Mira Costa sophomore Danielle Healy plans to dig deeper into her heritage through a college course on the Russian language.
Healy will be taking Intensive Elementary Russian at Harvard University for seven weeks this summer. The class will be held for six hours a day, five days a week. Healy has been independently learning Russian for over a year and has been looking for opportunities to strengthen her knowledge of the language, she said.
“I was looking for a program that I could take at a college and get formal training rather than just tutoring,” Healy said. “I found this program really interesting, and it will give me the college experience. I will have fun going to Boston for seven weeks.”
Because the course will have an intense workload, the class will help Healy improve her study habits and prepare her for harder classes in the future, she said. Healy can also understand more Russian than the class requires, so the material will not be as difficult for her. In addition, she will room with other students at Harvard, further simulating an actual college experience.
“While I’m [at Harvard], it will definitely make me more focused on the course,” Healy said. “Once I leave, it will give me perspective on how to handle heavy workloads in the future and teach me how to prioritize.”
Healy will receive both high school and college credit. However, the high school credit will not fill a language requirement due to Russian not being a course at Costa. The class will also help her decide whether she wants a career in politics, given the current political climate, she said.
“I think the college credit is an added bonus,” Healy said. “I do think [the credit] is very useful once you get to college. It also fills a language requirement, so you might not have to take classes in the future, but I am definitely using this more for experience.”
One of the benefits of taking this course is the ability to simulate an actual college class, rather than taking an Advanced Placement class in high school, Healy said. Taking this class demonstrates to colleges that she can handle heavy course loads. This class will help her manage her work loads for future classes as well.
“Although you’re doing the rigor and the course load of a college class [in an AP class], you’re still with high school kids,” Healy said. “Taking a course with other college kids will elevate the experience because you’re with students who are actually attending college.”
The application process was fairly easy, yet still tedious, Healy said. To apply, Healy was required to write a series of essays based on questions about leadership skills and independence, as well as fill out medical and background information forms. Healy also sent Harvard a letter of recommendation written by her school counselor, Corrine Lee-Iwai, and a copy of her transcript.
“It’s not too selective,” Healy said. “One question [on the essay] was about which classes have shaped your experience academically and impacted you. Another was about an experience that was difficult and how you handled it. Certain questions were trying to test your ability to handle situations independently and come out stronger.”
Healy’s dream is to attend Harvard University for college. She plans to major in Slavic languages and literature while continuing to take Russian courses as well. She also hopes to visit Russia next year to further her interests and skills in the Russian language.
“Even though it is going to be a heavy course load and I am going to college for the summer, I am still getting a great education and a unique opportunity that not a lot of people are fortunate to get,” Healy said. “This will expand my knowledge and help me overall academically, but also as a person.”
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