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Back to School, Back to the Blog

The end of August marks a particularly busy time at Holy Cross.  The fresh-faced students are back and the quiet of the summer is behind us.   We’re interviewing like crazy, making the final adjustments to our travel schedules, and preparing to get on the road to meet all of you at your high schools and at college fairs.

Now is also the time we begin posting to the admissions blog with more frequency…so get excited! Our blog is intended to make the college admissions process a bit more transparent, and perhaps a bit more fun for all of you.  Please feel free to navigate our blog by perusing through the archives on our blog’s main page.  By doing so, you can learn about interviewing, essay-writing, submitting your test scores, and a wide array of other admissions specific advice directly from the mouths of the admissions officers that evaluate your applications.

If there is something specific you’d like to hear more about, please feel free to get in touch with me at jsanders@holycross.edu.    Your feedback is helpful!

We look forward to seeing you this fall.

Julia Sanders
Assistant  Director of Admissions
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The Cupertino Effect

If you search the website of the United Nations, you’ll find a fascinating article on African-German Cupertino; in another article, you can read about peace education that stresses participation, problem solving and Cupertino.

Still have time on your hands?  Another search will bring you to an article on political, economic and trade Cupertino in the Balkans.

What is Cupertino, you ask?

Well, it’s a city in California.  But for our purposes, it’s proof that spell-check is not always correct.

You see, early versions of spell-check did not recognize the word “cooperation”; it only knew the word to be spelled with a hyphen: “co-operation”.  Like any misspelled word, spell check recommended alternative spellings, the first of which was the now famous town in California.  Inattentive writers (even in the UN!) frequently hit “change all” without proof reading the spell-check selection.

The lesson here?  Today is August 18th and the Common Application has been available for a few weeks. As you begin working on your essay, remember that spell-check is a handy tool but that your eyes and the eyes of a proofreader with perspective are the only way to make sure that your thoughts come across effectively.

Thank you for your Cupertino.

Andrew N. Carter

Associate Director of Admissions
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Eight Reasons to Log on to One of HC’s Online Chats

1.  Show your interest in HC without having to climb the hills

2.  Ask the question you were too embarrassed to ask during your campus tour or information session

3.  Hear about the “real” HC from current students

4.  Perfect your speed reading skills–our chats move fast!

5.  Get the inside scoop on the admission process from admission counselors

6.  Socialize with other prospective students.  You may be classmates someday!

7.  Work on becoming a master typist.  Those college essays won’t type themselves!

8.  Have your parents think you’re hard at work on your homework when you’re really having a great time with us

Our next online chat for prospective students is Wednesday August 11 from 7pm-10pm EST

Lynn Verrecchia

Associate Director of Admissions
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Meet Your Summer Tour Guides: Ada Van Wyhe

Ada van Wyhe

Year: 2012

Hometown: Reedley, California

Major(s): History, Pre Law Concentration

Why I love Holy Cross: I am in love with Holy Cross because of the vast amount of opportunities that have been offered to me on this campus, and because the entire Holy Cross community has made my education a true living and learning experience.  Coming from over 3,000 miles away, I arrived to Mount St. James not knowing a single person, and I was immediately embraced by the students and faculty on The Hill.  I feel like my education is truly invaluable and that the Holy Cross community is really invested in my education.  I’m excited by the  study abroad programs, the small class sizes, and even just the fact that it’s a solely undergraduate college.  I love that as a community, we are all working together toward our goals – for now, and for well beyond our four short years here on campus.  (And Spring Weekend is a pretty wicked Holy Cross experience, too!)
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Meet Your Summer Tour Guides: Paul Maloney

Paul Maloney

Year: 2012

Hometown: Mansfield, Massachusetts

Major(s): Economics, Mathematics

Why I love Holy Cross:  To me,  HC is all about the people.  Everyone at Holy Cross is so open and so friendly that HC becomes more than a just a college but rather a community.  This sense of community along with an outstanding academic reputation is why I love Holy Cross.
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College Visit Tips

It is a scene all too familiar – several families waiting in line at the reception desk in the HC Admissions Office, parents holding copies of the Boston Globe, waiting to inquire about a good place for lunch near campus.

Here’s a word of advice to all those families who take road trips to make college visits.  When you’re on campus, you’re trying to get a sense of what that college is all about  — what it’s like to live there; what it’s like to learn there; what it’s like to spend four years there.  Take advantage of what you have at hand to get the most out of your short time on campus.  Don’t read the Boston Globe and eat lunch at a restaurant.  Read the school newspaper and eat lunch on campus.

Trust me.  You’ll never forget our mac and cheese.

Andrew N. Carter
Associate Director of Admissions
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Meet Your Summer Tour Guides: Mary Jo Coughlin

Mary Jo Coughlin

Year: 2013

Hometown: Brookfield, Massachusetts

Major(s): Undeclared (leaning towards Psychology)

Why I love Holy Cross:  I love Holy Cross because of its excellent academic reputation as a small liberal arts college with access to challenging classes and individual attention from professors.  Outside of academics, I have made amazing friendships that I know will be long lasting. Holy Cross also offers a wide variety of extracurricular activities, a favorite of which is volunteering at the Nativity School,  a Jesuit middle school for boys in Worcester.  Having recently completed my freshman year,  Holy Cross has met my every expectation.
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Meet Your Summer Tour Guides: Christine Freije

Christine Freije

Year: 2013

Hometown: Worcester, Massachusetts

Major(s): Undeclared

Why I love Holy Cross: The people. I’ve found that Holy Cross attracts students who are extremely intelligent, but still down to earth. I’ve felt comfortable here discussing everything from academia to pop culture with my professors and fellow students. I’ve loved being at a liberal arts school that values not only grades and numbers, but also each student’s personal growth.
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Meet Your Summer Tour Guides: Emily White

Emily White

Year:  2012

Hometown: Holden, Massachusetts

Major(s): History

Minor: Studio Art

Why I love Holy Cross:  Holy Cross fit everything I was looking for on paper, and once I visited,  I knew I couldn’t stay away for very long.  Aside from all of the people I’ve met here, I love the creativity of HC students – whether it be working or having fun: exploring my campus every day, tray sliding in the winter; even working in Kimball Dining Hall.

Additionally, the “May Term” Luxembourg program was an incredible and unique study abroad experience.

Mostly I love that everyone is able to find their passions here, and make them their own.

I’m looking forward to meeting you on a summer tour of Holy Cross!
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Tran’s Summer Admissions Tips – Part One

If you’re just starting the college admissions process, you’re probably feeling a little overwhelmed by all the things that you need to do.   Luckily, you have nearly three months to get yourself together and organized for the application process that awaits you in the fall.  Here are some things that you can do to maximize your summer leading into the college application process to better position yourself for a fall filled with less stress.

Tip #1: Visit as many different colleges as possible.

If you have no clue as to what kind of school you want to attend, visit a large variety from technical schools to large schools to small schools to art schools.  See how they feel to you when you set foot on their campuses, and from there you will get a better sense of what is right for you.  Don’t judge a school only by the materials you read.  These materials are marketing materials to stimulate your interest in the school so they’re all going to look good based on the brochures you get.  It’s in your best interest to set foot on these campuses to get a sense of what the place is like behind the brochure.  If you already know that you want a certain kind of school, then visit several different ones in that category.  So if you want a small liberal arts school, visit one near a city, another one that’s in a rural location, and so forth.  There are over 4,000 schools and we are all different from another in some way.  Here is a great worksheet from US News to help you document each institution you visit.

Good luck, and check back for more advice in the coming months!

Tran Kim-Senior
Assistant Director of Admissions
Coordinator of Multicultural Recruitment