What does your stomach do when I mention the words “college essay?” Tie up in panicky knots? Flip over in anticipation? Growl with excitement? However you feel about writing your essay, the time has come to get serious about it.
We care about essays for two reasons: we want students who can write, and we want students who have something to say. Most of us who read applications consider the essay to be the dessert that comes after a steady diet of grades, scores, and other facts and figures.
In addition to the Common Application essay, Holy Cross has a required short (250-word max) response question. Hey, we like dessert! The short answer question is “What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?” We hope you’ll use your 250 words to share a piece of advice that has resonated with you and explain why. Maybe we’ll even take your advice!
Why should you get to have all the fun? I asked some of my colleagues to share the bits of advice that they would like to write about. Here are some highlights:
“It’s not all about you.”
“Make your own luck.”
“You have to be a friend to have a friend.”
“Listen first.”
“It’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice.”
Let’s face it – you’re not buying a skillet, you’re choosing a place to live for four years. Don’t you want it to look nice? No, it’s not the most important thing, but it is something. And something counts.
2) College gear.
Don’t worry about whether students are smiling or not (do you smile when walking to a calculus exam?), notice whether or not students are wearing clothing or gear with their school’s name on it. No one flies the flag for a school they dislike.
3) People holding doors.
When someone holds a door for you, it is a sign that they understand that they are not alone in this world – they realize you exist, they acknowledge it and they’re going to try and make your day just a tiny bit better. That’s the kind of place you want to spend four years. Now return the favor.
4) Fat squirrels.
Want to ride the subway to class in college? Great – ignore this step. But if you have ever pictured yourself in college hanging out on a quad and walking to class across a grassy, green vista then you want to see squirrels on your tour. If you see squirrels, then there trees and grass on that campus. If they are fat, then there’s lots of trees. And no coyotes. And that’s something, too. And something counts.
5) Stairs.
Seriously, no one dreams of going to college and falling out of shape. Going up and down stairs will keep you fit. And remember — where there are stairs, at the top, there’s always a great view. Stairs equals healthy, fit people enjoying gorgeous views. Sounds like a great place to go to college.
As anyone who knows me — friends, family, co-workers, recent plane neighbors — I love Tennessee. I love the accent. I love the music. I love the barbeque. Sometimes (read: all the time), I like to pretend I live here as I spend my week visiting Chattanooga, Nashville, and Memphis. So I figured, this trip is a great way to show what it’s like to be a Holy Cross admissions counselor on the road.
En route to Nashville from Chattanooga!
6:27 a.m. Begrudgingly pull myself out of bed. I am not much of a morning person.
7:35 a.m. Arrive at St. Cecilia Academy for their mini-fair. Not 12 hours before, I was standing in their foyer for the Catholic Colleges fair for students in Nashville, but it’s important for all the girls to get a chance to stop by.
9:10 a.m. Wrap up at St. Cecilia’s and head across the street — literally — to Montgomery Bell Academy for a similar setup.
10:30 a.m. A break from the mini-fair action comes in the form of a traditional visit to Ensworth School. In this format, we announce our visits to students and guidance counselors in hopes of having a conversation for 40 minutes about Holy Cross.
10:34 a.m. Whoa! My body finally realized I had had neither coffee nor breakfast today. That’s about to change…
Ahhh, sweet caffeine
10:45 a.m. Pull into Ensworth just in time for my scheduled visit. We admissions counselors get pretty good at maximizing these few minutes in between visits.
11:30 a.m. After a great conversation with Laura Stewart, Ensworth School’s Director of College Counseling, I plug Harpeth Hall into my handy-dandy GPS. Did you know there was a time when admissions counselors used maps to get from place to place? As in, a real road atlas. I would make it to a school visit 4% of the time.
11:56 a.m. With an hour before the Harpeth Hall mini-fair begins, I must invoke the unfortunately common parking lot lurk. It’s just me in my rental car, hopefully away from quizzical eyes, answering e-mails on my phone until I can head inside. There is such a thing as being too early.
1:45 p.m. With the end of a strong visit to Harpeth Hall, it’s time for lunch. Let my obsession with Yelp take over!
2:10 p.m. Today’s lunch spot has been found! (Thanks for a delicious salad and iced tea, Fido.)
