Admission: Not Impossible

I’m a driver.  I commute over an hour to and from work each day, and spend the better part of the fall months driving around various U.S. cities.  I like to drive, and I think I’m pretty good at it.  I’m not the type of driver who gets flustered or nervous about navigating around new cities.  I’m proud of my ability to quickly figure out the lights/wipers/radio/seat adjustor/cruise control on any rental car, and actually find it kind of exhilarating to drive in a new place.

My current driving conquest is Houston, TX.  I’ve noticed something very distinctive about the experience of driving in Houston.  There are highways–lots of them.  Loops too.  And those highways and loops have lanes–lots of them.  Most highways I’ve experienced in other cities have 3 lanes, and it is understood that speeders use the left, slowpokes use the right and Goldilocks sticks to the middle.  Other than that, the lane you choose means very little.

Not the case in Houston. Most of the highways I’ve driven this week have at least five lanes, and I learned the hard way that the lane you’re in is very important.  A lane could veer off and put you on a different highway at any moment.  The whole road could split in an instant, and if you haven’t chosen your lane wisely, you may find yourself on an unplanned detour or using one of Houston’s many handy u-turn lanes.  You might find yourself shaking your head as your GPS tells you to “stay left, then stay right, then stay right, then stay left”.  In Houston, it feels like you need to choose your lane before you put the car in gear.  It’s enough to turn the experienced calm driver into a nervous and dangerous lane-changer.

There should be an “undeclared” lane for drivers who need more time to figure out where they’re going.  At Holy Cross you can change lanes, and can even change back if you realize you picked the right one the first time.  You can hog two lanes for awhile–or for the whole ride if you like.  You can even drive right down the middle until you feel ready to make a choice.  And if you suddenly find that the path has veered and you’re not on the road you thought you were on, there are always those handy u-turn lanes.

Holy Cross students have until the end of their sophomore year to declare their major.  Many students enter Holy Cross undeclared, some pursue double majors, and many others will change their mind at some point.  So get excited, get in gear and know that we have faith you’ll find your lane when you’re good and ready.

Houston’s highways could learn a thing or two from Holy Cross.

Lynn Verrecchia
Sr. Assistant Director of Admissions

Believe it or not, I don’t care for the picture of me that accompanies my blogs.  The photographer said “don’t smile”, so I didn’t.  The result is a slightly confused-looking version of my better self.  I try not to look at it when I view my blogs, but it’s hard to ignore that unhappy face.  It’s not that the picture is more important than (or even as important as) the words beside it, but I just can’t reconcile that mean-looking person with the friendly words she writes.
 
I’ve felt this way before.  I interview hundreds of students each year.  The conversation I have with a student matters so much more than the look on their face or the outfit they wear.  But a confused/mean/bored face can be a distraction from a really nice story.  So no matter what anyone tells you…show me that smile.
 
Still waiting for photo make-up day…

Lynn Verrecchia
Sr. Assistant Director of Admissions

I’m often asked to talk about the things that make Holy Cross unique or special.  Though there are many things that I think make my alma mater both unique and special, I always find myself giving the same answer.  I may choose different anecdotes to express my idea, but my message is always one of an enduring loyalty and excitement from students and alumni.

This weekend my husband and I tackled the task of yard work.  He wore a Holy Cross t-shirt while he worked, as he often does.  From my weed-pulling post around the side of the house, I suddenly heard an excited, “Did you go to Holy Cross?”  Two recent graduates were passing by, and they couldn’t help but stop to say hello.  We chatted briefly, and they continued on their way.  Our interaction was brief, but meaningful.  I sensed they walked away feeling the same way we did as we watched them go-nostalgic and proud just to be an “HC person”.

Many colleges can provide a good four year experience, and any lucky student will count their college years among the best of their life.  This is true of many Holy Cross graduates I’ve met.  The difference is that the fondness people have for this place endures far beyond those four years.  For some, it’s homecoming, or a 10th, 25 or perhaps 50th reunion that makes them nostalgic for that place they once called home.  Many others require little more than the sight of those familiar purple letters on a t-shirt on a Saturday afternoon.

That’s pretty special.

Lynn Verrecchia
Sr. Assistant Director of Admissions

Two months ago I wrote a blog about the importance of the interview.  Many of you got the message.  You probably got the same message if you attended an information session on campus or if you met a Holy Cross representative at your school this fall.  You nodded, you understood, you made a mental note — and then you missed the deadline.  Or you called our office recently and found out that we are booked solid through the end of the month.  What now?  Remember not just that we told you to have an interview, but what we said about why.  We want to know you, and our full schedule does not change that fact.  But unfortunately, that fact does not change our full schedule.  So you may not be able to have an interview after all, but you can still help us to know you better.  Some students choose to submit a letter or e-mail “filling in the blanks” that may exist in the absence of an interview.  Such letters can provide additional information about accomplishments, interests and passions.  They can answer some of the questions an interviewer might ask.

