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Admissions and Additions

I submitted my Regular Decision application way back in October, why will I not hear the decision until April?

Great question.  Although math is not my strong suit, I will put on my Stat. Hat and consult with the Fraction Faction to provide you with an answer:

Holy Cross will receive roughly 7,000 applications this year.  Each application is carefully read by two members of our thirteen member admissions staff between January 1st and February 15th.  Therefore, each counselor must read ((7,000 apps x 2 reads)/12 counselors) applications over that six week period.  I will not go any further with the math in terms of applications read per day, but I will note that a typical 5 day/8 hours a day work weeks go out the window in the Admissions world during reading season (and travel season for that matter).

So, why don’t we hear on February 15th?

Full of great questions, are we?  Well, the process does not stop after reading season is over.  Our twelve person Admissions staff then goes to Committee through the end of March to revisit every single file to make our final Admissions decisions as a group (majority rules – all votes counted evenly).  Therefore, (12 counselors discussing 7,000 apps/6 weeks) = (396 cups of coffee/x bathroom breaks)+(8,326 insightful questions asked + 178 Counselor calls) A.K.A. The creation of the Class of 2015.

So, please remember that we are working on par with Santa’s elves this holiday/application season before you pick up the phone to inquire if we have made a decision on your Regular Decision application yet.  My advice: Munch on Holiday cookies, enjoy time with your family and friends, and leave the application stress to us.

Dan Weagle ’08

Admissions Counselor
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Thanksgiving Break Suggestions

Thanksgiving break is only days away and, while it may be tempting to eat the turkey and give into napping your vacation away, it is also a great time to work on those college applications. If you are submitting your application ED, then this is the perfect time to read over that essay one more time before the December 15th Early Decision deadline.

Instead of sitting in front of the TV, call upon your relatives to proof read your  essay. They will most likely approach your work with a fresh perspective that mom, dad, or even siblings may have lost by the 6th time reading your college essay. Perhaps your cousin, who is just back from his first semester of college, can give you some great editing tips that will make your essay that much more exciting.

Use your extra time to polish your college applications or even add supplements.  An art, theater, or music supplement may be one more great way to show Admissions your personality and interests. With a 4 day weekend, you could easily put together a portfolio or even record your musical performances. The application season can fly by so use this extra time when you are not busy with school work or extra-curricular activities to get ahead of the deadlines that are lurking after Christmas.

Krystle Leveille

Admissions Counselor
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I Read My First Application Today

I read my first application today.

I de-constructed the transcript.  I read, evaluated and summarized the recommendations.  I read through the interview evaluation.  I summarized the extra-curricular activities.

And then I got to the essay.

It was at that point that I turned the calculator off; I pushed my laptop to the side.  I minimized the spreadsheet and put my pencil down.

I sat back in my chair and I read.

Up until that point, I’d been evaluating data and building a composite of who this student is, using a collection of sources, mainly other people’s voices.  The essay was my first chance to hear the student’s voice.    I was making a painting of the student and all of a sudden, the paintbrush was in the student’s hand.

Suddenly, the rest of the file made sense.  Suddenly, I had a sense of who this student is.   Suddenly, it was time to pick up the pencil, turn on the calculator and move on to the next application.

Andrew N. Carter
Associate Director of Admissions
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I’m About to Apply – What Else Can I Do?

Fall is a time that flies by for Admissions Counselors.  Personally, I can’t believe that it’s already November. In the Admissions Office, we’re getting ready to start reading applications, especially those who have applied for Early Decision (deadline December 15th). As you get ready to hit the “submit” button on the Common Application, I wanted to share a few tips to help make your application the best that it can be:

• If you haven’t already, schedule an interview .  Interviews are not required, but are highly recommended as part of our application process. They’re painless, we promise! We just want to have a conversation with you and learn about all the wonderful things you’ve accomplished in high school.

• Keep up those senior grades! We know how easy it is to fall prey to “senioritis,” but remember that continuing to do well in senior year is important to us.

• Proofread that essay. Make sure to use both proofreaders (Mom, Dad, siblings, friends, etc.),  and proofreaders with perspective (English teachers, Guidance Counselors).

• Feel free to send us any supplemental materials- artwork, music, writing samples, resumes, etc. We like to know about all of your talents, both in and out of the classroom.

Not ready to submit an application to Holy Cross just yet? Don’t worry. There is still time to learn all about HC and our admissions process. Join us at our Open House this Sunday,  November 14th.

