You’ve filled in all the empty spaces; you’ve identified siblings, parents, CEEB code, guidance counselor fax number and now you’re hovering above the “SUBMIT” button. You’ve checked it two, three, four different times but you still get the sense that it’s not quite ready. Like a cake without frosting, your Common Application is still not ready for consumption. So for the nth time, you go back to check your essay – one last time, you promise yourself.
You meticulously check for spelling mistakes.
Nothing.
You review the 11 comma rules and check your essay again.
Looks good.
Yet, you’re still not ready to click “SUBMIT”.
Stuck in that position?
Here’s some advice for you:
Review the beginning of your essay – the first two or three sentences. Have you effectively captured your reader’s attention or have you simply begun telling your story? Have you grabbed your reader by the lapels and given them a good shake or have you quietly snuck into the room like a late arrival to the opera? Not sure?
Here’s what you should do – pick up a copy of People magazine and take a look at their articles (yes, there are articles). Actually, don’t read any article in its entirety – just read the first 2-3 sentences. Their articles aren’t brilliant or unbelievably well-written but the writers for People magazine do an outstanding job of grabbing their readers’ attention at the beginning of an article. And while admissions counselors do not read applications while standing in line at the grocery store, it is equally important for you to catch their attention at the beginning of your essay.
So get some inspiration from People magazine and spruce up your first 2-3 sentences. Remember, lapels are on our jackets for a reason. Give them a good shake.
Andrew Carter
Associate Director of Admissions
It’s that time of year again; Linden Lane is changing colors, the purple sweatshirts are starting to appear…and the Admissions Office is hosting its first Fall Open House of the year! Attending an Open House at Holy Cross is different from your typical campus visit. Not only will you have the opportunity to take a tour of our beautiful campus, but you will also be able to explore different areas of academic and athletic interest during our Browsing Session in an entirely informal setting. After climbing all of the stairs here on Mount St. James, you can attend one of our many panel presentations on such aspects of Holy Cross such as: liberal arts, student life or one of our pre-professional programs. Finally, you can enjoy a lunch where you can speak with current Holy Cross students, as well as Admissions staff members. What better way to spend a beautiful fall Sunday than at Holy Cross?
This quote is the inspiration for the title of the New York Times bestseller Three Cups of Tea, the remarkable story of Greg Mortenson and his commitment to build schools and improve lives in the poorest villages in Pakistan and Afghanistan. 
August has arrived, and with it, for many of us, has come the feeling that the end is near. The end of summer … the end of sleeping late, beach days and pool time … indeed, its back to school! You might find comfort in the fact that you’re not alone … its back to school for us as well. As my colleague Amanda wrote not long ago, for us here in Admissions, we’ve been planning our schedules and getting ready to have the rubber meet the road in just a few short weeks. We’ll be coming to your schools and college fairs before you know it; for many of us, in less than a month! For some of you reading this in Arizona and Florida, you’re already back; but for many others, you still have a few days or weeks to enjoy! How should you be spending that time, you ask? Why, visiting colleges of course … including, I should add, spending some time here at Holy Cross!
It’s August and it seems that summer has finally arrived on Mt St. James! The upside to all the rain we have had: a very green campus! While I admit to being a bit biased, I know that our visitors will agree that the campus looks amazing. If you haven’t visited yet, or if you would like to return, we have tour guides eager to show you around, and an enthusiastic staff ready to answer your questions. So stop by and say hello.
Believe it or not, I don’t care for the picture of me that accompanies my blogs. The photographer said “don’t smile”, so I didn’t. The result is a slightly confused-looking version of my better self. I try not to look at it when I view my blogs, but it’s hard to ignore that unhappy face. It’s not that the picture is more important than (or even as important as) the words beside it, but I just can’t reconcile that mean-looking person with the friendly words she writes.
So it’s July and while you’re (we hope) sitting by the pool enjoying your summer break, we’re here in the office thinking about your college applications. Yes, we’re already planning for next year. Over the past few weeks we have begun planning our fall travel schedules. We put a lot of thought into what schools we will be visiting. We consider where we have visited in past years, where we receive applications from, and also where we would like to build awareness about Holy Cross. After much deliberating, scheduling and rescheduling, each counselor will have approximately a seven week itinerary of high schools, community based agencies and college fairs to attend spanning from September to November. We can’t always visit every school or attend every event we would like but we do our best to fit everything in. In August, our schedules will be posted on the web page, so be sure to check that out to see when we’ll be in your area. We’ll see you on the road this fall!
This list is the culmination of my own experiences as an admissions officer as well as of my colleagues in this office and other admissions offices. As you go through them, you may have a lot of “duh” moments and most of these are very much common sense but it’s usually the most obvious things that are the least visible to us. With that said, I hope this list is useful to you as you focus in on the application process.
Ever wish someone from an admissions office would tell you exactly how to go about writing your college essay? Curious about the process of interviewing at a college or university?