<p>So, has anyone here taken Celtic courses at Harvard? I'm considering applying to Harvard this year, and one of the things that really excites me about the school is this program, and I would quite like to take Irish language classes there. So, if anyone has taken these classes, how did you like them?</p>
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<p>Celtic is a very strong department. I haven’t taken Celtic, but I did take Old English, and I often had courses with the Celtic grad students because we were old studying dead languages together. 
The community is great.</p>
<p>I would definitely emphasize your interest in Celtic languages: hammer home the fact that you want to go to Harvard because you have that interest and because almost no other schools in the US have a Celtic language program. I might even go so far as to look over the course listings and email a professor politely with some specific questions, or visit a Celtic course if you visit the school. It will make your interest in the school look very genuine, and that will help you.</p>
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<p>It does seem rare to find a program in Celtic languages (Irish, particularly. Not a dead language, haha, despite the best efforts of the English), and Harvard’s seems to be the best in the United States. When I read through information for the program, it really excited me, and I’ll be certain to express this to Harvard. In fact, one of my essays will be about my “hero” being Bobby Sands and the influence that his writings have had on me, and I’ll write about how I want to learn Irish (he taught it to other political prisoners, to preserve their nation’s culture [and because the British guards couldn’t understand it]).</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice, I’ll see if I can sit in on a Celtic class (when I eventually make my way up from Florida) and talk to a professor if possible.</p>
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<p>Absolutely do; that sounds like a very strong strategy!</p>
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