Admission: Not Impossible

(initially posted by Meghan Body ’17 on Friday, November 21st, 2014)

With only two weeks until our Early Decision deadline, I thought it prudent to re-post a great piece from one of our current students about her admissions experience.  Enjoy!

When I became a high school senior, I knew Holy Cross was the college that I wanted to attend. Because I was so sure, I applied Early Decision to Holy Cross.  Early Decision seemed very attractive to me; if accepted, I would know where I was going by the end of that fall.  ED is, however, a huge commitment. If you know Holy Cross is the school for you, then go for it! That being said, do not feel obligated to apply ED, as it is a decision for which one has to be ready. It was the right decision for me, but it is not the right decision for all.

About a month after I had submitted my application, I was deep into an American Government paper when I heard my phone ring.  The caller introduced herself as a Holy Cross Admissions counselor, and I immediately worried that I had forgotten something on my application. Before I had the chance to react, the Admissions counselor told me I had been accepted to the Class of 2017!  My initial confusion switched to happiness, delight, and pride.  I excitedly thanked the woman on the phone a million times, and then called my family and friends to share the great news. It is a moment I will never forget.

Despite my elation, it is important to recognize how applying Early Decision impacted the rest of my senior year. Although I enrolled in Holy Cross in late December, and I felt relieved of a tremendous amount of stress regarding my college choice, I did not let this affect my academics. If anything, it inspired me to continue to prove that I belonged at Holy Cross.  With that, I worked to finish my senior year on a high note.  If you are accepted ED, please do not let “senioritis,” “the senior slump,” or whatever you may call the lack of focus during senior year of high school get to you!

On the back of the Sader Nation T-shirts for the Class of 2018 reads the following quote, “From this point on, there is no turning back, no copping-out.” Spoken during the 1970 Commencement by Father Swords, the President of the College, these words symbolize the commitment I made to Holy Cross and my personal growth when I chose to enroll here.  Never do I regret my decision to come to Holy Cross, and I believe that if you make the same commitment I did, neither will you.

 

One of our social media interns, Maddy, wrote a lovely piece about her experiences being a student-athlete here at Holy Cross, and I thought I’d share it below:

Balancing academics and athletics and college can absolutely be a challenge! As a junior on the Women’s Varsity Lacrosse team here at Holy Cross, I have learned the ins and outs of time management skills and am here to let you know how you can make it work.

First, if you’re coming to Holy Cross and have completed four years of high school successfully with your sport you likely have some time management skills already. Once in college, you will learn to develop them further. Specifically, you will learn about prioritizing. Inevitably with a packed schedule of academics and athletics, you won’t be able to do EVERYTHING you need to get done in just one day! I recommend investing in a planner, a notebook, or post-its and mastering the art of a to-do list. Set this list up by due dates and what is most important to you!

Next, you’ll need to learn about sacrifice. In high school, it’s generally pretty easy to manage a full load with academics, athletics, extra-curricular events, and a social life. If you want to have all of those in college and continue to sleep you’re likely going to need to sacrifice some things. As a Holy Cross student-athlete, it is likely that your extra-curricular activities or social life load may need to be lightened.  My best advice is to join one or two things that interest you the most and give all you can to them. There is nothing worse than committing to an activity or club and not being able to give it your full attention. By selecting what is most important to you, you won’t overload your schedule and you will be able to get the most out of your commitments.

Finally, as mentioned, you may need to make some sacrifices when it comes to your friends and fun. Let me be clear, I have so much fun at Holy Cross and hang out with my friends all the time as a student-athlete. There are nights, however, where I am in the library and my friends are watching a movie or going out. This will happen to you. My best advice is to not let the “FOMO-Fear of Missing Out” get to you. It’s just one night or one event of many that you will have in college. One night isn’t worth letting your grades or athletic performance suffer, trust me.

Balancing school and athletics and everything else is a skill, but you can figure it out! Luckily you have a team filled with upperclassmen who have been there and know exactly what you’re going through. You have coaches who went through the same thing and came out successful as well. Look to them and ask for help if you think you’re getting overwhelmed. It can seem scary at first, but every Crusader is up for the challenge!

(images provided by Maddy Smith)

After 5 weeks out on the road visiting high schools, attending college fairs, and hosting alumni interview programs on the West Coast, I am now back in the Eastern Standard Time Zone!  I had such an amazing time talking to college counselors and prospective students but am glad to be back on campus.  Most of my colleagues are still travelling all over the country; you may see when a Holy Cross rep will be in your area by going here for our full schedule.  Additionally, we are still interviewing students on the road!  Please go here to request an interview (either on- or off-campus).

