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You’ve Been on the Road Too Long When…

As an admissions staff, we criss-crossed the country this fall, meeting with students while visiting over 1,000 high schools. For many of us, visiting with students in their hometowns is a highlight of this job but it can be exhausting. Here’s how you know you’ve been on the road too long:

-Running low on toiletries, you go MacGyver with office supplies. Paper clips to hold your hair back? More than once.

-Your steady diet of comfort food – grilled cheese, French onion soup, buffalo tenders , etc. – has literally SPLIT your favorite business casual slacks.

-You meet someone in line at the Panera and your first question is “So what are you thinking about studying?”

-Your relationship with your GPS (Jennifer) has grown so rocky that you start giving her time-outs in the glove compartment.

It’s a good thing we’re home…

Julia Sanders
Assistant Director of Admissions
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Connect With Holy Cross From the Comfort of Your Home

Have you ever wondered what the freshman dorms are like at Holy Cross? Or what the favorite meals are from Kimball? Or what classes and research experiences are available to biology majors?

These are all great questions to ask a current student during one of our upcoming online chats!  (Next up is tomorrow night’s, from 7-10 PM EST).

Throughout the year, we offer several opportunities for prospective students, parents, and guidance counselors to connect with current students and admissions staff online. The chats are open forum, so you can ask your own questions or just sign on to see what others are talking about.  It’s a great way to learn more about the school and the application process without having to leave your living room.

Registering for a chat is easy! Simply visit our chat web site, click on “Register for Chat Event” (it’s in black at the top of the page), fill in your information, and you’re off and running! The chat screen will pop up and you’ll be greeted by many friendly Holy Cross representatives who are available to answer your questions.

We look forward to chatting with you!

Diane Soboski
Assistant Director of Admission
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Five Reasons You Should Attend This Sunday’s Open House

Just in case  wanting to meet all of us wonderful admissions counselors was not enough reason to attend, here are five reasons why you should consider attending this Sunday’s Open House:

1. You get to experience many aspects of campus life all in one single day (including all of our famous hills)!

2. You will have the opportunity to meet with representatives from academic departments, athletics, and extracurricular organizations to ask all of your burning questions.

3. You can learn more about Holy Cross from faculty, students and administrators in a panel setting.

4. You can hear more about both the admissions and financial aid processes from both the Admissions and Financial Aid Offices.

5. You get to have lunch on campus with current students and admissions officers, as well as take a tour of our beautiful campus!

You can register, or walk in! I hope to see all of you this weekend!

Lauren Thornton

Assistant Director of Admissions
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I’m About to Apply – What Else Can I Do?

Fall is a time that flies by for Admissions Counselors.  Personally, I can’t believe that it’s already November. In the Admissions Office, we’re getting ready to start reading applications, especially those who have applied for Early Decision (deadline December 15th). As you get ready to hit the “submit” button on the Common Application, I wanted to share a few tips to help make your application the best that it can be:

• If you haven’t already, schedule an interview .  Interviews are not required, but are highly recommended as part of our application process. They’re painless, we promise! We just want to have a conversation with you and learn about all the wonderful things you’ve accomplished in high school.

• Keep up those senior grades! We know how easy it is to fall prey to “senioritis,” but remember that continuing to do well in senior year is important to us.

• Proofread that essay. Make sure to use both proofreaders (Mom, Dad, siblings, friends, etc.),  and proofreaders with perspective (English teachers, Guidance Counselors).

• Feel free to send us any supplemental materials- artwork, music, writing samples, resumes, etc. We like to know about all of your talents, both in and out of the classroom.

Not ready to submit an application to Holy Cross just yet? Don’t worry. There is still time to learn all about HC and our admissions process. Join us at our Open House this Sunday,  November 14th.

Nicole Zervos ‘09

Admissions Counselor
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My High School is Holding a College Fair!

Great! Here are a few tips that will enhance your college fair experience:

Do Some Research Before the Fair: Find out what colleges/universities will be attending your fair. Poke around on the websites of schools  in which you are interested. This exercise is bound to crank your brain gears and produce some questions for the college representatives.

Represent Yourself and Your School Well: Many of the college representatives have come a long way and look forward to meeting bright, eager students. So take the time to shake the representative’s hand, look him/her in the eye, introduce yourself, and ask those brilliant questions that you recently thought up. Remember – there is no such thing as a bad question. You will spend the next four years of your life at this school; you should make the effort to know as much as you can about it.

Make the Experience Count: You put in the time researching and visiting the collegerepresentative, now make sure you get credit for it.   Fill out any forms or cards the representative might have on his/her table. Often, these forms/cards will be placed in your admissions file and will be reviewed during the admissions process. Do not miss out on this opportunity to demonstrate interest in each and every school you might be attending in the not-so-distant future.

Dan Weagle ‘08

Admissions Counselor
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The Longest Answer to the Simplest Question

I cannot tell you how many questions I’ve been asked today. This time of year, admission counselors spend the better part of their day fielding questions from students, parents and counselors.   Some require simple answers (yes, we have an English major), while others require a more in-depth response (Montserrat is…).

On occasion, a student will ask a seemingly simple question, and may be surprised by a response that is lengthier than expected. Never is this more true than in the case of the old favorite—the “average GPA” question. Students rightly want to know if their academic performance will measure up in our pool, and frankly we’re glad you asked. But that doesn’t mean we’re able to give you the simple answer you were hoping for. We consider each student within the unique context of their high school, making it impossible to identify a number which we think represents a universally “good” GPA. The grading scale (3.0, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0, 6.0, 8.0, 10.0, 12.0, to name a few we’ve seen), weighting (or lack thereof), strength of curriculum, grade inflation/deflation and other factors unique to your high school are all considered. We study high school profiles and websites, and sometimes make phone calls to counselors to gather all of the information we need to assess your academic performance. It’s our job to understand what a “good” GPA is at your school. And this time of year, it’s our job to try to explain that to you.

