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What’s Holy Cross REALLY Like?

Zachary WielgusI wish I could tell you. Really, I do. As a member of the admissions staff, I view knowing as much as I can about this school as a point of pride; having to say “I don’t know” or “let me get back to you” is something I try to keep to a minimum.

The trouble is, no matter how much research I can do, no matter how long I work here, I will never be able to answer that question. I’m not a student. I don’t eat in the dining halls, sleep in the dorms, attend classes and lectures, cheer my lungs out at games, or form lifelong friendships on this campus.

Our students, however, do. And what’s even better is that there are seven current students doing a stellar job answering this question on social media. So you want to see what Holy Cross is really like? Start following Meaghan, Alli, Kerri, Natalie, Matt, Caroline, and Julia:

 

1) On Twitter (current students initial their posts and photos)

2) On Instagram: MeaghanB2017, AlliD2016, KerriF2016, NatalieC2017, MattB2016, CarolineL2016, and JuliaL2016

3) Their student profiles (coming soon!)
A quick peek at some recent contributions….

 

A stunning winter view (MB17)
A stunning winter view (MB17)
This is how Kerri Dinands (KF16)
This is how Kerri Dinands (KF16)
Natalie's room (NAC17)
Natalie’s room (NAC17)
A study break in Cool Beans 2 (JL16)
A study break in Cool Beans 2 (JL16)
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Dan Keeps Committee Fun

I admit it:  I am a dork, a dweeb, a geek, a nerd.   I am all of these things.  I exhibit these dorky qualities every day during Committee, our seven and a half hours each day behind closed doors.  I find a way to amuse myself when each new high school, hometown, or applicant’s name appears on the projector. I believe it is important to clear my thoughts and put myself in a positive mindset before viewing and discussing each applicant. I employ all of the following mental techniques in order to get myself excited to explore each and every applicant:

1. Create a rhyme using the applicant’s last name – i.e.  “Daniel Weagle owns five beagles.”

2. Read the applicant’s name/school/hometown in an Irish brogue, French inflection, Southern drawl, robot voice or any other way that will cause me to smile (it’s really not too difficult to get me to smile).

3. Question whether an applicant is related to a celebrity with the same last name (one of my favorites).

4. Find a pun within a schools’ name – i.e. “What do you call a fantastic feline? A Magnificat!” (Thanks, Ohio, for your help.)

5. Start off each break with a new impression. Me doing Will Ferrell doing Harey Carey is the current crowd favorite.

I suspect that each Holy Cross counselor has his or her unique method of mentally preparing for the discussion of every applicant; my method just infuses a split second of silliness into the otherwise overwhelmingly serious process of selecting the Holy Cross class of 2018.

 

Daniel Weagle ’08

Assistant Director of Community Outreach
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Committee Has Begun!

After a frenzied few months of application reading, we’re back and ready to blog even more.  Miss us? We missed you, too.

 

For the next five weeks, the HC admissions committee will be selecting the next class of Crusaders.  Decisions won’t be posted online until sometime after March 15 (we like to remain secretive), so to alleviate your anxiety, we’ll do our best to keep you updated on what’s going on behind the closed doors.

 

What to expect?  Play-by-play, hard-nosed reporting, pictures, color commentary, food reviews, and historical re-enactment.  What not to?  Answers to the question, “Did I get in?”

 

First up – the change in the office, and where 12 of us will be  spending the next month:

The conference room, turned into the new waiting room…

New waiting room

 

…because we’ve turned the original waiting room into our closed-door Committee Room.

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Stay tuned for more open doors.

Julia Sanders
Senior Assistant  Director of Admissions
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The Most Fun Part of Our Job

Zachary WielgusFor the two and a half months that span early November to nearly the end of January, much of our focus is on reading and evaluating Early Decision applications. These students have signed a contract affirming their intense interest in Holy Cross; after all, it requires they remove all other applications they have and commit to attending Holy Cross. (Take it from us, it is a commitment many should be excited about.)

Instead of notifying every student of their decision on the same date — as we do with Regular Decision applicants — we opt for a wrinkle in the admissions process. During the ED months, our office meets in our patented full Committee every 10-14 days to begin crafting the incoming class. For those students who have made that important commitment to Holy Cross and know this is their top choice, we feel it’s important to tell them the good news in ways outside of an acceptance letter. We do what no other school does: we call them to tell them they’ve been accepted.

Below you will find a compilation of reactions that were recorded during these phone calls. There was disbelief, there were tears, there were many thank you’s, and there were a lot of full voice mailboxes (clean out your voicemail, people!). There’s truly no way to capture the emotion during these amazing calls … but here’s our best effort:

 

Just got off the plane to his grandparents’ for Chinese New Year. “This is the best New Year gift!”

Very excited! Could hear her start to cry when she hung up.

“Oh my gosh I got in?! It’s my top choice and I didn’t think I was going to get in!”

“No way! No way! Are you lying? No way!”

Total silence and then he whispered, “I got in” to his friend. Really cute. Very happy.

Screaming and gasping and OMG’s galore.

Incredibly excited. Issued at least 20 “thank yous” before the call was over. Couldn’t get off the phone soon enough to begin celebrating.

“What? I got in??? I’m so confused. And excited!!”

“Best Christmas present ever!” Mom got on phone, crying too, very thankful.

“My heart is beating so fast!”

Absolutely started screaming and crying on the phone – SO excited to be a Crusader.

He was trying to play it tough but started to break down a bit.

“Wow! Wow! Wow!” followed by giggling, hyperventilating, and maybe even some tears of joy.

Very excited – said she was going to do her happy dance.

“Can you hold on one sec?” He then screams, “I just got into Holy Cross!!!”

Broke down crying on the train and couldn’t focus on anything I said after I told her she was accepted. Kept saying “you made my day.”

Amid tears of joy: “I just want you to know I’m so honored to be accepted.”

“This is..probably…the best….phone call… I’ve ever received. You should see the smile on my face right now.” Can’t wait to share the news with parents who are “on the edge of their seats.” “I had to step out of varsity bowling practice once I saw that you called.”