by Esther Huang
Everything felt like a dream. From the day of my arrival at Harvard to the end of the summer session, what I experienced was like a fantasy. Was I really studying in the university that educated Theodore Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy and countless other remarkable people? My emotions were in a tumult when I stepped into the classroom on the first day of class. One part of me was filled with excitement and intent on adventure, but the other part wanted nothing more than to take the next plane home. All kinds of thoughts flashed through my mind at that moment. Would I be able to keep up with the class? Was my English good enough? Did I have the courage to make foreign friends? What should I do if I had trouble with my courses or about anything else? The only thing I could do was smile nervously. To be honest, I was quite surprised when I received Harvard’s letter thanking me for choosing their school to spend the summer. When I was filling out the application forms, I was stunned by the fact that they did not request any transcripts. To be more specific, for accepting summer school students, grades are not a major criteria at Harvard. Consequently, you do not have to worry about your English abilities or your past academic performance as long as you can manage to pass their summer courses. Harvard’s Institute for English Language Programs (IEL), which is a special program at Harvard, is designed for students whose English is as a second language. The IEL’s goal is to improve your English skills and teach reading, writing, listening, and oral training. According to IEL students, it is tough but rewarding, for your English drastically improves after being a part of this program. Calculus and Expository Writing, which are the courses that I took, are basic requirement courses in Harvard. My calculus professor was a former teacher at Harvard University, and has taught this course for a long period of time. Unlike most math teachers in Taiwan who only know how to show students how to calculate formulas, he knows how to grab students’ attention. When he explained a thesis or formula, what he would do was give simple examples from our daily lives. At Harvard, comprehension is more important than mere practice. Expository Writing is a course emphasizing on writing clear and insightful essays. It teaches you how to organize your arguments and persuade your readers. In this class, I read essays about the myth of American education system and racial discrimination, etc. Writing expository essays was a difficult task for me because I have never actually written anything on education or racial issues. Good writing skills are invaluable no matter what field you are studying in. The reason is because you need to know how to write coherent and persuasive arguments in your reports whether you are still in school or whether your future career is. Studying hard is not the only issue in Harvard. Around the campus grounds, you can see posters relating to student activities everyday. You can pick the ones that you are interested in, such as the orchestra or athletic tournaments, etc. My personal favorite was taking rowing lessons at the Weld Boat House. I felt overwhelmed trying out a sport that I never had any contact with. I was totally enchanted by the glamorous scenery along Charles river. Rowing was not as dangerous as I thought. You don’t have to worry about whether or not you have any rowing or sailing experiences. The only basic skill you must have beforehand is to know how to swim. Besides attending activities around the campus, Boston is worth taking a look at. You can go on a whale- watching tour and scan the horizon for humpback whales. Or you might take the Freedom Trail and understand how Boston influenced America’s history. If you are interested in art, you can go to the Museum of Fine Arts and admire Roman sculptures, impressionism paintings, Egyptian mummies and so on. If you are a baseball maniac, don’t miss the Boston’s Red Sox baseball games. Don’t hesitate, for you will lose the chance to see different aspects of Boston. Wasn’t all this like a fantasy? Do you want this fantasy to come true? Go ahead and take a look at Harvard’s website at http://www.harvard.edu or the Harvard Summer School at http://summer.dce.harvard.edu and request for an application. If you prefer to contact them directly, call Harvard Summer School at 51 Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA 02138-3722; (617) 495-4024. a
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May 2024
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