Posts Tagged ‘application tips’

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I’m on the Wait List! Now What?

 Monday, April 1st, 2013

Below are three tips to help you stay sane during the wait list process:

• Deposit elsewhere. Even if you can’t imagine yourself anywhere else, it is important to accept an offer of admissions and to deposit at another institution. Get excited about this school and remember that getting into college is a big deal. Be proud of yourself for reaching this major educational milestone!

• Reach out to someone in our office via phone or email and stay in touch with that person. Updating us on your continued interest in Holy Cross as well as keeping us informed of your high school progress are appropriate ways to pursue the wait list.

• Stay calm. We most likely will not have any information about the wait list until after the first week in May. Please understand that we cannot give you any information about the probability of coming off the wait list until we know how many of our admitted students will enroll at Holy Cross. Once we have a better idea of our incoming class we will be able to communicate that with you.

We understand that this is a difficult process to go through, and we thank you for your continued interest in Holy Cross.

Holy Cross Admissions

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Oops, I Missed the Interview Opportunity

 Wednesday, January 30th, 2013

With all that’s going on in your senior year and the stress of college applications, you might not have noticed that Holy Cross offered an opportunity for a personal interview (or you may have  called and discovered that you missed the deadline!)

Don’t fret too much! If for some reason you weren’t able to interview at Holy Cross, we’d still like for you to take the opportunity to tell us a little more about yourself. What might we have learned in an interview?  What do you love about Holy Cross?  Recently won an award, became captain of the basketball team, or completed a spectacular service project? We want to hear about it. Write us an e-mail and share everything you would have talked about in an interview. Reconnect with an Admissions Counselor you met on the road or at an information session. When we sit down and open up a file, a lot of the information we have comes from other people (teachers, guidance counselors, etc.) This process is about you and we want to hear your voice as much as possible.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Nicole Zervos ‘09
Assistant Director of Admissions

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“Interview” is Not a Four Letter Word

 Thursday, June 28th, 2012

It is actually nine.  Whether I am meeting students on the road or on campus, I seem to hear the same question over and over again: “What can I do to increase my chances of acceptance?”  I have a particular attachment to this question and I will answer it with vigor before the last syllable vibrates off a student’s vocal chords, pushes past polished teeth, and flees from formed lips.

“INTERVIEW!”  My excitement is often met with blank stares and timid expressions.  I quickly confer with my 17 –year-old self who reminds me that interviews are considered by many high school students to be superficial, self-indulgent monologues professing one’s greatness to an intimidating potential employer for personal gain.  Yikes!  Okay, 17-year-old self, you’ve painted a vivid, yet scary, picture.  So I must explain how interviews work here at Holy Cross in order to help dispel this wicked imagery.

It would be more appropriate to title Holy Cross Interviews as “Conversations,” because that is essentially what they are: two people in a room chatting about anything and everything. The interview is not the time to determine if a student is a credible candidate; it is a time to put a name with a face and get to know each candidate on a more personal level.  It is not about proving yourself to our office, it is about adding more information to your own application.  Twenty to thirty minutes of conversation can add volumes of information to your application that is impossible to convey on paper through the Common Application, your letters of recommendation, your college essay, or your SAT scores (should you choose to send them).  Read more about scheduling an interview on- or off-campus,   and schedule one before we run out of spots.

Dan Weagle ‘08
Admissions  Counselor

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Parent Recommendations: My Love of These Ooey, Gooey, Mushy Messages

 Friday, February 3rd, 2012

I really like that our office invites the parents of applicants to join in the application process and to start a dialogue with HC Admissions about their son/daughter.

(To any of you parents reading this right now: No, you/your son/your daughter do not get “extra points” for this exercise and you don’t “lose points” either.  You simply take away some piece of mind—at least you should.)

In some of these letters that we receive, I can literally see the parents appreciating their son/daughter more and more as the letter unfolds. 

