An Admissions Intern’s Perspective

Sam Zurn, a current junior, has spent the fall semester completing an internship in the Admissions Office as part of the College’s Academic Internship Program. Now that his internship is complete, he provided us with some thoughts:

“So what do students actually do on weekends?” the parents ask, tentatively probing the party-life waters, much to their son or daughter’s dismay. It’s a loaded question, but one Holy Cross students working in admissions are accustomed to answering. Some of the parents ask this with a smirk, leading me to believe that they’re recalling some of their own rowdy college weekends, while others seem to be imagining their child trapped in a scene from Animal House.

As students working in admissions, we have all developed our own approach to answering this, though all rooted in honesty. I typically acknowledge the partying, then stress the alternatives to drinking students engage in that are provided by the school.

Recently, however, when the ole reliable question arises, I find myself thinking more about the open houses, the conferences, the college fairs and the high school visits that have comprised some of my weekends this semester.

This year I’ve been working as an intern in the Office of Admissions and as a result, I’ve got to see some exciting new responsibilities in the world of admissions. Working in admissions after college has always intrigued me. Among other reasons, I enjoy the type of person the job attracts and it’s one that requires the interpersonal skills I’ve continued to refine. So, after reaching out to some of the admissions counselors I had worked with in the past, they were able to create a position for me through the Academic Internship Program in which I was enrolled.

From the front desk, to the mailing room, to interview shadowing, I’ve gotten the inside scoop on the many different components that help our admissions office run smoothly. Even outside the office I’ve gotten to do some pretty cool stuff.

I remember one of my first days I walked into the office to check in with my supervisor, Diane. She goes, “Would you want to co-present our tour guide program at a New England admissions conference? Because I already signed us up…” Talk about starting off with a bang! But I think we made a pretty good team.

Over the past couple months, the entire admissions team has been wonderfully supportive while showing me the ropes, and I guess that’s why it’s always on my mind when I hear parents ask the question. So what do I actually do on the weekends? Well, I encourage prospective students, I explain our Jesuit identity, I brag about our campus, but most importantly, I spread the Purple Pride.