Admission: Not Impossible

By now, if you’ve made it this far in the search process, and this deep into the Holy Cross website, you’ve “done your homework” in a manner of speaking.  You’ve researched various schools and you know you like Holy Cross, but may still be wondering about a few things, and need some additional information.  So, how else might you connect with us to gather those final pieces of information you need?  No worries, there’s still time, and lots of ways for you to accomplish this.

• As my colleague Amanda Juriansz mentioned in her most recent blog post, an interview is one of the most important “connections” you can make throughout the process.  Interviewing is one of the single largest expressions of interest you can make in the College, and one of the easiest ways for you to tell us you’re really serious about your application here.  Interviews are offered here on campus until the end of the year, or with an alumnus in your area if that’s easier.  SO, as Amanda said, “What are you waiting for? “

• Chat it up with us! We will be offering several online chats over the course of the next several weeks and months, so login and chat away with Admissions Counselors, Holy Cross students, and other prospective applicants.  The next online chat will be happening November 4 … we’ll hope to see you online from 7:00 – 10:00PM EST, or for any portion of that time you may be available.

• Meeting students is always a great way to connect with a college and get a good feel for what life is like there.  In our Meet Some Students section online, you can actually specify your criteria, and choose who you want to connect with!  Whether its connecting with another student from San Francisco, or someone from Visual Arts, you can choose with whom you correspond.
• You can also make some additional connections with us on staff, or with our Admissions Senior Interviewers through the ‘contact us‘ link on the Admissions page.  We all have photos and email links there – - whether you recognize us or not, make a connection!

And finally, the absolute best way to “connect” is to apply!  Applications for Early Decision consideration are due here in the office December 15, but ED is a rolling process, and we’ll be reviewing applications as soon as November 1st, so feel free to submit your application as soon as it’s ready.  Regular Admission applications are due January 15.  Apply … and get connected!

Good luck!

James T. Richardson
Associate Director of Admission

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

Well, the Red Sox didn’t make it … and the Patriots  play tonight, not Sunday.  The Bruins  and Celtics  are off this weekend, so what else do you have to be available for!?  How about … a trip to

HOLY CROSS

Have you been to campus yet?  Whether you’ve been here yet or not, you might consider carving out some time in your schedule this weekend to come to the second, and last, of our two fall Open House programs.  Come kick the tires one final time before applications are due – - Open House is only half of Sunday, 9:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. … and you’ll be home in time for the 4:00 p.m. kickoff and dinner!

There are many things you can do on an Open House date that you wouldn’t be able to do on any other given visit on your own – - you can spend some time in the browsing session visiting with academic departments, speaking to coaches, and gathering information on other areas of interest; you can attend an Admissions or Financial Aid Information Session (or both!) that will focus on the process and what you need to do to apply; you can speak with Faculty or attend presentations on specific programs like premed or prelaw; you’ll have opportunities to take a tour of the campus if you’d like to see the facilities and hear all about the history of the College … and of course, there will be many chances to meet and interact with current Holy Cross students who are making themselves available to share their experiences with you as well!

Come to Open House if you can … you’ll be glad you did!

James T. Richardson
Associate Director of Admission
FACHEX Coordinator

Hi everyone!  After 17 flights, 4 buses, 2 boats, many a rental car, taxis and trains, I’m finally wrapping up the 2007 fall travel season and coming home!   Its been a wonderful fall, and all of the travel has been very interesting; I feel blessed to have met so many dynamic and intellectual students along the way!  From Flekke, Norway, to Tucson, Arizona, its all been very exciting.

Travel tip of the day: GPS.  If you don’t have one of these, get one … you’ll never be lost or frustrated over maps or directions again.  I would personally endorse the Garmin line.  I rented one of these while in Arizona and New Mexico, and am now poised to invest in my own – - a lifesaver!

So now its time to come back home and begin the “climb to the top of the mountain” as I call it – - the mountain of applications.  While we will likely receive more than 7,000 applications this year, one of the aspects of our process in which we take a tremendous amount of pride is the lengths we go to attempting to get to know each candidate.  Every application is read multiple times, by different people, each evaluating the various credentials we find within.  We rely on your transcripts … and what you teachers say about your work ethic and perseverance … and how well you did in your interview … and of course, how well your essay is written.

The Essay is undeniably one of the most important parts of your application materials.  By now, we hope, you’ve created your www.commonapp.org account, begun your application, and have presumeably been able to breeze through the first several pages which require you to complete your name, address, parents information, etc.  Presumably one of the items you’ve left for last is the essay.  Either you’ve decided to continue pondering the questions and are still debating which of the five you’d like to tackle, or you’re just outright procrasinating.

Do not procrastinate.  Get to work.

Please spend a lot of time working on this.  We spend a lot of time reading it, so we hope you spend a lot of time writing it.  A well written essay stands out not for its length, but rather for its content, imagery, and to what extent it “speaks to us”.  A few pieces of essay advice:

• Take me there.  Make me react.  Allow me to see, smell, or hear (or do all of those) the subject about which you are writing.
• Take caution on this windy road to a well written essay … you will never know who will be reading this masterpiece.  As you’ve seen through the blog and potentially through your other interactions with our staff, we have men, women, young, old(er), a priest, lay people, democrats, republicans … you will never know who will be reading your masterpiece.
• Avoid humor; this can be very dangerous .. for the same aforementioned reasons .. you’ll never know who will be reading this.
• Proofread – Proofread – Edit – Proofread     Edit – Proofread.     An essay which is free of grammatical and syntax errors says you care about your application and whether you not you are admitted; an essay which is less than perfect says something else – - I’ll leave that to you to imagine what it says.
• Answer the question.  Whichever question you choose to answer, write about the subject.  Avoid tangents.  Get to the point already.
• Always bring it back to speak about yourself.  Its wonderful for us to read all about the influence your Grandmother/father had on you, but Grandma isn’t applying to be a part of the Holy Cross community .. you are .. so always bring it back to talk about yourself.
• Feel good about your finished product.  Write about those things you enjoy, believe in, or to which you are committed.  Doing this will show; not doing this, will show.
• Spend more time on this, collectively, than on any other aspect of your application.  Make it good .. this is the only piece of writing you are required to submit.

Well, there are applications to read … I best get to work.  Good luck!

“Oh Auntie Em … there’s no place like home!”