Admissions Staff – Page 36 – Admission: Not Impossible

September 1, 2008

Doughnuts and Duets

Drew
So you’re ten years old – you’re sitting at the kitchen table surrounded by stacks of unopened library books on a topic that you were supposed to have started researching weeks ago and now, here you are, the evening before your report is due and you are overwhelmed by the enormity of it all. In her book Bird by Bird, Anne Lamott describes her brother’s experience with a 4th grade report on birds this way:

“. . . he was at the kitchen table close to tears, surrounded by binder paper and pencils and unopened books on birds, immobilized by the hugeness of the task ahead. Then my father sat down beside him, put his arm around my brother’s shoulder, and said, ‘Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.’”

If you spend too much time with your nose in the guide books, the college search process, much like the 4th grade report, can become absolutely overwhelming in its size and scope. Our goal in the Admissions Office and particularly in this blog, is to help humanize the process and to encourage you to “just take it bird by bird”.

So to set an example for my co-workers to follow let me tell you a bit about myself.

I was raised throughout the Midwest and New England and now reside in the great city of Worcester (once known as “The Shredded Wheat Capital of the World”). I’ve worked here in the Admissions Office at Holy Cross for four years now and in my free time I enjoy fighting crime, spreading world peace, singing duets and searching for the best American-made doughnuts (not necessarily in that order). This fall, I will continue my search in parts of MA, CT and upstate NY; in between doughnut shops, I hope to find time to visit high schools, meet with students and make this process just a bit more human.

Andrew N Carter
Associate Director of Admissions

August 29, 2008

Welcome from Amanda!

Amanda
I can’t believe it’s September already! Where did the summer go? My name is Amanda Juriansz. I am the Assistant Director of Community Outreach in the Admissions office here at Holy Cross. I have some new and exciting travel territories this fall. I will be covering Essex and Suffolk counties in Massachusetts. I will also be traveling to Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. I grew up in Rhode Island and graduated from the University of Rhode Island. I’m also getting married in RI next summer. I’m a New Englander for life and will probably never leave. I think it has everything to offer. Big cities, small towns, beaches, mountains all within driving distance. What more could you want?

Amanda Juriansz
Assistant Director of Community Outreach

August 29, 2008

Greetings from Holy Cross!

Annmcdermott
Welcome to the Holy Cross Admission blog! I hope that the start of the new school year has been a successful one for you. The Admissions staff and I are pleased that you are considering Holy Cross as one of your options for college. Please know that we are eager to provide you with more information about the College, and more importantly, with tips on taking some of the stress out of the college search. Throughout the year, my staff and I will be posting our observations and suggestions, as well as sharing some of the specifics about our admissions process.

Ann Bowe McDermott
Director of Admissions

April 23, 2008

Open House Reflections

Kelli The weather was great (sunny and warm) and the mood positive, as over 1500 students, parents, family members, and friends joined us this past Sunday for our Accepted Student Open House. Below I’ve listed a few of my favorite things from the day. If you weren’t able to join us, you missed an information-packed event (but never fear, we’re still available to give you closure on any unanswered questions—Admissions Office: 508-793-2443/800-442-2421). If you were with us, I hope you and your family enjoyed yourselves. See if your “best of” list from the day aligns with mine.

3. The chocolate covered cannolis. These fantastically tasty treats were just one of the many yummy dessert options prepared by our great Dining Services staff for our Open House. As a student, such desserts are available to order whenever you want! (Kimball Sweet Shoppe Menu)

2. Getting my photo taken with the Holy Cross mascot. Many of you seemingly had to be cajoled into posing with our Crusader, but I know that reticence was just for show. Secretly, you’re more than a little excited about your souvenir.

1. Talking with all of you! In many ways this is the best time of the year for the Admissions staff. We first met many of you last spring/summer. We then saw you at high school visits, fairs, and evening information sessions in the fall. This winter, as we read through your applications, we came to know you even better. Each and every one of you, who was offered admission to our Class of 2012, is someone we’ve gotten to know in one way or the other. For us, Open House is wonderful because we get to re-make your acquaintance. We really enjoy the opportunity to see and talk with all of you smart, fantastic, interesting people. We’re invested in you. We truly think purple is your color, and we hope to see you on campus this fall!

[Visit the accepted student website and click on “View the accepted student open house card »” near the bottom of the homepage (under our director’s letter), to view our thank you to you for coming.]

Kelli Powell
Assistant Director of Admissions

April 16, 2008

Worcester – The Greatest City on Earth

Drew In one of my earlier posts this year, I lauded the many benefits of Worcester, specifically tacos, tea and trails. But, now that it’s April and high school seniors are making finally their choices for college, it’s time that I stepped up my game just a bit. While in my earlier post, it may have seemed as though I had a crush on Worcester, that is simply not true. I am here today to reveal myself, to proclaim my deepest feelings – this is no crush. This is true love.

