Posted on

Reflections on a Year in Admissions

As a newer member of the Admissions Office at Holy Cross,  I’d like to share some of my impressions about my first year:

1. I really appreciate the committee process and the fact that 13 of us make a decision on every applicant together.

2. It is a democratic process. Each person has a vote and every vote helped shape the class of 2015.

3. We spend a lot of time on each applicant.  In the committee room, we discussed the positive attributes of each applicant and looked at each application holistically before voting. Hearing the different opinions and viewpoints of my colleagues taught me to  recognize what it is to be a competitive college applicant,  and what it means to be a “fit” for Holy Cross.

4. We read your essay. I found the most common question in committee was, “Can we see the essay again?” After making tough decisions all day, I found that a sweet, endearing, or funny essay could really lift the  mood of the room.

My favorite memory from this year occurred when a student, whom I met on the road and interviewed on campus, stopped by my office with a smile on her face and a deposit slip in her hand.  She could not wait to tell me she would be joining the class of 2015!

I look forward to meeting the 2016 hopefuls.

Krystle Leveille
Admissions  Counselor
Posted on

The Final Push

As I walked from the parking lot to my office this morning, I noticed a particular stillness to the campus.  So much so that I had a brief moment of panic that I had mistakenly come to work on Saturday.  I quickly remembered that for our students, today marks the first study day before exams.  They wrapped up classes yesterday and spent last night celebrating at our annual spring concert.  The stillness explained.  Rest.  A much deserved, albeit brief rest.  Soon enough, our students will crawl out of bed, balk at the clock (can I still make it to lunch before Kimball closes?) and make their way to their favorite study spot on or off campus.  They have worked so hard all year, and they’re not going to stop now.  We hope you won’t either!

Lynn Verrecchia
Associate Director of Admissions
Posted on

Why Holy Cross? Because it’s Spring in New England

Having moved back East after four years of living a stone’s throw from the beach in Los Angeles, people often ask me, ”Why would anyone leave California for Massachusetts?”  To me, the answer is simple:

There is absolutely nothing like spring in New England.

You can smell its approach in the air.  After an arguably “character-building” winter, the first scent of spring is nothing short of amazing.  It’s an indescribable mix of soil and daffodils, mineral-y spring water,  and unadulterated joy.  And the second that scent matures into sunshine, and the temperature ticks above fifty degrees,  the air buzzes with a new sense of excitement.   The flip flops come out,  the window screens descend, the birds are chirpety chirping, Youk is up to bat, and all is right with the world.

New England’s four seasons instill in its patrons a unique sense of appreciation…an appreciation  for the characteristics and rhythms that each season presents, and an appreciation  for how quickly one season is engulfed by the next.  We learn to appreciate every day as it comes.   We watch the multi-colored leaves dancing overhead as we head to the game. We snuggle up and study with hot cocoa after tray-sledding.  We savor every last inch of spring sunshine from blankets on the quad.  We eat lobstah’ and chowdah’ with sunburned noses, and then we get excited to do it all again.

Julia Sanders
Assistant Director of Admissions
Posted on

How to Choose the School for You

For high school seniors, April is the month for decisions. Once acceptance letters have been received, students spend time on college campuses, taking and re-taking tours, sitting in on classes and doing their best to find differences amongst schools that have so much in common. Some students will ask their friends or look for insight from social networking websites.

So how should they decide? What’s the best way for a student to decide amongst more than one quality choice? Conduct a poll on Facebook? Conduct a poll at the dinner table? Conduct an imaginary battle between mascots?

The answer is in the dressing room.

When we’re shopping for clothes, we all have that moment just after we’ve buttoned up a pair of pants – we take stock, we look in the mirror and we make a gut decision based upon how those pants fit us, how they suit us and how they feel.

And when we emerge from the dressing room and find family or friend waiting for us, they are sure to ask that one-word question — “Well?”

Buying pants, in that way, is similar to choosing a college. There are so many places and people to whom we can go for information or opinions. But what matters most is how a college feels to a student and what their gut is telling them.

So to all those students destined to wrestle between two or more quality choices, I encourage you to leave the websites and on-line polls behind and take a moment in the “dressing room” by yourself – go with your gut and choose the college which fits you the best.

Andrew N. Carter
Associate Director of Admissions
Posted on

“Did you go to Holy Cross?”

I’m often asked to talk about the things that make Holy Cross unique or special.  Though there are many things that I think make my alma mater both unique and special, I always find myself giving the same answer.  I may choose different anecdotes to express my idea, but my message is always one of an enduring loyalty and excitement from students and alumni.

This weekend my husband and I tackled the task of yard work.  He wore a Holy Cross t-shirt while he worked, as he often does.  From my weed-pulling post around the side of the house, I suddenly heard an excited, “Did you go to Holy Cross?”  Two recent graduates were passing by, and they couldn’t help but stop to say hello.  We chatted briefly, and they continued on their way.  Our interaction was brief, but meaningful.  I sensed they walked away feeling the same way we did as we watched them go-nostalgic and proud just to be an “HC person”.

