Admission: Not Impossible

September 12, 2007

Hello from an Admissions counselor at Holy Cross!

Lynn Hello everyone! We’re excited to begin our new blog, and hope that you will check back frequently to hear what’s going on in the world of Holy Cross Admissions.

My name is Lynn Verrecchia. I grew up in Port Chester, NY and first came to Holy Cross as a student 1997. I chose Holy Cross for many of the same reasons I hear students mention today, including our close-knit community and focus on creating well-rounded individuals.

I began my admissions career in 2002, and returned to Holy Cross in my current role just over three years ago. I love having the opportunity to talk with students about a college that has played such an important role in my own life. I work with over 65 student volunteers in our tour guide program. Some of you may have already attended a tour at Holy Cross, and I hope that you found our students to be as friendly, genuine and helpful as I have.

I recently purchased my first home with my husband, a fellow Holy Cross grad, in Somerville, MA. Much of our time is now spent in Lowe’s or on the Home Depot website. True loves of my life include foreign language, travel, cookies and Alton Brown.

My recruitment territories include Texas, Tennessee, Maine, and parts of Massachusetts. I hope to see many of you "on the road", and others on campus this fall! I truly believe in the importance of finding the right "fit" in a college. Happy searching!

Lynn Verrecchia
Assistant Director of Admissions

September 11, 2007

Welcome!

Amanda Happy fall!

My name is Amanda Juriansz. I am the Assistant Director of Community Outreach in the Admissions office here at Holy Cross. I grew up in Rhode Island and graduated from the University of Rhode Island. After that I spent a couple years in Albany, NY working on my Masters.

During the summer I enjoy hiking and kayaking. During the winter I become an indoors person, I don’t like cold very much. My guilty pleasure is celebrity gossip. I read the magazines and watch Access Hollywood.

Best of luck to all of you who are college searching and working on your college applications!

Amanda Juriansz
Assistant Director for Community Outreach
Admissions

September 9, 2007

Meet an Admissions Counselor

Kelli Hi everyone!. My assignment (and I’ll skip the lame "should I choose to accept it" Mission Impossible allusion) is to introduce myself to you.

I grew up and went to high school in Western Massachusetts. I’m not a Holy Cross alum, but some of my most caring, intelligent and interesting friends are. They influenced my decision to join the Holy Cross Admissions Staff, and three years later I have no regrets about that choice.

My favorite admissions responsibilities include reading the applications that you’re currently, or soon will be, slaving over (Though you may not have fun filling them out, yes, we do actually like reading them.) and acting as co-commissioner of the Admissions’ summer bocce league (the sport of champions :-).

When not reading essays or refereeing bocce games, I enjoy watching Discovery Channel’s Deadliest Catch, though I admit that because each episode bears a remarkable resemblance to every other episode, I’m sure I’ve seen some of them numerous times and never noticed. I also enjoy hanging out with my betta fish, Jann (pronounced yawn) and Bjorn, who like reality television too, but don’t like shows about fishermen.

In the near future, I look forward to sharing a story or two from the road—my travel territories include Atlanta, the five boroughs of New York City, Long Island, and Chicago proper. If you live in those areas be on the look out for me at college fairs or high school visits. Perhaps we’ll see each other this fall.

Kelli J. Powell
Assistant Director of Admissions

September 7, 2007

Who are these admissions people?

Hey all.

My name is Patrick Maloney and I’m an assistant director in the Admissions Office at Holy Cross. I’m excited to have you reading our new Admissions blog and hope that you enjoy it. I assume that if you’re reading this, that you’re probably interested in attending HC and/or trying to get some information about the school. So, I’m hoping that my colleagues and I can accomplish that and also help give you a little insight into the Admissions Office at HC and what we actually do.

I think sometimes there is a lot of confusion surrounding how the application process actually works and also how a school reaches a decision on an application. If you’re a senior in high school right now, you’re probably thinking the same thing that I thought when I was in your shoes…"who are these admissions people, really?" followed by "I wonder if they even like high school students?" Well, the truth of the matter is, that an overwhelming amount of people that work in admissions do it because they "like the kids". Maloney Tip #1 – Think of admissions representatives as a resource. Seriously. We’re here to help you, so if you have questions, please ask!

Now, for the rest of you wondering who these people are, here’s a little bit of background about myself. I’ve actually been at HC for a quite a while now…I graduated in 2002, and then worked for two years in the Athletic Department here at the College, and now find myself entering my fourth year in the Admissions Office. Time flies…I cannot believe that I had a college reunion this past summer. Just the idea of it is totally foreign to me, but it’s reality. Anyway, I live in Worcester (my hometown) with my beautiful wife of 10 months now. So, there’s a little intro about me. Hopefully it wasn’t too boring to read…

I’m gearing up for a trip to California as part of my first recruiting trip of the fall, so I’ll check back with you all later.

Patrick Maloney ’02
Assistant Director of Admissions

September 6, 2007

Greetings from Holy Cross Director of Admissions!

Annmcdermott
Dear Student,

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.

Founded in 1843 as the first Catholic college in New England, Holy Cross is renowned for its mentoring-based, liberal arts education in the Jesuit tradition. The College integrates faith and knowledge with an emphasis on service to others. An exclusively undergraduate institution with a student/faculty ratio of nearly 10/1—among the best in the nation—Holy Cross assures you of highly personalized instruction. Keeping that in mind, we hope that reading our posts will further personalize your experience with the Admissions Office at Holy Cross.

Ann McDermott
Director of Admissions