These parent letters make me think: It is not often in life that we are asked to put life on hold, reflect for a moment, and form into words all of the specific things that make a special someone in our lives so special.  The exercise allows you to rediscover all of those hidden gems about that person who has been living under your roof for the past 17 years.   

Parents, it may be too late to submit a letter of recommendation on behalf of your child, but it is never too late to take a moment to tell them how proud you are of the person they have become.

Dan Weagle ‘08
Admissions  Counselor

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College Essay Tips

 Friday, October 28th, 2011

As you are putting the finishing touches on your college essay, let me give you some tips to proofread by:

  1. Don’t make the mistake of taking a backseat in your own essay. Your transcript is about you, your recommendations are about you, your interview is about you, and, thus, your College Essay should be about you. If you want to write about someone important who was a positive influence in your life, you should let your reader know how you were influenced – how your life changed.  The focus of your essay should NOT be about all the great things your Grammy did and how you hope to be like her some day.  Too much focus on Grammy will make us Admissions Counselors want to admit your Grammy and we will completely forget about you!
  2. Proofread, proofread, profreed (whoops, *proofread* – see it’s important). Proofread is not the same as Spellcheck.  Ask solid writers who are familiar with your voice and your style to read your essay in order to correct grammatical errors, offer advice, and make suggestions.  These proofreaders should be mom, dad, a mentor, that great English teacher you had last year, your best friend, etc.  All of these people know you. They know your style, your voice, your humor.  They know what you are trying to say and they want to help you say it in a concise and efficient manner.
  3. Punctuation goes INSIDE of quotations. “Don’t put punctuation outside of quotations,” cried the pained Admissions Counselor, “because I don’t enjoy reading it.”  Follow that example and you’ll be golden in most American English scenarios (if you speak/write British English, then disregard, good neighbour).

This is not a complete list of tips.  See your local MLA manual, English teacher, and Guidance Counselor for a full list of do’s and do-not’s for the college essay.

Cheers,

Dan Weagle ‘08

Admissions Counselor

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Contagious Symptoms!

 Monday, June 6th, 2011

Before you run for the hills or close out of this web browser, I should let you know that what I’ve got, you want.  I have a bad case of the College Interview Bug (or CIB for short).  Symptoms of CIB include:

1.        An irresistible urge to discover any or all colleges/universities in which you are interested which offer an Admissions Interview. You will stay up late at night to search these colleges’ websites.  You will call up Admissions Offices during your lunch break at your summer job to inquire about the details of the interview.  You won’t be able to help yourself until you have nailed down each college and university; it will just feel right.  CIB will take control of your motor functions and bring you on tours, plop you down in information sessions, and brag about your accomplishments during interviews.  It will have your body running on auto-pilot.

2.       An insatiable desire to speak with Admissions representatives like myself. You will sign up for those interview slots and count the seconds until you are able to present yourself in all your glory to the Admissions office at X University and/or Y College.  You cannot fathom waiting any longer to converse with these representatives because you need to tell them how your summer is going and how excited you are for a busy Senior year.

3.       A lingering thirst for continued interaction with representatives even after the interview. You will insist on keeping those representatives at your top college/university choices informed on your activities throughout Senior year.  Yes, Senior year will be busy, but you will toss and turn in bed at night until you shoot off a quick email once every month to touch base with those Admissions representatives.

The thought of catching CIB might sound unappealing upon reading this blog, but CIB is a pandemic.  It seems that current Juniors (soon to be Seniors) are most susceptible to CIB.   Like Hay-Fever, CIB appears mostly in the summer and it is communicable by word of mouth.  Don’t be afraid to pass it on to others as CIB forms a mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship with each host.  Like I said from the get-go, you want what I’ve got.