Many colleges can provide a good four year experience, and any lucky student will count their college years among the best of their life.  This is true of many Holy Cross graduates I’ve met.  The difference is that the fondness people have for this place endures far beyond those four years.  For some, it’s homecoming, or a 10th, 25 or perhaps 50th reunion that makes them nostalgic for that place they once called home.  Many others require little more than the sight of those familiar purple letters on a t-shirt on a Saturday afternoon.

That’s pretty special.

Lynn Verrecchia
Associate Director of Admissions
Posted on

The Application Trek

Flashback to early November. Our team of twelve gathered at base camp to prepare for the long trek up the mountain. We stuffed our backpacks with your applications, our mechanical pencils and erasers, extra lead for all those broken tips, our calculators for innumerable computations and some must-have snacks. As we headed out, we experienced some treacherous winter weather, but we maintained our plan to reach the summit by spring. When we set out we didn’t know exactly how many steps it would take, or exactly how many days, but we knew it would be interesting.

During the long climb to the summit of Mount Saint James we met some very interesting applicants.  Many were on a spiritual trek, attempting to climb the mountain to find themselves through their faith, while others were seeking answers through science, aspiring to be doctors, veterinarians and dentists. Others were world-ranked triathaletes, accomplished musicians, and successful classicists. Some we met had made a decision earlier that this was their mountain; it was where they wanted to be. Most climbers however, were not sure of their decision and needed more time to explore on their own. As we trekked on, each day amongst ourselves we approved more and more, knowing they could handle the upcoming rigors that Mt. St. James would present to them, and hoping they would join us at the top.

Twenty one weeks has now passed since our team set out on our trek. Spring is here,  and our team has made it, 7,350 steps. If you were approved to move forward to the summit, you now know that.  We’ll wait for you at the top … will you join us? The view of Worcester from here is amazing!

James T. Richardson

Associate Director of Admissions
Posted on

Committee is Over! (Well…almost)

Whew! That was a long and exciting process. Breaking news from the Holy Cross Admissions office….. committee is over and all (but for a few) decisions have been made! Letters will be mailed at the end of the week; keep an eye out for the postman!

Amanda Juriansz
Assistant Director of Community Outreach
Posted on

Notes from Committee

The other day, our receptionist Mary poked her head into our committee room where we were all sitting in the dark reviewing applications.  Twelve sets of eyes eagerly looked over to see who she would be calling out for a phone call.

Was it the counselor from Minnesota that I was hoping to speak with about an applicant? Or the catering company for Lauren regarding our upcoming counselor tour? The community based organization that was looking to set up a tour this spring with Amanda?

As Mary said, “Excuse me, Father Markey, I have Bob Cousy on the phone for you”, the rest of the staff realized that none of our calls (as exciting as they may be) would live up to hearing from an NBA Hall of Famer. Just another day in the Holy Cross Admissions Committee room…

Diane Soboski
Assistant Director of Admission
Posted on

Notes From Committee

We’re in committee.  For three more weeks, the twelve members of the Admissions committee will meet in an impossibly small conference room (pictured below) to discuss and debate the 7,350 applicants for the Class of 2015.  Despite its small size, our “home” for the next several weeks is well equipped with all the things we need to do our work. Lap tops, projectors, and a document imaging camera are essential to our process, and the way in which we do our work.  But the two most critical items without which committee members could not function:  coffee and snacks.   Experience has shown that a fully caffeinated, well fed committee is a productive committee.  So far, we’re doing well.  We’re actually running a little ahead of schedule. Maybe it’s the coffee.

Ann McDermott
Director of Admissions
Posted on

Happy Deadline Day!

I’ve just stepped away from all the Deadline Day festivities here in the Admissions Office at Holy Cross (sorry for all the noise) so I’m going to make this entry brief. I have to rush back to the party as the Deadline Day piñata is just about to get smashed. If I don’t get there in time, everyone else will gather up all the AP Bio’s and captains of mock trial before I get any.

For the most part, our Deadline Day celebrations are probably much like the ones that you’ve had your entire life – we show up to the office in our jammies, sprint around the file room looking to see what the Deadline Day elves have left us while we’ve been sleeping. It really is quite a thrill.

But, more importantly, Deadline Day reminds us that we’ve got a big job ahead – logging all these applications and documents into the computer system, reading them and then voting a decision. Tough work, indeed, but one we’ve been looking forward to all fall.

Oh, wait, I’ve got to run. I can hear the rest of my co-workers beginning to sing my favorite Deadline Day carol – O Deadline Day. Will you sing it with me? (remember, it’s sung to the tune, O Christmas Tree . . . or O Holy Cross, whichever you like)

O Deadline Day! O Deadline Day!

More a postmark than an actual day.

O Deadline Day! O Deadline Day!

PC, Mac or handwritten.

From near and far students submit

Letters of rec and transcripts.

O Deadline Day! O Deadline Day!

Reading them all to find a fit.

Andrew N Carter
Associate Director of Admissions