Over 6,700 prospective students, over 50 days of reading and deliberating files, over 115 inches of snow, and today Committee is OVER. And what a Committee it was! 13 counselors with different backgrounds, different levels of admissions experience, and different recruitment regions all came together to help shape the Class of 2019. We are so proud of our applicants this year–the pool included students from sea to shining sea, as well as Canada and Peru, the UK and Nepal, China and Egypt and India and several other countries. It was so incredible to learn about students from all over the world, as they threw their hats in the ring for a chance to be part of our community. I am so humbled to work in Admissions here at Holy Cross and get to be a part of this amazing process!
Students’ incredibly hard work certainly did not go unnoticed in this admission cycle. We tapped our feet to drumming videos; smiled through scenes from plays like Shrek and Legally Blonde; felt shivers run down our spines during vocal performances; enjoyed stunning self-portraits, photographs, still-life paintings, and ceramic pottery; laughed at funny essays (and teared up at tender essays); and of course, we voted. We chose students who we think challenged themselves in high school and will relish the academic rigors here on Mount Saint James. We chose students who we believe will enhance our community with their wonderful talents, their varied interests, and their strong drive to not only better themselves but also better the lives of others. And finally, we chose students who showed us their desire to study at a liberal arts college, and if they could, their desire to study at Holy Cross specifically. Applicants showed us in all kinds of ways that they wanted to be Crusaders–by visiting campus, interviewing with an admissions counselor or an alumnus/alumna, writing to us, submitting their application response form, sending us supplemental materials, and/or attending a campus event. Now that this part of the admission cycle is over, we look to the next step: helping admitted students choose Holy Cross!
I would like to end this post with my deepest congratulations to everyone who applied to the College this year. You are all such incredible people with so much to offer, and it was an extraordinary experience to review your applications. Working at a small liberal arts college, we had to make some hard decisions, and I wish that we could have taken more students–we saw so many well-qualified students in this pool. While we could not offer a spot to everyone, we thank you all for applying and wish you all the best in your final semester of high school and in your future studies!