If you write it, we’ll read it.  So start filling in those blanks.

Lynn Verrecchia
Sr. Assistant Director of Admissions

Fill out Common Application?  Check!  Request transcript?  Check!  Ask favorite teacher for letter of recommendation?  Check!  Have mom or dad write a check?  Check!  Schedule admissions interview?  Screeeeech!  Wait, what?  Do you really need one more thing to add to your endless to-do list?  We say yes.  At Holy Cross, we encourage all applicants to have a one-on-one interview.  We know you’re busy (and hey, we’re busy too!), but we know that the 30 minutes we’ll spend with you is well worth it.

An application for admission contains a lot of information.  Most of it falls into the categories of who (you), what (track team), where (school, community) and when (4 year captain!).  All good information, but something is missing.  The purpose of an interview is to uncover the why (my older sister who I really admire ran track and I wanted to follow in her footsteps) and the how (6 practices a week, rain or shine, even through shin splints) of what you do.  As interviewers, we want to dig a little bit deeper to help your application file resemble the true, whol
e “you” just a little bit more.  That’s it.  No trick questions, no riddles, no puzzles.  Just a friendly conversation with someone who finds you (and your shin splints) interesting.

Interviews are offered on campus through December 31.  Call us now, and cross off one more thing from that ridiculously long list.  We’ll get to know you a little bit better, and maybe you’ll learn something about Holy Cross–and yourself–in the process.

Lynn Verrecchia
Sr. Assistant Director of Admissions

Hello everyone!  We’re excited for the new school year and for new HC blogs.  We 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 four 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.  In addition to working with high school students, I coordinate our transfer process, and recently began working with our alumni volunteers.

I live with my husband, a fellow Holy Cross grad, in Somerville, MA.  I’ve spent much of the last two years picking out paint colors, and highly recommend “caliente”.   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, and hope that many of you will find just that at Holy Cross.  Happy searching!

Lynn Verrecchia
Sr. Assistant Director of Admissions

Think back to when you began your college search.  How did you decide which schools to consider?  Likely you cracked open one of the many college books at your disposal, and your list began to form based on your pre-determined criteria.  Statistics likely built your initial list.  This was a good start, but only a start.

Remember those campus visits?  While logging hours at information sessions or on campus tours, your ideal college probably began to take shape in your mind.  Your list of likes and dislikes grew as you learned more about yourself and about what each school could offer.  When I interview a student, I always try to get a sense for what drew them to Holy Cross, and what keeps them coming back.  There are certainly some common responses.  Many students are drawn to Holy Cross because of its size, location, Jesuit identity, or its strong liberal arts curriculum.  But what I tend to hear from the most enthusiastic prospective students is that it just “felt right”.  They came.  They saw.  They’re hooked.

Early Decision (our deadline is December 15) will be a great option for some of these students.  They have done their research and know what they want.  They have determined not only what Holy Cross can offer them, but what they could bring to the College.   They have determined with virtual certainty that this is where they would like to spend their next four years, without interest in competing offers of admission or scholarship.  If this sounds like your experience with Holy Cross,  then Early Decision might be for you.

Whether applying via Early or Regular Decision, don’t let numbers alone make your decisions for you.  Use the wealth of information at your fingertips, but include your instincts in the equation.

Have you seen the movie “The Break Up”?  I did, and it was terrible.  Seriously, really terrible.  Even so, I’ve managed to find blog inspiration from it.  There is one scene in which the wife is angry at the husband not because she wants him to do the dishes, but because she wants him to want  to do the dishes.  Which clearly leaves him baffled and infuriated.

During recent high school visits, I was asked about what Holy Cross wants to see students do.  Do we want you to do community service?  Play a sport?  Take on a leadership role?  Sure we do.  But more importantly, we want you to want to do it.  “It” can be just about anything.  Holy Cross creates no hierarchy for extra-curricular involvement.  We want you to be active in your school and in your community, in the ways that you think you can most contribute and that you find most enjoyable.  The best way to prove that you will contribute to a college both in and out of the classroom is by doing just that at your high school.  Whatever you choose to do, do it with gusto.  When you tell us about your involvement, make us believe you love it–not that you love the way it looks on your resume.  You have a lot going on right now.  You owe it to yourself to spend your time doing what you love.  And we’ll love you for it.

Oh, and skip “The Break Up.”