But enough about me. The real question is – why should YOU love Worcester? Answering that question is a challenge I gladly accept.

I’m sure everyone is very familiar with all the famous things that were invented here in Worcester – electricity, beauty, the automobile, nuclear weapons, monkeys and flowers. But one of our inventions that sometimes gets overlooked will most certainly have a serious impact on your college experience – pizza. But, Worcester does not rest on its laurels for simply inventing pizza – we continue to hone our craft. The world’s best pizza makers are here in Worcester today. Let me highlight just a few:

CORNER GRILLE: thin crust, cut in squares, enough variety to keep you entertained for more than four years. WARNING: If you’re afraid of improving the deliciousness of your life, do not eat their pizza.

WONDER BAR: a Worcester landmark on its most famous street – Shrewsbury Street. They’re too busy making their homemade sauce to make a website so you’ll have to believe me when I say their pizza will inspire you. Don’t believe me? Well, ask singer Martin Sexton who wrote the lyrics to one of the best albums of the decade while sitting at their counter eating one of their pepperoni pies.

PEPPERCORNS: all you need to know about this place is what they themselves say on their website: “We believe we have created the best Neapolitan (thin crust) pizza on Earth.” That may sound arrogant but it’s not because they’re right. They have created the best thin crust pizza on Earth.

CIAO BELLA: they don’t waste their time with silly things such as websites or credit cards. They spend every hour of every day focused on creating a circus in your mouth. So bring your cash and bring your flashlight so that when you take your first bite, you can open up and shine a spotlight on the greatest show on Earth.

So come to Worcester for the tacos, the tea, the trails and the pizza and as a bonus, while you’re here, we’ll get you a liberal education that is second to none.

Andrew N Carter
Associate Director of Admissions
College of the Holy Cross

April 5, 2008

I’ve Received My Letter, and I’m Not Happy

Julia To the Holy Cross Office of Admissions:

I just received my decision letter, and you guys got it WRONG. JUST PLAIN WRONG.

P.S. WRONG

Sound about right?

We in the Admissions Office recognize that many of you are pretty disappointed right now and we just want you to know — we understand, we know this is tough, and we’re really bummed, too.

The frustration you’re feeling is indeed justifiable. You’re probably brilliant, hard working, charismatic, thoughtful, and talented. You’re a three sport captain. A class president. An Irish step dancing mathlete. A bassoon-playing robotics champion. And on top of all of that, you are getting an A in AP Calc! You are an admit-a-la-mode. It may not feel like it right now, but we think the world of you. And though you may have visions of us sitting around some big table, laughing devilishly, drumming our fingers together a’ la Mr. Burns, casting out careless decisions while contemplating the many delicious ways to destroy your life, the fact is, none of us enjoy letting you down. Our decision making committee consists of a bunch of sappy, sensitive nerds, who’ve committed the last four months of their lives to meticulously scouring your applications for every morsel of goodness. Deciding between such wonderful and often equally deserving students is incredibly grueling, and simply heartbreaking. Smiling devilishly? No. We rather feel like sulking in the corner.

Please try not to doubt yourself or wonder what you could have done differently. Due to a record breaking number of applications totaling well over 7,200 (200 more than last year), and an insanely competitive applicant pool, we simply couldn’t admit all of the admissible applicants we wanted to. So, while we hope you can trust that we did our best to make the fairest decisions we could, we acknowledge and understand your disappointment.

Please know that you are all stars. You’re part of the most exceptionally talented applicant pool Holy Cross has ever seen, and we’re confident that wherever you end up, you’ll find unlimited success.

Julia Sanders
Admissions Counselor

March 31, 2008

Choosing the College For You

Tran After months of waiting and waiting for a response from colleges, you couldn’t wait for this month to arrive when the admissions decisions come out. But now you realize that you have another daunting task ahead of you. The tables have now turned and you’re the ones making the admissions decision and determining who will get in, if you will (hopefully this means a bit more sympathy for us and the hard decisions we’ve had to make).

Some of you will know immediately where you’ll go. Others of you may at least know where you will not go. But many of you, I’m guessing, are completely overwhelmed with the decision ahead. I mean this is where you’ll be spending the next four years of your life, and sure, transferring is always an option but who wants to go through the admissions cycle again? If you thought it was hard this time around, believe me when I tell you that it’s even harder the second time around, i.e. fewer spaces available, even less money for financial aid, etc. So this is it.