Nicole Zervos ‘09

Admissions Counselor
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My High School is Holding a College Fair!

Great! Here are a few tips that will enhance your college fair experience:

Do Some Research Before the Fair: Find out what colleges/universities will be attending your fair. Poke around on the websites of schools  in which you are interested. This exercise is bound to crank your brain gears and produce some questions for the college representatives.

Represent Yourself and Your School Well: Many of the college representatives have come a long way and look forward to meeting bright, eager students. So take the time to shake the representative’s hand, look him/her in the eye, introduce yourself, and ask those brilliant questions that you recently thought up. Remember – there is no such thing as a bad question. You will spend the next four years of your life at this school; you should make the effort to know as much as you can about it.

Make the Experience Count: You put in the time researching and visiting the collegerepresentative, now make sure you get credit for it.   Fill out any forms or cards the representative might have on his/her table. Often, these forms/cards will be placed in your admissions file and will be reviewed during the admissions process. Do not miss out on this opportunity to demonstrate interest in each and every school you might be attending in the not-so-distant future.

Dan Weagle ‘08

Admissions Counselor
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Admissions Myths and Truths Revealed

Travel season is in full swing. Admissions counselors are out and about at high schools and college fairs, including myself. This year during my travels I’ve heard a few admissions myths from students and counselors alike that we would like to dispel.

Myth: “That school is too hard to get in to.”

Truth: You never know until you try. Even admissions counselors can’t tell you whether you would get in or not until the process is complete. There are a multitude of factors that are taken into consideration. First in your family to go to college? That’s a plus for you. Live in Washington DC? There’s another plus. You’ve probably got a lot more going for you than you realize.

Myth: “That school is too expensive”

Truth: You should never be intimidated by the sticker price of a school. If it is a school you are interested in apply for financial aid. Students are often surprised by how much aid they qualify for. And by the way, Holy Cross meets need 100%.

Myth: “I’ll save money by enrolling in a community college for two years and then transferring to a four year institution”

Truth: You may end up spending more time and money by attending a two year school first. Credits don’t always transfer and you may have to take some courses a second time. Also the quality of the education or the student life experience may not be the same. Be sure to consider all of the factors before making a decision to transfer.

Amanda Juriansz

Assistant Director of Admissions
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Senior Year Matters

Hurrah! I’m a senior! Did you say or think something similar in the past few weeks? How long did your excitement last before you became overwhelmed by your seemingly endless to-do list? Probably not too long. Many of you are preparing to dive head first into the college application process, which may be equal parts exciting and terrifying. You might be tempted to let it take over your life, and at some points you might feel like it has.

So I’d like to offer a few words of advice. As you spend time writing your essay, figuring out your parents’ job titles, memorizing your social security number and squeezing in campus visits and interviews, don’t forget to continue being the amazing student and person that you’ve always been. In the minds of admission officers-and certainly those of us at Holy Cross-senior year matters, and it matters a lot. This is the year when you have the greatest opportunity to show off your talents in and out of the classroom. You didn’t sign up for all those upper level courses or take on leadership roles just for show, did you?

As you start to focus on your applications, try not to let school-or life-take a permanent back seat. You’ve worked hard to get where you are, and we can’t wait to see what you’ll do next.
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The Cupertino Effect

If you search the website of the United Nations, you’ll find a fascinating article on African-German Cupertino; in another article, you can read about peace education that stresses participation, problem solving and Cupertino.

Still have time on your hands?  Another search will bring you to an article on political, economic and trade Cupertino in the Balkans.

What is Cupertino, you ask?

Well, it’s a city in California.  But for our purposes, it’s proof that spell-check is not always correct.

You see, early versions of spell-check did not recognize the word “cooperation”; it only knew the word to be spelled with a hyphen: “co-operation”.  Like any misspelled word, spell check recommended alternative spellings, the first of which was the now famous town in California.  Inattentive writers (even in the UN!) frequently hit “change all” without proof reading the spell-check selection.

The lesson here?  Today is August 18th and the Common Application has been available for a few weeks. As you begin working on your essay, remember that spell-check is a handy tool but that your eyes and the eyes of a proofreader with perspective are the only way to make sure that your thoughts come across effectively.

Thank you for your Cupertino.