3:30 p.m. To answer more e-mails, nap, or go for a run? Incredibly, I choose run this afternoon. It’s only a quick four-mile one, but I always enjoy the chance to jog around Centennial Park and catch a glimpse of the Parthenon replica. To be honest, I still don’t know why it’s in Nashville…
4:18 p.m. OK, OK, time to catch up on e-mail,: reply to inquiring students, continue planning Wednesday’s interview night, and keep all the on-campus commitments humming.
6:41 p.m. The best part about Nashville, of course, is the free live music EVERYWHERE. Hop the hotel shuttle to the main strip on Broadway and pick your destination. It sure beats watching TV or reading a magazine while eating dinner. Hey, this part of the job can get a little lonely!
Just a few of the lights on Broadway
10:01 p.m. Well, Father Ryan’s mini-fair begins at 7:15 tomorrow morning, so I better head back to the hotel and get some rest. Bless my heart, but I still need my eight hours!
I love the pageantry. I love the exaggerated emotions. I love how ambitious the productions are.
Loving opera does not make me cool nor garner me much attention (other than the quizzical looks from friends and family). But I do love watching it, listening to it, reading about it and talking about it. If I were applying to college today, I just might write my essay about my reaction to Figaro’s swagger or the sparkle in Carmen’s eye or how I feel hearing Violetta’s pained plea, “Amami, Alfredo, amami quant’io t’amo!” (Love me, Alfredo, love me as I love you!)
But when composing their essays, most students choose to write about topics that they think admissions counselors want them to write about; truth is, we hope for great essays and typically the best essays are on topics that the student loved writing about – for me, it just might be opera.
There are no right or wrong topics to choose for your essay – there are only the topics you want to write about and the topics you think you should write about.
So when the moment comes to choose a topic, seize the moment – choose a topic you want to write about, tell your story, sing your song and you might just have us yelling, “Encore!”
I joined the Holy Cross Admissions Office as the Assistant Director of Admissions in mid-August. If you ask me what the most exciting thing I’ve done for the summer or what I am most thankful for when Thanksgiving comes close, joining Holy Cross will be the definite answer. I found Holy Cross to be a very supportive, welcoming, and inclusive community for both students and staff. Coming from a different cultural background, I haven’t had one moment where I felt nostalgic, and I have grown to see Holy Cross as my home away from home. I feel so lucky to be a part of the very hard-working, engaging, extremely helpful and energetic admissions team. In addition, the great emphasis on providing a world-class undergraduate education from its strong Jesuit tradition makes Holy Cross the perfect place for me to work.
So, I am originally from Beijing and I moved to the U.S. for graduate school two years ago in 2011. I received my bachelor’s in English from China Foreign Affairs University. To call it a university might be an exaggeration, as it takes only five minutes to walk around the whole campus, but it is one of the most selective colleges in China, very much like Holy Cross on this level. After college, I worked as a national English radio broadcaster on China Radio International in 2010. At the same time, I was teaching TOEFL and Business English to university students and corporate employees who were going abroad for school and work. However, I soon realized my passion was in education, so I applied to graduate schools in the US. My graduate research focused on global higher education and international student recruitment, which I intend to help Holy Cross as it continues to broaden its scope for excellent students both in America and around the world.
Specifically at Holy Cross, I am also working on international initiatives in China and Hong Kong. It was great to meet with a few first-year Chinese students at the Odyssey Luncheon before the semester started. They were extremely bright, smart and driven. I am excited to bring more talented students from around the world to join Holy Cross next year and the years to come.
I had the bright idea of going to Target this weekend. Roughly three minutes in to my Sunday errand, I realized that it was — for most — the last weekend before school came back in session. This meant only one thing:
Back-to-school shopping.
I’ll admit, between a mile-long walk from my parking space and lines that put any Disney coaster to shame, I got a little nostalgic. The rush for new binders, the “no Trapper Keepers” warning from teachers….I fondly remembered those waning days of summer spent in a Target loading up on school supplies to ring in a new year.
Now, on this side of the desk, my job has far less to do with No. 2 pencils than it does reminding seniors that there is still plenty to do in their autumn. Given that, here are important things to add to your college process list:
1) Start your applications. Yesterday. While even the earliest of deadlines loom two months away, you will thank yourself for starting — and hopefully finishing — your applications before Halloween. There’s a new Common App to figure out, many essay prompts and short answer requirements to write, and resumes to fill. Each one takes longer than you think, and all pieces should be submitted with care. Save yourself the stress and cross this off before November.