Though it is somewhat a huge commitment you’re making, it’s not as scary as it seems. Let me try to put some perspective on it. I equate this decision to marriage. We all have our vision of what the ideal partner is but all know in the back of our minds, that we all seldom end up with someone who matches every criteria on that list of credentials that we want. Marriage isn’t about finding a perfect match (even those who say they have the perfect partner will admit that there are less than perfect days). Likewise, finding the college for you isn’t about finding the perfect fit but about finding the best fit. You can’t have it all unfortunately so it’s about figuring out what matters most to you, what you absolutely can’t do without. So for example, if size is the most important thing to you, then narrow down your school options by that. If location is the most important criteria for you, then narrow down the list that way and so forth. Prioritize your criteria and start narrowing down your options in rounds. So if size is the most important thing, cross off schools that don’t fit the bill in the first round. If location is the next most important thing, then cross off other schools that don’t fit the bill. Hopefully that’ll give you a smaller list of schools for you to take a closer look into and decide.

But remember that at the end of the day, you’ll be happy and successful wherever you go. It’s all a matter of what you do while you’re there. People who go to highly selective schools don’t automatically end up being successful. They have to work hard to become successful. Likewise, students who attend less selective schools don’t end up less successful either. So don’t let that be a deciding factor for you. Happy deciding and good luck!

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

March 26, 2008

The Admissions Waiting Game

Pmaloney
In late January and February it didn’t seem so bad…there were other things going on to keep those thoughts on the back burner. But now, at the end of March, you can barely control yourself. The moment you get home, you run over and through anything in your way to get to the front door or the end of the driveway. Why? Well, I’m sure I don’t have to tell the people that are reading this…it’s to get the mail.

And then…disappointment. No, there’s no bad news, there’s just no news. No envelope. No package. No confetti or balloons in a box. These are the days you’re upset that bills (which don’t have your name on them), US Weekly, a postcard from Aunt Minnie, Sports Illustrated, and a letter that promises you may have won $1,000,000 have arrived.

And then the ritual is repeated the next day, and the next, and the next…and then the postal worker delivering your mail knows your name and a few days later you realize that’s probably a little odd, but it doesn’t really matter. You need to know.

Well, the wait is almost over. Here in the office, we’re folding letters, sticking on labels, and stuffing envelopes. If you applied to Holy Cross, your decision letter will soon be on its way. Keep in mind that your decision will not be posted online somewhere, nor will I be texting you with a “congrats”. You’re going to have to run for the mail for a few more days, but the waiting game is almost over. I promise. In the meantime, don’t give yourself an anxiety attack…and make sure you thank that mail carrier.

Patrick Maloney ’02
Assistant Director of Admissions

March 12, 2008

Feedback

Seniors: The wait will soon be over! I am guessing at this point, most of you are alternating between counting down the last days of your high school career and stalking the mailman, waiting for those decision letters to begin arriving. If you have a moment however, and are willing to tear yourself away from anxiously checking your inbox or dreaming about prom, we’d like to hear from you. Having just finished up the college application process, we’d love to get some feedback on what you enjoyed about it, what you found to be the most stressful part(s), etc. Do you feel Holy Cross specifically, or colleges generally, could have been more helpful, and if so, what form would that extra help have taken? E-mail admissions@holycross.edu (subject heading: Senior Feedback) and let us know how you found navigating the college application “jungle”.

Juniors: Though I know many of you will find this hard to believe, next month begins our cycle with you (April Information Sessions run Monday-Friday, April 1-29 at 11:15 a.m. and 1:15 p.m., http://www.holycross.edu/admissions/visit/tours/). As you begin the college process in earnest, we’re also interested in hearing from you. Please send us an e-mail (admissions@holycross.edu, Subject Heading: Junior Feedback) and let us know your thoughts on the journey ahead of you. What are you excited about? What are you dreading? Is there anything you think we could do to assist you as you maneuver through the search for a college home?

Kelli Powell
Assistant Director of Admissions

January 21, 2008

The Joy of Application Reading

“. . . he was at the kitchen table close to tears, surrounded by binder paper and pencils and unopened books on birds, immobilized by the hugeness of the task ahead. Then my father sat down beside him, put his arm around my brother’s shoulder, and said, “Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.”
Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird

In my first blog posting of the year (I’m sure you all have it committed to memory), I claimed that if you spent too much time with your nose in the college guide books, the college search would seem like an overwhelming 4th grade project on birds.

Well, now the shoe is on the other foot — it is our turn. As I sit here on Sunday afternoon watching the perfect Patriots on television, I am distracted (marginally) by the stack of applications on my coffee table. When considered as a whole, reading these applications can be overwhelming. But the only thing for us to do is to simply tackle these applications one at a time, bird by bird.

And when you take that approach, reading applications can be (gasp!) fun. I’ve read some wonderful essays so far this year about the determination of female preemies, a lesson learned from a French girl at summer camp or even something as simple as a swim in the ocean.

So I guess what I want to say is thank you.

Thank you for telling us about your Eagle Scout project.
Thank you for having the guts to take Calculus.
Thank you for fessing up to that mistake.
Thank you for sending us a Christmas card.
Thank you for sending that CD of you playing the violin (Bach was my favorite).

Thank you for applying.

Andrew N Carter
Associate Director of Admissions
College of the Holy Cross