Andrew N. Carter

Associate Director of Admissions
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I Can’t Afford Holy Cross

TranKim-Senior.BLOG2Did you break out in a sweat, hyperventilate, or struggle to breathe for a second when you first saw the nearly $50,000 price tag for attending Holy Cross?  Without a doubt, $50,000 per year is a hefty price to pay for a college education whether it be in this dire economy or in a vibrant economy of several years ago, and some of you may have decided to not apply because of the sticker shock.  However, you might be surprised at how affordable Holy Cross can be for you and your family because of our very comprehensive and very generous financial aid package.

We are a school that is fully committed to meeting every family’s demonstrated financial need in order to attend Holy Cross.  In essence, if you are admitted into Holy Cross and demonstrate financial need, you can be assured that we will meet that need by 100%.

There are two caveats to that policy.  First, the need we determine is based on federal guidelines and looks at your family’s household income and asset values and is not based on what you determine to be your personal financial need.  Second, we only consider you for financial aid if you submit all of your paperwork to us on time by February 1st at the latest.  There are two important forms that you need to submit to Holy Cross in order to be considered for financial assistance:  The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the CSS Profile.  To access these forms, please visit our financial aid site.   In addition, if you come from a single parent household, the CSS Profile will require you to submit the Non-Custodial Parent form that asks for financial information from your non-custodial parent.  Also, if your family owns a business or a farm, the CSS Profile will require you to submit a Business/Farm supplement that asks  income information from these two sources.  If either of these circumstances applies to you, it is very, very important that you submit the additional information that is asked of you.  If for some reason, you are not able to get the required information (i.e. your non-custodial parent has never been in the picture), you need to contact the financial aid office immediately to explain your situation and get instructions on how to proceed.  If you submit all the required forms in completion to Holy Cross, you will be fully considered for financial assistance from Holy Cross.

With all this said, at the end of the day, you should never let a college’s price tag deter you from applying.  Every college has its own way of disseminating financial assistance and scholarship funds and you never know what you may qualify for and ultimately receive for financial assistance.  The most expensive schools can sometimes be the most affordable schools because financial aid provides you with enough assistance to lower the price tag.  Instead, you should choose a school that has the programs and the atmosphere that is the best fit for you, apply to those schools, complete all the necessary forms for financial assistance and scholarships and then see what you end up receiving in financial assistance.  Once you get all your packages, you can sit down and decide what schools are financially viable for you and your family.

Tran Kim-Senior

Assistant Director of Admissions

Coordinator of Multicultural Recruitment
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Application Deadlines: Don’t Wait Until the Last Minute!

LynnVerrecchia.BLOG2Every year around this time we take a staff photo which becomes our office holiday card. The card is sent to student volunteers and to guidance counselors we’ve met during our travels. It’s meant as a gesture of thanks for volunteers and one of goodwill toward our high school counterparts. We don Santa hats and Holy Cross gear and enthusiastically grin for the camera. Our smiles show that we love our jobs and that we truly wish those around us a wonderful holiday season.

The behind-the-scenes picture is a bit more harried. Our hectic fall travel season and various in-office responsibilities push the holiday card to the back burner for several weeks. It is typically all but forgotten until one attentive staff member points out that the holidays are in fact around the corner. We scramble to find a day when everyone will be in the office and a time when interviews are not scheduled. We raid the bookstore and scrounge for purple scarves that have not already been scooped up by students and visitors. We cringe at the gloomy skies that insist on threatening rain on picture day, because we know that rescheduling is not an option. We pay for expedited shipping and keep our eyes fixed on the mailbox. We stay late to print labels and address envelopes. We send the card out with hours to spare. Then, and only then, do we sit back and enjoy the picture ourselves.

In the end, our students and colleagues see only the final product. They smile at our gesture and pin our photo to their bulletin boards. They appreciate what we have done. The frantic nature of picture day does not show. Only we know that making this picture happen was a race to the finish.

 Last minute application filers deal with similar stresses. The computer suddenly crashes; a teacher assigns a major project; a family emergency crops up. That essay is due tomorrow and suddenly the conditions are not ideal. Just as we learn (and relearn) every year, the applicant learns that a looming deadline leaves little room for error. Though your final product is meant for others, the process is for you. Aim for more than just a strong outcome–try to allow for a positive experience along the way.

Holy Cross’ Early Decision application deadline is December 15. The Regular Decision deadline is January 15.

 

Lynn Verrecchia

Assistant Director of Admissions