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Move-In Day: An incoming freshman’s perspective

Robbie Carter, an incoming first-year student from Tampa, Fla., took some time to reflect on the craziness and community that is Holy Cross Move-In Day.


August 24 had finally arrived and only one single thought was continuously running through my head: Move-in Day at Holy Cross! Driving up Mount St. James for the first time as a student, I experienced a unique mixture of fear, excitement, nervousness, and joy as I approached Mulledy, my home for the next year.

The very second I pulled into the parking spot, however, all feelings of anxiety melted away as I was swarmed with a blur of blue “Holy Cross Move-In Day 2013” T-shirts and smiling faces, each one greeting me with a genuine (and loud) “WELCOME TO HOLY CROSS!”  The move-in crew instantly unloaded my car and brought my bags up to my room. They clearly knew the drill. My roommate followed shortly behind, and within a mere hour my room was all set up.

Having nothing else to do until the closing Mass of the Holy Spirit at 4 p.m., I decided to squeeze in a workout at the field house. There, I bumped into two of my future upperclassmen teammates on the rowing team who were in the middle of their workout. They instantly introduced themselves and seemed genuinely excited to have me on the team for the upcoming Fall and Spring season. Even more, they stuck around for an extra half hour to watch and cheer me on during my workout.

Those 30 minutes epitomized my Holy Cross move in experience: the instantaneous acceptance and genuine excitement displayed by all the students towards the incoming freshmen was simply incredible. There was no apparent hierarchy of class rank that distinguished the students from one another; it was simply one big happy family that was there to help support their newest siblings as they began their journey through Holy Cross.

After only a few hours on campus, I had knew I made the right choice on where I would build my home for the next four years of my life.

For the full Move-In Day experience (without actually doing it!), click here: Holy Cross Move-In Day
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What’s New at Holy Cross?

One of the most common questions we get asked on the road while traveling as Admissions Counselors is “What’s new at Holy Cross?” This year, there have been a few changes to the campus. For starters, the newest dormitory on campus, Figge Hall, is officially open! The townhouse style residence hall is the new home to many current Holy Cross seniors.  Each apartment accommodates four students with two bedrooms, bathroom, kitchen area and common space. Senior year and a brand new apartment? What more could you ask for?

The new Hogan Courtyard provides students with a bigger open green space on campus. Several tables and chairs have been added around the courtyard and as classes have begun, I’ve noticed more students congregating in the area to grab a bite to eat with friends or to sit outside and enjoy the nice weather while studying!

Cool Beans 2, a great place to get coffee and snacks, has been transformed into a “Starbucks-like” coffee shop. Located right in one of our main academic buildings, Stein Hall, Cool Beans 2 will be a great place to chat with a professor, meet up with friends, or just re-charge before that grueling mid-term exam!

If you haven’t been to campus, fall is a great time to visit. Check out our schedule (http://admissions.holycross.edu/visiting/tours-information-sessions) to come for a tour of campus. If you have already been, come back to check out what’s new at Holy Cross!

Nicole Zervos ‘09

Assistant Director of Admissions
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Meet Your Summer Tour Guides: Amanda Osowski

Hometown:  Hopkinton, MA

Year: 2014

Major: History

Activities: Mock Trial Team, Holy Cross College Choir, Giving tours to prospective students and working with the Admissions Office!

One of my favorite memories of freshman year was traveling with the Mock Trial Team. The Holy Cross Mock Trial Team traveled to various colleges and universities this year, including the University of New Hampshire Law School, the University of Massachusetts, Tufts University, and Clark University. The team would stay at a local hotel and would compete in a weekend-long tournament against other schools. It was always nice to get away for a couple of days during the semester! Although we were still working hard during the weekend to perform well as a team, we still got to have a lot of fun together! The coaches would always take the team out for a group dinner and it was always a good time. The coaches are knowledgeable, friendly, and also hilarious at times! Participating on the Mock Trial Team allowed me to develop my analytical and public speaking skills as well as helped me to branch out and meet new friends and upperclassmen.

