It’s time for summer tours!

lauren-tSummertime is finally here!
While many of you are probably ecstatic that your final exams are wrapping up and you can finally relax, lie in the sun and enjoy your summer vacation, we here in the Admissions Office are conducting our summer tours.  With the official beginning of summer and the sun finally (barely!) gracing us with its presence, comes our full schedule of summer tours.  Making the visit to campus and going on one of our summer tours is a great way to get to know more about Holy Cross. Summer tours are offered Monday through Friday at 10:00 a.m., 12:00 noon, 2:00 p.m. & 3:00 p.m.  We do not require pre-registration which makes popping in for a tour easy especially if you happen to be driving on I-290, heading on your family’s summer vacation!  If the ease of visiting Holy Cross this summer and your sheer curiosity about our campus is not enough to convince you, here are our top five reasons for visiting:

  1. See firsthand what is unique and special about Holy Cross.
  2. Admire our 174 acre hillside campus which in Princeton Review’s 2009 college rankings was placed in the top ten for “Most Beautiful College Campuses” (and increase your stamina by climbing our plethora of stairs).
  3. Feel the strong sense of community and discover more about our Jesuit traditions.
  4. Learn why studying liberal arts prepares you for all aspects of life.
  5. Hear from our current students about their experiences while on Mount St. James (and why they bleed purple).

Please see our Web site for  more information on campus tours.
Hope to see YOU on campus this summer!

Lauren D. Thornton
Admissions Counselor

Top Five Reasons Why I Love Holy Cross

(This message is brought to you by “Picture Perfect”, the photo blog that illustrates day-to-day life at Holy Cross).

#5. Students from Texas are willing to try anything new, even ice skating inside the Hogan Campus Center.

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#4. Holy Cross students combine a love of the outdoors and a love of the Patriots by moving their couches and televisions outside on Sundays in the fall.

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#3.Skiing is as close as 15 minutes away.

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#2 Students from Maryland get creative with dining hall food and even win money for it.

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#1 Our President has a doctorate in computer engineering, is a Jesuit priest, jogs nearly every morning before most of us are awake, volunteers alongside our students AND he looks good in a baseball cap.

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Andrew N. Carter
Associate Director of Admissions

Yet Another Benefit of Interviewing

JuliaSanders I just finished up my first interview of the new season.   I must admit, prior to the interview, the rainy day was making me feel a little “blah.”   But there’s just something about a nice conversation with someone that makes me smile.   She didn’t have to do any magic tricks or back flips, or cure cancer, or bring me cookies (my favorite is chocolate chip with walnuts). (And no, you are not supposed to bring me cookies). (Unless you reeeeallly want to).  All she had to do was show up, and have a conversation.  She told me about her interests in service, law, and art;  we talked about the new Star Trek movie;  and we reminisced about how beautiful western Massachusetts can be when there aren’t so many tourists around.

She did a great job, and she made my day just a little brighter.

So what should you take away from this?  That in addition to helping you get into college, and giving you insider information on whichever colleges you’re considering,    interviewing makes admissions folks smile, and that never hurts.

Julia Sanders
Admissions Counselor

On-campus interviews are available now through December. To arrange an on-campus interview, please call the Admissions Office at 1-800-442-2421.  For more information, please see our Web site.

Visiting Holy Cross This Summer

diane-sHey, Juniors: What are you doing this summer?

We know you’re busy finishing up the school year. You probably have papers to write, exams to study for, and final projects to wrap up. It’s a hectic time of year, but as your thoughts turn to warm summer days, you have more to look forward to than just hitting the beach. We’ll be inviting you to visit us!

Summer is a great time to come and visit the admissions office here at Holy Cross. In addition to our regularly scheduled tours, information sessions (check website for details), and interviews (simply call the office a few weeks ahead of time to schedule), we’ll be holding our July Advisory Days (or JAD) every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday beginning on July 6th.

JAD is a great program and one that is not to be missed. Many schools will be offering to give you a tour of the campus and informational session on the college. Here at Holy Cross, we like to take your visit one step further by providing you with some general information on two topics that we’ve heard time and time again, cause students stress: the college essay and the admissions interview.

There’s no reason to fear either of these tasks and we’re here to provide you with some admissions insight about how to survive the college application process with minimal stress (and hopefully optimal results). So come join us for a visit this summer. We look forward to meeting you!

*For more information on the JAD Program, please visit our Web site:

Diane Soboski
Assistant Director of Admissions

“Why I love Holy Cross”

tranThere are so many wonderful qualities to Holy Cross that it’s hard to just focus on one…but that is my assignment for this entry.  Of all the characteristics that define Holy Cross, the one that impresses me the most is our active commitment  to social justice and service.  Having been at two other small liberal arts institutions prior to coming to Holy Cross, I have seen three different versions of the small, undergraduate liberal arts experience,  and the main differentiation for me is the call to service that stems from our Jesuit mission.  Helping those in need is something that is personally and professionally important to me and I always felt somewhat alone in my commitment to social issues but when I came here, I was pleasantly blown away by the strength of Holy Cross’s commitment to serving the greater community.  Students, faculty and staff truly believe in the Jesuit mission to serve others and because of our mission, there is a certain tone of caring and compassion on campus that I just haven’t seen anywhere else.  I find myself constantly inspired and challenged to find more meaningful ways to help and serve because of the environment here at Holy Cross.