Now that I have returned to autumn foliage, cooler temperatures, and pumpkin-spiced everything I can also return to on-campus events at Holy Cross!  This weekend is Family Weekend, and Holy Cross has planned lots of great activities.  Highlights in the schedule include sporting events, concerts, a dance show, casino night, a 5K, mass, and so much more!

Another big event is our second Open House of the fall.  Prospective students and their guests may register for the program, and we also welcome walk-ins!  Activities for the day include sessions on admissions and financial aid, panels with current students and faculty, and lunch.

Beyond Family Weekend and Open House, Holy Cross is hosting all kinds of programs.  For more information on other events happening on the Hill, please check out the Holy Cross Calendar.

Cheers to fall!

(photography by Thomas Rettig)

It’s partly cloudy and 62 degrees in Worcester, but as I sit in a Starbucks and frantically respond to emails in between high school visits it is 82 degrees and sunny in Los Angeles!  One of our social media interns (a junior) sent me an update on what she is doing back at the College, so I thought I would share her thoughts here:

“I’m extremely excited to write about how my classes are going for the Fall of 2015.  As an upperclassman, I feel lucky to be selecting classes more specific to my interests now that I have completed most of my requirements.  My friends and I have all noticed that we’re all now taking varied and ranging classes based on our own academic programs compared to the more common 101 classes we’ve had in the past.

For me specifically I’m excited about my upper level Economics and Education classes.  As an Economics major I’m now taking electives; this Fall specifically I’m enrolled in Professor Congdon-Hohman’s Labor Economics.  I’m happy to now be finally applying all the knowledge I gained my principles classes over the past two years to a real life scenario and concepts such as those in the labor market.

Additionally, I’m taking two electives classes for my Education minor.  Both are very fun, and both are very different.  One is Professor Schneider’s “Jobs: Teaching as a Case Study,” which is a small seminar of about 9 people.  This class we’re focusing on what does a job mean and specifically what goes into the profession or a teacher.  This class is based in a lot of reading and discussion and so far I’m enjoying it!  My other education class is Professor Fisher’s “Schools: Surviving and Achieving” class.  This course looks into the roles of school counselors.  For five class periods we actually will be going into a Worcester public school and working directly with children.

Finally, I’m completing my Language requirement with American Sign Language!  I must say this class is more challenging than I had expected.  There’s so much I never knew about ASL, and much more I have to learn.  Besides class time we also have a practicum that meets for this class with a new group of students.

I’m excited to see what my four classes bring me this semester, and excited to experience a new four in the Spring!”

Please stay tuned for more updates, both from campus and from the road.  Happy fall, everyone!

 Today was one of the first days in a long time when I opened my calendar and saw that I did not have a single appointment.  No interviews to conduct, no information sessions to host, no orientation luncheons on which to gorge!  The month of August has been an incredibly busy time for all of us in admissions at Fenwick Hall, as we prepare for the arrival of the Class of 2019 and switch gears to focus on the Class of 2020.

Next Tuesday is September 1st, and I feel as though so much still needs to be completed in order to get ready for the new admissions cycle.  I am very excited to jump into the recruitment season, so I wanted to give you a preview of what’s to come:

– Perspectives: From Saturday, November 7th through Monday, November 9th we are hosting prospective students on campus for our annual Perspectives Program!  This opportunity is open to culturally aware high school seniors, and it’s a great way to learn more about the Holy Cross student experience.  We plan all kinds of fun activities for participants as well as provide room and board, free of charge to participants.  The last day to apply is Monday, October 5th at 5PM EST.  Please click the link for the online application.

– Travel: Throughout the months of September and October, admissions representatives from Holy Cross will be travelling all over the country to visit high schools and attend college fairs.  We seek to share information about what makes Holy Cross special, as well as meet prospective students in their home areas!  Please stay tuned for our office travel schedule, which will be made available on the site in September.

– Open House: Two Sundays in the fall (October 4th and November 8th), we invite prospective students and their families to visit campus and explore all that the College of the Holy Cross has to offer.  Guests may pre-register by clicking on the link or sign up the day of the event.  We provide a light breakfast and lunch, as well as tours, info sessions, panels, and more!

– Day Visits: High school seniors will be matched with a current Holy Cross student host and have the chance to shadow him/her to see what’s it’s like to be a Crusader!  Registration will open later in September.

– Interviews: As we discuss in the blog, we highly encourage prospective students to interview with Holy Cross.  Thus we offer opportunities both on- and off-campus for high school seniors to meet with us and share their high school experiences.  Please request an interview at least two weeks ahead of time; we look forward to meeting you!

Of course, please do follow us on Twitter and Facebook with more updates about these and other events.  Happy Fall!

(photography for Tom Rettig)