Dan Weagle ‘08
Admissions  Counselor

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The Final Push

 Tuesday, May 10th, 2011

As I walked from the parking lot to my office this morning, I noticed a particular stillness to the campus.  So much so that I had a brief moment of panic that I had mistakenly come to work on Saturday.  I quickly remembered that for our students, today marks the first study day before exams.  They wrapped up classes yesterday and spent last night celebrating at our annual spring concert.  The stillness explained.  Rest.  A much deserved, albeit brief rest.  Soon enough, our students will crawl out of bed, balk at the clock (can I still make it to lunch before Kimball closes?) and make their way to their favorite study spot on or off campus.  They have worked so hard all year, and they’re not going to stop now.  We hope you won’t either!

Lynn Verrecchia
Associate Director of Admissions

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Deadlines, Deadlines, Deadlines

 Sunday, December 12th, 2010

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…or so they say. With the busy holiday season quickly approaching, we all have a lot on our minds – what present to buy Dad, what to wear to that holiday party next weekend, where to spend New Year’s Eve…w and the list goes on. While most of us are stressing about these menial details, all of you high school seniors are most likely stressing about the ever-looming college application deadlines. I won’t preach to you about the importance of meeting said deadlines, but instead offer a friendly reminder of our upcoming deadlines:

December 15th – Deadline for EARLY DECISION applications

December 29th – Deadline for ON-CAMPUS INTERVIEWS (Regular Decision applicants)

January 15th – Deadline for REGULAR DECISION applications

February 1st – Deadline for FINANCIAL AID applications

Hopefully these deadlines will allow you to plan ahead and enjoy this busy time of the year. Have a wonderful holiday season everyone!

Lauren D. Thornton

Assistant Director of Admissions

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Admissions and Additions

 Tuesday, December 7th, 2010

I submitted my Regular Decision application way back in October, why will I not hear the decision until April?

Great question.  Although math is not my strong suit, I will put on my Stat. Hat and consult with the Fraction Faction to provide you with an answer:

Holy Cross will receive roughly 7,000 applications this year.  Each application is carefully read by two members of our thirteen member admissions staff between January 1st and February 15th.  Therefore, each counselor must read ((7,000 apps x 2 reads)/12 counselors) applications over that six week period.  I will not go any further with the math in terms of applications read per day, but I will note that a typical 5 day/8 hours a day work weeks go out the window in the Admissions world during reading season (and travel season for that matter).

So, why don’t we hear on February 15th?

Full of great questions, are we?  Well, the process does not stop after reading season is over.  Our twelve person Admissions staff then goes to Committee through the end of March to revisit every single file to make our final Admissions decisions as a group (majority rules – all votes counted evenly).  Therefore, (12 counselors discussing 7,000 apps/6 weeks) = (396 cups of coffee/x bathroom breaks)+(8,326 insightful questions asked + 178 Counselor calls) A.K.A. The creation of the Class of 2015.

So, please remember that we are working on par with Santa’s elves this holiday/application season before you pick up the phone to inquire if we have made a decision on your Regular Decision application yet.  My advice: Munch on Holiday cookies, enjoy time with your family and friends, and leave the application stress to us.

Dan Weagle ‘08

Admissions Counselor

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Thanksgiving Break Suggestions

 Tuesday, November 23rd, 2010

Thanksgiving break is only days away and, while it may be tempting to eat the turkey and give into napping your vacation away, it is also a great time to work on those college applications. If you are submitting your application ED, then this is the perfect time to read over that essay one more time before the December 15th Early Decision deadline.

Instead of sitting in front of the TV, call upon your relatives to proof read your  essay. They will most likely approach your work with a fresh perspective that mom, dad, or even siblings may have lost by the 6th time reading your college essay. Perhaps your cousin, who is just back from his first semester of college, can give you some great editing tips that will make your essay that much more exciting.

Use your extra time to polish your college applications or even add supplements.  An art, theater, or music supplement may be one more great way to show Admissions your personality and interests. With a 4 day weekend, you could easily put together a portfolio or even record your musical performances. The application season can fly by so use this extra time when you are not busy with school work or extra-curricular activities to get ahead of the deadlines that are lurking after Christmas.

Krystle Leveille

Admissions Counselor

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