As I’m sure everyone reading this is very aware of, Holy Cross has two consecutive language requirements as a part of their common-core, liberal arts curriculum. I am currently in my second semester of intro-level Latin. I know what you’re thinking right now– why on EARTH would you be taking Latin? Believe it or not, I am aware that it’s a dead and unspoken language. That’s what every person makes sure to tell me when they hear that I’m taking it.
What first drew me to taking Latin at Holy Cross is the CBL (Community-Based Learning) component. Rather than having a practicum, which is three days a week at the most inconvenient times like all of the other languages we are given the option to take, I go into an elementary school in Worcester once per week to teach them Greek and Roman mythology. Seeing and spending time with children is so rare in college, and it is so refreshing to be with kids and get away from campus. It is much less time-consuming and much more enjoyable.
Second of all, it has helped me understand and learn English grammar to a new and deeper extent. English grammar has to be understood to translate English and Latin sentences to one another, so it has helped me perfect my grammar. Finally, I decided to take it to understand the roots of English words further, which has proved very interesting and enjoyable to discover.
I would recommend taking a language early on in your college career if you need to (so you can get it over with), and I would definitely recommend Latin!!