Admission: Not Impossible

I can’t begin to tell you the number of times I’ve had students ask me about the Environmental Studies major at Holy Cross. On these occasions, I typically can easily rattle off the number of majors we have on campus and the requirements of the program. Today though, I learned some even more important facts and statistics about the way in which Holy Cross is pursuing environmental sustainability. Listed below are a few things that I took away from this professional development opportunity:

• Holy Cross has adopted a green building policy, with the intent of meeting LEED silver certification standards with all new major construction and renovations.

• The College manages an active composting program (using leaves, hedge clippings, etc.) that generates approximately 700 yards of compost for use in the College’s flower/plant beds. Additionally, the College has purchased and employs mulching mowers for the 100+ acres of lawns.

• Kimball Main Dining Hall went “trayless” in March 2009. It is expected that 25 to 50 percent less food will be wasted, and up to a half gallon of water will be saved per tray not washed, saving 900 gallons of water a day.

• Beginning in the spring of 2009, the College began growing vegetables and fruits in a community garden adjacent to the Hart football practice fields. Faculty, staff, and students are involved in this collaborative project.

So, if you are considering Holy Cross and wonder if we plan to “go green”, the answer is, we already have! For updates on our sustainability, keep an eye on our sustainability website.

Suzanne Timmons

Assistant Director of Admissions

Thank you to all of you who attended our Open House on Sunday, October 4, 2009. After almost three weeks of work travel, it was my first time back on campus and it was a great opportunity to meet with prospective students.

Open House serves as a great “one stop shop” for experiencing life at Holy Cross. We’ll provide you with opportunities to talk with our students, faculty and staff. You will be able to attend information sessions about the admission process or talk with professors about our various majors on campus. Interested in athletics or student clubs or organizations? We’ll connect you with our coaches and club representatives. And perhaps most importantly, you will leave campus with your stomach full of some world famous Holy Cross Mac and Cheese.

If you’re sold on any or all that I have just mentioned, join us for our second Open House of the season. Register here for the November 8, 2009, Open House

Suzanne R. Timmons
Assistant Director of Admissions

Ever wish someone from an admissions office would tell you exactly how to go about writing your college essay? Curious about the process of interviewing at a college or university?

 Here at Holy Cross, we want to help make these parts of the college process just a bit easier by answering your questions. This summer, join our staff on campus for our July Advisory Days. These three hour sessions will take you on a guided tour of campus, includes a traditional information session and gives you helpful tips on writing your college essay and preparing for a college interview.

Visit our Web site for more detailed information on this informative opportunity.

Suzanne R. Timmons
Assistant Director of Admissions

From the previous weeks’ blog entries you have read about our committee process. You’ve learned about the dozens of cups of coffee we drink, the reading sheet we use and the cozy room that we inhabit. As our committee process winds down and we close the computer screen on another admit cycle, I find myself reflecting on the things I’ll miss the most. Below are five of the things I’ll miss most about the past six weeks.

1. The fresh brewed Dunkin Donuts coffee that inevitably is always sitting in the committee room when I arrive, thanks to a sweet Holy Cross housekeeper and a generous colleague.
2. The sight of counselors’ hands being raised as one more applicant gets admitted into the class of 2013.
3. Watching as the stack of applications from a day of work are carried downstairs and into the hands of our support staff members who then make sure that the correct letter gets printed and sent to you.
4. Hearing my colleagues’ thoughts on a student and realizing how undeniably cool it is (once again) that we spend this much time evaluating our applicants.
5. Watching our class grow with every decision we make and realizing that your varied interests and talents will affect Holy Cross for years to come.

I’ll miss committee and all that it represents in our process. Whether you get the large envelope or small one, or whether you choose to accept our offer or find another place to call home, we thank you. Thank you for your efforts in high school, for taking the time to send the “perfect” essay, for finding a teacher who could write on your behalf, for taking a tour, sending an email, or having an interview. We thank you for your efforts and wish you every success.

Suzanne R. Timmons
Assistant Director of Admissions

You’ve finally scaled the cliff that is first semester senior year. SATs are behind you, essays are edited, and recommendation letters are signed, sealed and delivered. As you hold your breathe and finally convince yourself to click submit on the application, You’re there. You’ve reached the summit. It’s now out of your hands and into ours.

As you wait, we begin furiously reading your applications and working to make decisions on our applicants. We’re buckled down in the office or at home in some of our most comfortable clothes and each day we read about all of the wonderful things you’ve accomplished in your lives. For me, I love every minute of it. All of the counselors at Holy Cross have spent months on the road, meeting with students and guidance counselors, and conducting several interviews hearing about your high school experiences. After this journey, for me, reading applications is when everything comes together. It’s the first time that I get to see all that an applicant has submitted and all that he or she can potentially bring to Holy Cross. So while it takes a long time to get through these applications, its time well spent. We try to put as much thought and time into evaluating an application as you put into making it shine. Tis the Season, thanks for applying!