2) Don’t be a stranger. Many schools, including Holy Cross, pay attention to demonstrated interest. So, look into visiting opportunities that transcend the normal campus tour. Campus-wide Open House dates. Our visits to your high schools. The all-important interview (hint, hint). We like that you’ve seen the campus. Now, stay in touch by doing those added extras that can really help come decision time.
2a) If up to this point you ARE a stranger: introduce yourself! Actually stepping foot on campus not only bolsters your demonstrated interest folder but also allows you to get a true feel for the campus. You will never know which schools you like or dislike until you see the grounds and the facilities and students up close.
3) Keep your foot on the accelerator. There’s a lot happening senior year. Your schedule is likely the toughest it’s ever been. You’ve risen to leadership opportunities in your extracurriculars. You have to worry about college apps and standardized tests. Oh, right, and you’re trying to enjoy your final year of high school. It’s a heck of a juggling act! That being said, your first marking period grades — and often your performance through your midterms — is a vital component to the admissions process. We want to see that you’re continuing to challenge yourself, but we also want to see that you’re rising to that challenge. Don’t let senioritis sink your ship.
4) Befriend your guidance counselor. S/he should be helping you make your list, keep you informed of important dates, proofread your essays, and remind you to breathe a little. The better you know your guidance counselor, the more you know about your entire college process.
5) Try to enjoy these four months! Like I said, it is a lot to handle. But the searching and writing and visiting should all be at least a little fun, right? After all, you are trying to decide which place to call your home for four years. It’s a daunting task, but it should be an enjoyable one, too. We think this video helps.
If you have this entire list checked off by the time our calendar turns to 2014, you can bet that you will be resting easy, and that I’m going to enjoy reading your application.
Robbie Carter, an incoming first-year student from Tampa, Fla., took some time to reflect on the craziness and community that is Holy Cross Move-In Day.
August 24 had finally arrived and only one single thought was continuously running through my head: Move-in Day at Holy Cross! Driving up Mount St. James for the first time as a student, I experienced a unique mixture of fear, excitement, nervousness, and joy as I approached Mulledy, my home for the next year.
The very second I pulled into the parking spot, however, all feelings of anxiety melted away as I was swarmed with a blur of blue “Holy Cross Move-In Day 2013” T-shirts and smiling faces, each one greeting me with a genuine (and loud) “WELCOME TO HOLY CROSS!” The move-in crew instantly unloaded my car and brought my bags up to my room. They clearly knew the drill. My roommate followed shortly behind, and within a mere hour my room was all set up.
Having nothing else to do until the closing Mass of the Holy Spirit at 4 p.m., I decided to squeeze in a workout at the field house. There, I bumped into two of my future upperclassmen teammates on the rowing team who were in the middle of their workout. They instantly introduced themselves and seemed genuinely excited to have me on the team for the upcoming Fall and Spring season. Even more, they stuck around for an extra half hour to watch and cheer me on during my workout.
Those 30 minutes epitomized my Holy Cross move in experience: the instantaneous acceptance and genuine excitement displayed by all the students towards the incoming freshmen was simply incredible. There was no apparent hierarchy of class rank that distinguished the students from one another; it was simply one big happy family that was there to help support their newest siblings as they began their journey through Holy Cross.
After only a few hours on campus, I had knew I made the right choice on where I would build my home for the next four years of my life.
For the full Move-In Day experience (without actually doing it!), click here: Holy Cross Move-In Day
Rev. Anthony Kuzniewski, S.J., a man I am proud to call a friend, a mentor, and my former history professor, once enlightened me as to the values of a liberal arts education through a vivid vignette.
On a recent visit to the Missouri Botanical Gardens, I was reminded of Fr. Kuzniewski’s vignette and thought I would attempt to pass it along to anyone who is willing to read on. I will note that there is no substitute for the way “Fr. K” (as his students affectionately call him) communicates the message:
Two educated individuals set out on a walk to their respective cabins in the woods on a misty morning. The first individual sets out on the well-worn path and quickly spots his cabin in the distance. He lowers his head to shield his eyes from the cold mist and barrels toward the front door knowing that a warm fire, dry clothes, and an afternoon of leisure (consisting of video games, Netflix, and naps) await him.