Somewhat flustered by my response, students sometimes follow-up with a question they are sure will elicit a short, numbers-only answer: “What’s your average SAT score?” And I take a deep breath, and we’re off again…

Lynn Verrecchia

Associate Director of Admissions
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Fall: A Great Time to Make Connections

Fall is here – school is in full swing, a light jacket is needed, the leaves are changing and we admissions counselors have been busy traveling around the country to high schools and college fairs to meet with you, prospective students, as well as your high school counselors and parents. This is when we get the opportunity to bring Holy Cross to you, let you know about all of the new and exciting things going on here on campus and also give you the opportunity to make a connection with our office in a place you know.

One of my favorite things about working in admissions is the ability to travel to your high schools and college fairs to meet with you and your families because I can learn more about you and your high school and see what your city and town is like firsthand. I remember how stressful the college process can be and having a representative travel to your school and meet with you, I hope, makes things just a little bit easier. I love walking into a room of students from one to twenty-one and being able to answer any questions they have about Holy Cross and the admissions process, in hopes that they learned something new and will think of me later if something else comes to mind big or small.

For those of you who live across the country it is your chance to interact with us counselors in person and make a personal connection. That is what fall travel is about, the ability for you to make a personal contact with an officer like me so that when you have questions along the way you have a connection with the person reading your application.

Julliana Jennings

Assistant Director of Admissions

Multicultural Recruitment
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Admissions Myths and Truths Revealed

Travel season is in full swing. Admissions counselors are out and about at high schools and college fairs, including myself. This year during my travels I’ve heard a few admissions myths from students and counselors alike that we would like to dispel.

Myth: “That school is too hard to get in to.”

Truth: You never know until you try. Even admissions counselors can’t tell you whether you would get in or not until the process is complete. There are a multitude of factors that are taken into consideration. First in your family to go to college? That’s a plus for you. Live in Washington DC? There’s another plus. You’ve probably got a lot more going for you than you realize.

Myth: “That school is too expensive”

Truth: You should never be intimidated by the sticker price of a school. If it is a school you are interested in apply for financial aid. Students are often surprised by how much aid they qualify for. And by the way, Holy Cross meets need 100%.

Myth: “I’ll save money by enrolling in a community college for two years and then transferring to a four year institution”

Truth: You may end up spending more time and money by attending a two year school first. Credits don’t always transfer and you may have to take some courses a second time. Also the quality of the education or the student life experience may not be the same. Be sure to consider all of the factors before making a decision to transfer.

Amanda Juriansz

Assistant Director of Admissions
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Travel Season

To those of us that work in admissions, the time of year commonly referred to as “autumn,” means one thing alone: travel season.   At this time of year, my staff and I are dispersed across the country (and abroad!) visiting high schools, attending college fairs, interviewing prospective students,  and hosting receptions and information sessions. The activities and events vary depending on what part of the country we are visiting, but the goal is fundamentally the same: to help students, counselors and parents understand the unique educational experience available at Holy Cross.

To many,  the idea of travel sounds…well…sort of glamorous.  We fly around the country, stay in nice hotels and eat out…a lot.   And when people hear the places I visit (Florida and Puerto Rico),  they have a hard time believing that this is really work.   I can just imagine the visuals the more skeptical person might conjure up: lounge chair by the pool with a cool drink garnished with a colorful paper umbrella in hand.  Well, I am here to report that no matter how exotic the territory may sound, the travel experience differs little from the more local (some might say mundane) areas. We meet some great students, exchange information with guidance counselors, and spend a lot of time in the car. Granted, my territories are warmer, so while I don’t worry about snow storms, I do have the occasional hurricane warning with which to contend. In the end, it is all about spreading the word about Holy Cross, no matter the location.

And I do love spreading the word.

Ann McDermott

Director of Admissions
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Meet New Admissions Counselor Dan Weagle

My name is Dan Weagle and I am a brand new, fresh out of the packaging, mint condition Admissions Counselor here at the College of the Holy Cross. I graduated from Holy Cross in 2008 with my Bachelor of Arts Degree in History and Classics. Upon graduating, I worked as a paralegal at a Worcester law firm for almost two years.

I would describe myself as a history buff. When I am not reading up on my favorite subjects (Early American History and U.S. involvement in WWI & WWII), I can be found among the suits of armor at Higgins Armory, performing research at the Yankee Division Museum, or simply watching the History Channel.

History is somewhat of a full time hobby for me, but I do get out and enjoy Mother Nature on the weekends when I play a round of disc golf with friends at one of the many disc golf courses in and around Worcester. “What is disc golf?” you might ask. Simply put, it is golf with a disc (Frisbee). If you have any more questions or you are at all intrigued by the thought of this game, you should “Google” the nearest disc golf course and head there immediately. You will not be disappointed. If you are disappointed, you must have “Googled” incorrectly. You should really be more careful next time you “Google.”

I am thrilled to be back here at Holy Cross helping to assemble a diverse community of eager, intelligent, autonomous students. However, I won’t be on Mount Saint James for long. In fact, as we speak I am most likely in the Missouri or DC area visiting high schools, representing Holy Cross at a college fair, or hosting an interview night. Check out our fall travel schedule to see if I will be at your high school and, if it strikes your fancy, stop by and see me. Seriously, stop by and chat me up – otherwise, who will prevent me from going to that restaurant down the road from your school that plays horrible music? Yeah, you know the one – the one where the French fries are soggy and everything tastes like Styrofoam. I don’t want to eat there. Please do a service to the new guy and point him in the opposite direction of that place.

I look forward to meeting you!

Dan Weagle ‘08

Admissions Counselor