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Thank You For Applying!

DianeSoboski.BLOG2I sat down a few weeks ago, cup of tea in hand, glanced out the window at the snow coming down, and began to read files. As I moved through the stack of applications on the table before me, I encountered several notes and emails thanking the admissions staff for interviews, visits,  and advice on the application process. Also in the files were hundreds of pages of letters, essays, and descriptions of amazing accomplishments that our applicants have decided to share with us. For that, I thank you!

It’s easy to look at a stack of 60 applications and feel overwhelmed by the volume of the work that lies ahead. But when you crack open that first folder and begin reading about that individual student , allow the materials in the folder to come to life, and introduce you to an amazing applicant – the task ahead no longer seems like work.  It’s fun!

I love learning about the time you “accidentally” tripped your brother and chipped his tooth, or the time you overcame your fears and sang in front of a full auditorium for the first time. Many of you have shared stories of obstacles you’ve overcome, and how you’ve come out a better person because of them.  We laugh along with you, we cry along with you, and we do celebrate all of your accomplishments along with you.

During this busy reading season, thank you for making me wake, stretch and want to head right for that stack of applications!

 

Diane Soboski
Assistant Director of Admissions
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Deadline Day

6a00e54ed0db8e8833010536f8f30b970b-800wiHappy Deadline Day, everybody!

What a wonderful holiday it is – today is the deadline to apply for first year admission to College of the Holy Cross. Like many of you, we are in the midst of our Deadline Day celebrations. Here in the Holy Cross Admissions Office, we are eating the traditional Deadline Day breakfast – coffee and eraser shavings; we are exchanging the traditional Deadline Day gifts – mechanical pencils, carpal tunnel survival kits and prescription glasses; we have even performed the traditional Deadline Day circle dance around the Deadline Day tree. (Well, it’s more a stack of applications than it is a tree . . .)

So, now that Deadline Day is here, we are afforded the opportunity to reflect back upon this last recruiting cycle – several thousand admissions interviews, over a thousand high schools visited, 120,000 airline miles and nearly 400 hours of free Wi-Fi logged at Paneras located around the continental United States. It’s been an exhausting and exhilarating spring, summer and fall. Now all that’s left to do is to read, read, present, discuss, debate and then finally vote. A month from now, our committee process will begin selecting and completing the next class of Crusaders. But before we can do that, we first must read. And read. Every application. Twice.

So for now, I will bid adieu and return to my stack of applications. If you call my office in the next few weeks and don’t get an answer, know that I’m reading applications somewhere else. And if you find yourself in a Panera anytime soon and you see a spectacled, wrist-brace wearing, mechanical-pencil using academic surrounded by green folders and eraser shavings – don’t laugh. Just know that we appreciate calculus, we appreciate early morning swim team practice, we appreciate tech crew and we’d appreciate one of those enormous chocolate chip cookies.

 

Andrew N. Carter
Associate Director of Admissions
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Read the Mission Statement

NicoleZervos.BLOG2Though a certain amount of relief comes with finally getting all those applications in,  I know some of you are probably still a little stressed. You might be thinking: Am I applying to the right schools? Is this place really where I want to spend the next four years of my life? When I was a senior in high school, my guidance counselor recommended that we read the mission statement of the colleges we were considering. Looking back, I wish I had taken her advice. I spent more time looking at guidebooks and placed more importance on statistics like average GPA or SAT scores than the actual mission of the college. While these things are important to consider, the mission statement really sets the tone for your entire college experience.

 As a recent graduate and the newest Admissions Counselor at Holy Cross, one of the questions I get asked frequently is why I chose to attend Holy Cross. My answer to this question can be found in our mission statement. While there are many aspects of Holy Cross that I love, the community is something that I feel sets Holy Cross apart. The wonderfully compassionate people and the belief that we are “men and women for others” is something that is not just said, but is truly taken to heart. Take a look at a few quotes from our mission statement:

 “Informed by the presence of diverse interpretations of the human experience, Holy Cross seeks to build a community marked by freedom, mutual respect, and civility.”

 “The College is dedicated to forming a community which supports the intellectual growth of all its members while offering them opportunities for spiritual and moral development.”

I urge you to read the entire mission statement  to further understand the goals and objectives of Holy Cross.  Because I did not consider the fundamental mission of each college I was applying to, I ended up originally choosing a school that was not a right “fit” for me. While I did end up transferring to Holy Cross and finding a home here, I think that if I had taken the time to read the mission statement, I would have been better able to assess what kind of school was right for me. So, while you are wrapping up the final touches on your applications, take a minute and look over the mission statements of each school. Make sure that your goals and expectations are in line with the college of your choice. It will make all the difference in the world.

 

Nicole Zervos ’09

Admissions Counselor