The second individual (educated in the liberal arts) sets out on the same path several minutes later. While he is walking, he notices and identifies fresh white-tailed deer tracks stretching across the path. His understanding is further developed when he notices that the leaves of the goldenrod that frame the path have been nibbled and several willow bushes along the direction of the tracks have been stripped of their buds from knee height to eye level. Peeking past the vegetation and down the banking, he spots a deer bowing her head to drink from a brook that has provided the soothing soundtrack to his morning walk. He makes a mental note to research the flow of the brook when he reaches the cabin. He has a strong suspicion that it may contribute to a nearby river which powered his town’s namesake textile mill during the Industrial Revolution. The man eventually makes his way back to the path and arrives at the cabin where he is greeted by the same warm fire and dry clothes as the first individual.
Both men reached their goal of shelter and sustenance, but their paths, while technically the same, were fundamentally different. An education founded in the liberal arts nourishes inquisitive, open minds that embrace challenge, seek a deeper understanding of life (both its blessings and problems), and find value not only in knowledge, but also in the path to knowledge.
To summarize with an over-used cliché: For a student educated in the liberal arts, it an essential part of everyday life to “stop and smell the roses,” and that is just what I did at the Missouri Botanical Garden.
Everyone in the college admissions world has heard the tales of the overbearing parent. One person may report the story of the mother who, following her son’s admissions interview, imitated his sloppy handwriting in a thank you note that she herself penned; another within earshot will quickly jump in, trumping that tale with the story of the father who actually placed a phone call to an admissions officer and imitated his son’s voice on the phone in order to demonstrate interest.
These tales, whether true or not, are swapped and traded like baseball cards.
What I don’t hear much of is the story of the reticent teenager, the late-blooming high school student who needed a nudge, a pep-talk, a push or even an outright shove to finally engage in the college search and application process. Some sailors actually need a Captain Bligh to motivate and instill discipline so that they may eventually reach their desired destination and some applicants need their parents to kick-start their campaign, to encourage their participation in a way that may not always be pleasing to their teenage sensibility.
As long as that nudge creates momentum and not imbalance, as long as that “motivation” is filled with love, as long as the parent’s guiding hand doesn’t overreach, then there most certainly is a role (perhaps even a big role) for parents in this process. But, take that role too far, or occupy it for too long and parents may learn Captain Bligh’s lesson, that mutinies don’t just happen on board the Bounty.
Have you ever been a member of the Secret Service? Or built proteins from scratch to figure out why Alzheimer’s exists? Surely you’ve written a book on the Art Deco movement from France to America in the 20th century?
John, Steve, and Lily, all current Holy Cross students, are just three examples of the incredible research happening throughout campus every day.
I listened to John Castro, a junior, give a lecture on his award-winning thesis that he completed during his semester in Washington, D.C. After serving as an intern with the Secret Service and interviewing both agents and congressional advisers, John wrote a thesis on the importance of cyberterrorism and national security. What is now being called “the fifth domain of war,” John is one of the first students to complete extensive research on cyberattacks. Perhaps what’s more impressive is that he is just one of 30 students who participates in the Washington, D.C. program.
I met Steve, a current senior, last summer, where he described (in layman’s terms for my non-science mind) the research he was conducting as a paid summer research assistant in the chemistry department. Each summer, roughly 50 students in the science departments alone serve as paid research assistants. Working one-on-one with a chemistry professor, Steve was in charge of building microscopic proteins to determine why they “mis-fold,” which causes neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s. After eight long weeks of hard work, Steve excitedly revealed that he made a breakthrough, and was en route to being published. Not bad for a summer job.
Lily, a junior who has been abroad in Bordeaux, France, all year, was an active admissions volunteer before her passion took her across the Atlantic. Intrigued by both her art history and French majors, Lily sought out a research grant in the winter of her sophomore year to combine her two passions. Soon enough, she was traveling to museums in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Kansas City, and was given behind-the-scenes access to various Art Deco exhibits – all on Holy Cross’ dime. Just two weeks before her flight to France, Lily completed her 80-page book on the Art Deco movement. She is furthering her research in the innumerable art museums of France.
As a solely undergraduate institution committed to research, Holy Cross is full of students completing impressive research normally reserved for graduate students. It is a rare chance for you, as an undergraduate, to dive deeper into your passion, to create something cutting edge, to leave your mark.
Why do I love Holy Cross? Because these three examples are just the tip of the iceberg.
our stomach do when I mention the words “college essay?” Tie up in panicky knots? Flip over in anticipation? Growl with excitement? However you feel about writing your essay, the time has come to get serious about it.
