<p>I know exactly want you mean… I did the exact same thing when I did “Further Classics” last year. In the beginning I hated it but by the end (granted a lot of this was aided by the fact that all “further” classes are given A*, A, C or Fail) even though I spent nearly all of my work time on Classics and more or less ignored my other subjects, I learned so much and in retrospect I loved it…</p>
<p>Edit: Further Classics is a course in Latin After the AP Latin: Vergil course and a course in Ancient Greek that goes from the very beginning to Plato and Homer in a year.</p>
<p>If I were to complete the process again, I probably would have done the same given the unpredictability of the admission practices at HYPS and Penn - MIT for its programs and Brown for it financial aid guarantee to low-income students. Volume, to a certain degree, is very beneficial.</p>
<p>How likely is it that they got my Jan. SAT scores in time? I sent my app on Dec.27th. 'Cause I know they say they accept it, but I am doubtful…considering the number of applications they have to go through… would they really come back to mine?</p>
<p>@powerbomb, I think they’ve probably read every application by now and made many of their decisions. If you had a great chance of getting in by them reading the other parts of your application, then they probably want to look back at your application to wait for your scores. If they threw out your application because you had no chance, then SAT scores won’t change anything</p>
<p>Oh sorry I didn’t mean you were for sure getting rejected or accepted, I just meant that if they looked at your app and likely would accept you when your SAT score is received, then they’ll put your app on hold before making a final decision. However, if you have really bad GPA/ recs/ ECs/ essay, then a 2400 probably won’t change their mind. </p>
<p>It seems like your a strong applicant since you say the SAT is the tipping point, so I’m guessing they’ll definitely look at the SAT.</p>
<p>@TYiL: I think it’s my biggest academic/HS regret that I didn’t go further in Latin. I have a copy of Wheelock’s, and most of Catullus’ poems, but I’ve forgotten so much and never learned a lot of the stuff I’d need to translate those things that it’s impossible.
But, I’m pretty sure physics won’t get better for me. Calc BC got better and I ended up loving it and doing quite well. Physics doesn’t make sense to me in any way shape or form, not even when my crazy smart friend explains everything to me step by step. I guess I didn’t inherit those genes from my engineer father.</p>
<p>^ Well you can always start up Latin again in college, the vocab you will probably have to relearn a fair amount of but the “translation skills” will always be there so you can always take an accelerated intro course to refresh yourself and then go beyond. In addition, I personally recommend that you look at doing a bit of Ancient Greek in college. Nothing against Latin but there is just more (and to be honest better) things to be read in Greek than there is in Latin. If I a mathematically minded person can do it with moderate success you should be able to pick it up without much trouble at all. PS if you have any desire to self-study Ancient Greek I recommend that you get a book called “Athenaze I” it is by far the best textbook (every other one that I’ve seen is one or more of the following: poorly structured, incredibly terse, nothing interesting to translate).</p>
<p>As for Physics C, good luck and help from classmated is almost always more effective than the teacher’s notes.</p>
<p>I think self-studying Latin is a lot easier than self-studying Ancient Greek, honestly, for the obvious reason that Latin is a lot more similar to, say, Spanish, French; Dutch (not that that will help you :p) and English even, than Ancient Greek is to any other language you might be familiar with (Except for maybe Russian) and it is also fairly challenging to get accostumed to a whole new alphabet. </p>
<p>Latin is also a bit more straightforward in terms of grammar intricacies than Ancient Greek.
If you would appreciate studying pretty much 400 (;)) varieties of a verb, it is a different matter though! (–> There is a form of a verb that means: I would have untied [the rope] for my own benefit.) Ancient Greek is a brilliant puzzle though, to try to solve. </p>
<p>If you want to restart learning Latin, Catullus might be a bit hard (I don’t know at which level you were before), you could try reading easy Ovid and Vergil pieces first, before you do Catullus again. I am currently reading a lot by Cicero, Pro Caelio, which is really interesting (and hilarious!). </p>
<p>As for Ancient Greek, I agree with YankinLondon that the texts you could read are more interesting, Plato is pretty interesting (although I was a bittttt dissappointed, because you expect to unfold this magnificent piece of brilliance, and it, quite frankly, is not!). I have been reading the Oedipus Rex lately and that is just amazing and beautiful. Homer is easier and also fun! </p>
<p>Good luck! And cool that there are people on here who also study the classics.</p>
<p>^^ I can’t PARS that verb form and it’s really bugging me… Excuse my inability (I’ve only been doing Greek for a bit over a year) but is it anywhere near: 1st person, Singular, Optative, Middle, Future Perfect (I’m not sure if the future perfect even has an optative but…)</p>
<p>My school used to require both Ancient Greek and Latin a looong time ago, but at some point in time since the 1800s, educators decided that modern language mattered too.
Latin just seems more accessible since I’m surrounded by it. I tutor Latin, everyone in my classes talks about Latin, even when I’m at ballet, there are people always missing for Certamen, etc., blah. And our teachers always disparaged Greek verbs for having too many principle parts or something. My sister knows a little ancient Greek though, mostly nouns she learned for some very involved history class, so maybe she could help me out. She’s already my go to source for conversation in French.</p>
<p>I’m glad to hear that Greek is similar to Russian. There’s a book I love that’s almost impossible to find in any other language than Russian, so maybe knowing some Greek would help out.</p>
<p>My Yale letter came about a week and a half after the December 15 notification… I think Harvard’s might be a little longer (like two ish weeks) because obviously there’s more people applying RD to Harvard than EA to Yale</p>
<p>correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought Harvard decided not to offer a regular decision or early action way of applying?
Or did I get it mixed up with another college?</p>