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

“Why I love Holy Cross”

lauren-tWe know you have a big decision to make.  Over the next few weeks, members of the Holy Cross community will share their thoughts on what makes Holy Cross so special.

As a newcomer to the Holy Cross community, I am often asked “Why Holy Cross?” The thing I love the most about Holy Cross is quite simple:  We have motivated, interesting students.

From my interactions with various students on campus, I have come to find that our students have an amazingly wide variety of interests.  Each individual pursues their passions fiercely, whatever they may be.  I have met the Music/Premed major who is also the president of the ballroom dance team and volunteers through SPUD (Student Programs for Urban Development). I have met the Studio Art major who hosts students through Admissions Office, but also participates in one of the most spirited organizations on campus, the Purple Key Society. I have met the undeclared first year student who is part of Oxfam America, Best Buddies, plays on the Women’s Rugby team, and is a Eucharistic minister.  No matter what a student’s interest might be, they are encouraged to pursue it during their four short years here.  And although I was not a student here during my undergraduate years, I have come to love this campus and its students as if it were my very own.

Lauren D. Thornton
Admissions Counselor

“Why I love Holy Cross”

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We know you have a big decision to make.  Over the next few weeks, members of the Holy Cross community will share their thoughts on what makes Holy Cross so special.

So what do I love about Holy Cross?  Simply put: the people who comprise the community.  From the Trustees, to the President, alumni, students, faculty and staff, this is an institution with a seemingly unending lineage of truly amazing people.  They are passionate, sensitive, engaged people who are committed not only to their own edification, but also to those they teach, those they serve, and those they sit and debate and exchange ideas with in- and out- of class.  They’re committed to service, social justice, and to living out the mission of being men and women for others.  They’re a community of people, committed to their own pursuits while being interested and engaged with those around them.

James T. Richardson
Associate Director of Admission
FACHEX Coordinator

“Why I love Holy Cross”

amanda

We know you have a big decision to make.  Over the next few weeks, members of the Holy Cross community will share their thoughts on what makes Holy Cross so special.

I love Holy Cross because the people here really look after one another.  Before coming here,  I had never experienced such a selfless community. Here,  getting lost in the crowd is impossible.  If you lose your student ID card, start to feel homesick,  or need help with a class,  there will be ten people there to help you get back on track.  You’re not in this college thing alone.  If you ever need help, you just have to say the word (and usually help is there before you can finish the thought).

Amanda Juriansz
Assistant Director of Community Outreach

“Why I love Holy Cross”

alyssa-tWe know you have a big decision to make.  Over the next few weeks, members of the Holy Cross community will share their thoughts on what makes Holy Cross so special.

What does the College of the Holy Cross have in common with famous designers like Oscar de la Renta, Nanette Lepore, Vivenne Tam, Monique Lhuillier, and Carolina Herrera?  The color purple.

Having attended Holy Cross for four fabulous years I have acquired more purple than most people can fathom:  I love my purple Holy Cross t-shirt that I wore to my first Holy Cross football game.  I love my purple polka-dotted belt that I wore for two amazing summers as a Gateways Orientation Leader.  I love my purple headband that I sported at every home basketball game.  I love my purple shorts that I wore when I saw Guster in concert during Spring Weekend of my sophomore year.  I love my purple shoulder-bag that lugged class books to Dinand library numerous times a week.  I love my purple tights that I put on before going to Holy Cross’ on-campus pub my senior year.  I love my purple “Holy Cross 2008” banner that now hangs proudly in my office.

Like all Holy Cross Crusaders, I love purple, I have a lot of it, and I am ready for this spring fashion statement.  At Holy Cross we are clearly ahead of the fashion curve.  We have been wearing purple for ages, and we’ve always made purple look good.

Alyssa Trometter
Admissions Counselor

“Why I love Holy Cross”

Ann McDermott

We know you have a big decision to make.  Over the next few weeks, members of the Holy Cross community will share their thoughts on what makes Holy Cross so special.

As I was walking through the Admissions Office waiting room, I overheard one of our students speaking with a group of visitors.  “I absolutely love it here!  I can’t imagine myself anywhere else,”

That is what I love about Holy Cross.  Our students are not only amazing, they are amazingly happy.

I encourage you to take some time to learn why.  On April 15th and 22nd,  log on to our on-line chats and “talk” to our students about their experiences here.  Come to the Open House on April 19th and see first hand what is unique and special about Holy Cross.

Ann McDermott
Director of Admissions