It’s mid-August already?! Where have I been? The summer humidity seems to be easing off, the students are starting to move back onto campus for athletic training, and soon I will have to dust off my suitcase and hit the road for fall recruitment travel.* As I make my own travel checklist (book flights, reserve rental cars and hotel rooms, plan high schools, find alumni volunteers for interview programs, package and ship out materials), I cannot also help but think about the checklist that seniors are probably making as they gear up for their last year of high school. I thought that I would offer a few suggestions here:
– go to the Common App website. Applying to colleges involves some paperwork, and August feels like a good time to get at least some of it out of the way before classes, practices, meetings, and homework take up much of your time.
– start to make a list of teachers who you would ask to write a letter of recommendation for you. You want to be able to choose a teacher who knows you not only as a student but also as a person. At Holy Cross we review applications very thoroughly, so please be sure you are thoughtful in choosing your teachers for recommendations. Additionally, have a list of a few teachers in case a teacher you ask is not able to write a letter for you.
– polish up your essay. Before you have to start writing essays for class, it’s good to have a solid draft of your Common App essay now. Once school starts again you are not going to have as much time to work on it, and you definitely want others to read it and offer feedback. The Huffington Post has some interesting articles about the college essay if you seek additional insights!
– schedule a visit to campus! For rising seniors we offer full-day visit opportunities, which are a great way to experience the academic and social experience of Holy Cross. We also have Open Houses, an overnight program for students from diverse backgrounds, and of course, lots of chances to have an interview!
As we approach the fall, I cannot say how excited I am for the next admissions cycle. We wish applicants all the best and look forward to meeting the future members of the Holy Cross Class of 2020!
*About fall recruitment travel–please stay tuned, as we plan to post our staff travel calendar on the Holy Cross website later this month!