Favorite Place to Study at Holy Cross: The lower stacks of Dinand Library (it’s cozy and quiet!)

Favorite Class:  Montserrat. I was in the Natural World Cluster and I lived in Wheeler Hall. My Montserrat class was called “The Road to Armageddon. ”  In this class, we learned about the history and science behind nuclear energy. We studied nuclear energy development all the way back to the founding of the atom and back up to the recent nuclear reactor meltdown in Japan. I really enjoyed the discussion and met a lot of my close friends in that class. Also, my professor was awesome and became a great guiding resource for me at Holy Cross!
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A Slam Dunk for Perspectives

November was an exciting month full of unpredictable weather, the beginning of college basketball season, and the Perspectives program put on by the admissions office here at Holy Cross. This is after all my favorite time of year and I was able to capture all of the glory in one weekend with Perspectives and the Holy Cross Crusader Men’s Basketball home opener. Perspectives is a program designed to showcase diversity at the college as well as give participants an opportunity to have intellectual debate, understand the selective college admission process, and envision themselves as members of the ‘Sader Nation’.

Throughout the program, the students were challenged to step out of their comfort zone and have serious conversations about diversity; from ethnic diversity to religious diversity, socio-economic diversity, diversity of opinion and more. Through conversations with each other, faculty/staff and current students they were each able to feel like Holy Cross students for the day and express their thoughts and opinions through rigorous discussion.

We then put the academic discussions aside to witness the Sader Nation in full swing with the men’s basketball team’s home opener against the College of Charleston. Nothing beats the first home basketball game, the stands were full with fans eagerly awaiting our team and new coaching staff looking to predict what the next five months will hold. We came to the game prepared…faces painted, purple, black and white shirts on ready to cheer on the men in the packed gym! Unfortunately the men ultimately fell to the Cougars but the Crusader spirit was alive in our group.  I can’t wait for more!

Julliana Jennings

Assistant Director of Admissions
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Connect With Holy Cross From the Comfort of Your Home

Have you ever wondered what the freshman dorms are like at Holy Cross? Or what the favorite meals are from Kimball? Or what classes and research experiences are available to biology majors?

These are all great questions to ask a current student during one of our upcoming online chats!  (Next up is tomorrow night’s, from 7-10 PM EST).

Throughout the year, we offer several opportunities for prospective students, parents, and guidance counselors to connect with current students and admissions staff online. The chats are open forum, so you can ask your own questions or just sign on to see what others are talking about.  It’s a great way to learn more about the school and the application process without having to leave your living room.

Registering for a chat is easy! Simply visit our chat web site, click on “Register for Chat Event” (it’s in black at the top of the page), fill in your information, and you’re off and running! The chat screen will pop up and you’ll be greeted by many friendly Holy Cross representatives who are available to answer your questions.

We look forward to chatting with you!

Diane Soboski
Assistant Director of Admission
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May on the Hill

DianeSoboski.BLOG2May is an interesting time of the year on a college campus. As we’re getting ready to bid farewell to the graduating seniors and wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors, we’re also excited about welcoming in our newest class that will be arriving at the end of the summer.  

The students have been busy celebrating at Spring Weekend, studying for finals, and packing up their dorm rooms to head home for the summer. There has been lots of activity on campus!

Here in the admissions office, we’re splitting our time between reviewing the past year and gearing up for the next recruitment cycle. As you walk around the office, you’ll find counselors looking over final numbers and comments from the events that we’ve hosted this year. You’ll also find counselors pouring over lists of prospects, reviewing application data, and trying to determine where they’ll be visiting in the fall. All of this reflection and preparation is done to ensure that we will do the best we can to meet the recruitment needs of the incoming class.

So in the spirit of May, I’d like to say:

  • Best of luck to our graduating seniors! (Especially those of you who have donated plenty of your time over the years to volunteer in our office).
  • Welcome to the Class of 2014! We can’t wait to see on you on campus in the fall!
  • Lastly, to those just beginning their college search, we’ll be seeing you soon!

 

Diane Soboski
Assistant Director of Admissions