Suzanne R. Timmons
Assistant Director of Admissions

So you’re at a college fair and you see a representative from Holy Cross. You’ve already visited, interviewed and come to our October Open House and so you ask yourself “what’s the point of stopping by the table and filling out one of those information cards? I’m clearly already on the mailing list.”

Well guess what, there’s more to those little cards than just adding you to our mailing list and sending you our glossy viewbook. And the point is what most colleges call “demonstrated interest”. Most schools you’re looking at track all of the times you’ve made contact with the college and add it to your admissions file. So when you apply we find glowing recommendations, your high school transcript, your college essay and a list of all the times you’ve taken a tour, attended an open house, met with us at your high school, and taken advantage of an interview or Day Visit.

The biggest way that demonstrated interest can help you with the college process is that the more time you spend engaged in conversation with college admissions staff and visiting the campus, the more you get an idea of what a particular school can offer you. By sitting in on classes, taking advantage of an interview, taking a tour or attending an Open House, you get a real first-hand glance of a particular campus climate. Ultimately, this will help you to determine which school is the best fit for you.

One thing to keep in mind is that not all colleges value demonstrated interest the way we do.  It’s a good idea to ask every college that you’re applying to what their policy is regarding demonstration of interest.

See information on our visit options.

We hope to see you on campus soon!

Suzanne R. Timmons
Assistant Director of Admissions

Hi Everyone!

My name is Suzanne Timmons and I am an Assistant Director of Admission here at Holy Cross. I joined the Admissions Staff in July of 2006 and my experience here has been everything that I hoped that it would be. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been impressed with the Holy Cross students I’ve met and the stories they have to tell. I hope that in your college search you’ll be equally as impressed with the things Holy Cross can offer you.

Life both inside and outside of admissions has been busy these days with preparing for my annual admission’s travel while also helping my younger sister move into her first year of college and preparing for my older brother’s wedding.

Speaking of travel, next week I’ll be hitting the road and visiting with students all over Missouri, Illinois, Maryland, Washington D.C. and Massachusetts. I hope to see you somewhere during the journey.

As you continue with your college search, don’t be nervous of the unfamiliar. You should know that we recognize how hard you work on applications and essays, and we are here to work just as hard for you. Please take advantage by asking as many questions and gathering as much information as possible. We’ll definitely get you an answer, and if nothing more, point you to our fun website. We specialize in helping you find out as much as you can to know if this is the undeniable school for you. Good luck and I look forward to working with you during your college application process!

Suzanne R. Timmons
Assistant Director of Admissions

I’ve been back in the office for a week now from my trip to the Windy City where I spent my time visiting with high school students in the Chicago suburbs. Thinking back over my travels to both St. Louis and Chicago it seems like the theme of my fall travel has been INTERVIEWS. While on the road in Chicago and St. Louis I personally conducted twenty interviews and also helped to run an Evening Interview Session where twenty students were interviewed by Holy Cross Alumni.

So, you may be sitting at your computer thinking, “Why are interviews so important anyway?” Or something along the lines of, “If they are so important, how can I get one?”  In this blog I hope to answer both of those questions…

First and foremost, interviewing prospective students is one of my favorite responsibilities as an Admissions Counselor. My friends tell me that I’ve become quite the listener. The logic behind interviews are simple;  can you think of any better way to have someone on our staff get to know you than to sit with them for about twenty minutes and tell them about yourself?

To say that students can get a little worked-up about the interview can sometimes be an understatement. There’s no need for unwarranted pressure.  So, I encourage you to think about it as a conversation. We never ask you questions that you don’t know the answers to, because guess what….our questions are always about you! More importantly, we want you to come off as the impressive soon to be high school grad that you are. Come dressed professionally and be prepared to talk about your experiences as both a student and person. Don’t forget that interviews are an opportunity for to you to ask questions of your interviewer as well. Spend a little time on the Holy Cross website and be ready to gather even more information on Holy Cross during your interview.

So hopefully by now you feel more at ease about the actual interview. Now, let’s get it on the calendar! Call our office two weeks prior to your desired interview date to schedule your appointment on our campus. Alternatively, you can visit our website to learn more about opportunities to interview in your hometown with a Holy Cross Alumni Representative.

In closing, I would like to extend an enormous thank you to Loyola Academy in Wilmette, Illinois and to our Alumni Interviews who made our Evening Interview Session a success.

To all of you students out there, I hope to see you getting a leg up and taking advantage of the very important college interview!

Suzanne R. Timmons
Admissions Counselor