January 15th is a day that is circled on many calendars across the country for a variety of reasons. Did you know that on January 15, 1559, Queen Elizabeth I was crowned? In 1622, French writer Molière was born? In 1922, Irish revolutionary Michael Collins became the Irish Free States’ first premier? In 1929, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was born? And in 1967, the Green Bay Packers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl I.? Well, it’s true. And in addition to those events, January 15th is important at Holy Cross because it is the deadline for regular decision applications.
Where did the time go you ask? Well, it has flown by in a blur of high school visits, open houses, college fairs, interviews, phone calls and emails for counselors here at HC. But today – January 16th is the start of full scale reading for us counselors. Oh, we’ve been chipping away at early applications for a few months, but now we know what we’re up against. The last applications are being downloaded and all the rest of the mail is coming in. Counselors will be able to go find a quiet area to read applications for hours at a time. Our very own Suzanne likes to read at her desk…and by the looks of the pile on her desk this morning, she’ll be there a while.
I know what you’re thinking – it sounds like fun! Well, like any good novel, it has it ups and downs, makes you laugh or frustrates you, but overall it’s enjoyable to find out about all of you. As you might have already guessed, I’m putting off reading in order to write this entry, but if I don’t start, I’ll never finish. So, with all this work to be done, and a full night’s rest behind me, I’m ready to go. You might not be hearing from us very frequently over the several weeks, but don’t forget to check back with us because you never know what we’re going to read about next.
Patrick Maloney ’02
Assistant Director of Admissions
Many of you are probably breathing sighs of relief right now as you finalize and finally submit your applications for college. For us in the office, we’re just getting warmed up as the applications fly into our reading bins. At this point in the year, we start to buckle down at home and in the office shedding our heels and ties so if you swing by, don’t be surprised to see us romping about in jeans and sneakers. And if we’re at home, most of us are probably decked out in our favorite bathrobes and slippers. Because we read using a pencil, many of us, if not all, have finally chosen our season’s pencils that promise never ending writing comfort for the next two months but ultimately fall a bit short because the nature of this task that lies ahead dictates inevitable writing calluses at some point. But no matter how tedious and sometimes unkind the task is, I have to admit that it’s one of my favorite parts of the job and I speculate that many of my colleagues would agree. I learn about different facets of young peoples’ lives that are funny, entertaining, whimsical, inspiring and sometimes sad. I get to meet interesting and unique individuals from all over the country and even from various parts of the world, all without ever leaving my chair.
Phew!
I know you’re all dying to go behind the scenes of our “Holiday Card.” Well here are some of the answers to the thousands of questions that have poured in. Okay, actually no questions have been to us, but these are my guesses about the questions you are secretly quite curious about:
You’ve worked four long years in high school – history term papers, trig exams, chemistry labs, art projects, summer reading quizzes – and then finally, senior year, you tackle the Common Application. You write your name, address, mom’s name, dad’s name, high school’s name, etc. Then it’s time for the short answer – you rack your brain for an experience, an activity that you can talk about in 150 words or fewer that will be impressive to the admissions officer and reflective of your interests. And then, the final push, you sit down to write the essay. But someone gave you good advice, so you listen to your sparrow and write an essay of which you feel proud.