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Giving Thanks

I’m thankful, above most else, for my parents. Recently—perhaps due to my newfound work as a college admissions counselor— I’ve been realizing how a portion of this gratitude is for my parents’ belief in higher education and their unwavering encouragement as I’ve pursued my own. My mom was the first person in her family to go to college; she took herself to visit schools and paid her own way at a state university. My dad, on the other hand, grew up with the expectation that he would attend a private college without worrying about the cost. Despite the differing paths they took to get their college degrees, they both came away understanding the value of a college education and even went on to pursue master’s degrees. They worked hard and saved carefully, knowing that one of their most important goals was to be able to provide their own children with the same opportunities. My dad once said that as a parent, he did not want to be the barrier standing in the way of his children’s futures—he dreamed big for us all. Did my sisters and I still need to apply for financial aid? Yes, college can be expensive! Yet what we appreciated even more than the significant financial contribution our parents made was their limitless belief in our potential and their unmistakable pride in our accomplishments.

Thanks, Mom and Dad.

Kate Stewart
Admissions Counselor
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Giving Thanks
I am thankful for the limitless patience held by the 10 veteran Counselors on staff, who have answered every question I’ve had since I started in July.
Zach Wielgus
Admissions Counselor
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Giving Thanks

With looming application deadlines, it’s a busy time of year for college applicants.   To combat stress, we encourage you to take a minute to  stop, smell the turkey, and focus on all of those things for which you are grateful.   If you’re having a hard time finding that gratitude,   take some inspiration from the entries to follow, from my fellow admissions officers.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Julia Sanders
Assistant Director of Admissions
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Application Stress

As of last week, the Holy Cross admission office is paperless!  This means that we will review all applications and make all decisions online.  For the past year or more, I have been part of a small working group tasked with making this happen.  At times the project felt dauntingly huge.  The level of detail required to document our processes seemed impossible to attain.  The only thing longer than the “to do” list was the “to figure out” list.  Still, we always knew it would all be worth it and the finished product would be a source of great pride.  So we worked.  And worked.  And worked.  We gave it our best, and now we look forward to the reward made all the sweeter because of that hard work.
Sound familiar?

Lynn Verrecchia ’01

Associate Director of Admissions
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So…What do you do all day on the road?

This time of year, when admissions counselors are spending more time in rental cars than in their own homes , that is the question I most often get from my friends, family or even prospective students. So here you go: the deep, dark secrets of what we do on the road will be revealed.  Every day is an adventure and certainly different from the next, but here’s a snapshot of my life on the road – just a typical Wednesday during travel season!

6:00am – Alarm goes off. I take a minute to orient myself to where I am, oh right – Omaha. Time to get moving!

7:45am – Arrive at my first high school visit a few minutes early and am greeted by the marching band practicing in the parking lot – I’m awake now!

8:00am – 1st High School visit of the day; here I speak with a great senior who has clearly done research on Holy Cross and has some terriffic questions. She’s looking for a small, liberal arts college in the north east – which is great, because we fit that bill!

8:45am – Leave that school and hurry over to the next, thank God for GPS!

9:00am – Arrive at my second school of the day to discover that no students have signed up to meet with me; spent time chatting with the guidance counselors about Holy Cross and what we can do to attract more kids from Nebraska.

9:45am – Have arrived a bit early for my next visit so I take a few minutes to catch up on a few things.  A quick call to check in with the office, respond to an e-mail from our Public Affairs office giving the okay for a message to be send out, and finally call back my dentist’s office about rescheduling that cleaning (got to take care of the teeth!) – and now I’m ready to head into school #3!

10:15am – Met with a great group of girls (all girls, Catholic school) – mix of juniors and seniors who asked important questions about campus culture, social life, academic opportunities, etc.

11:30am – Arrive at their all boys counterpart school and am lead to a conference room. We got a great student from here so I’m expecting to see some interest, and I do! Speak with a few different students and confirm an interview or two for later this evening.

12:30pm – Time to head to my last visit of the day! (Stomach is starting to growl)

1:00pm – Visit #5 of the day is a bit different from the rest, more of a fair format. There are a few schools here and students are free to walk around and speak to different college reps – it’s a great chance to meet with multiple kids and get the Holy Cross name out there!

2:00pm – Done with visits for the day so I head off to a lunch spot that a guidance counselor recommended. I’ll catch my breath, and make some notes on my days visits to help with next year’s planning.

3:15pm – Finally back at my hotel – time to check e-mail, hit the gym and relax for a bit.

6:00pm – Time to head down to the lobby where I’ll meet the first of two students who are interviewing tonight. These students signed up online for one of our off campus interviews – knowing I’d be in the area, they’re taking advantage of the chance to meet with me and tell me more about themselves.

7:30pm – Done with interviews, heading back up to my room where I’ll order room service and type up some notes on the candidates I’ve interviewed waiting for my dinner to arrive.

8:15pm – Dinner arrives!

9:00pm – Spend a few minutes organizing my notes for tomorrow, making sure that I know where I need to be and that I have my materials all packed and ready to go.

10:00pm – Lights out! Time to rest up so I can do it all again tomorrow!

Diane Soboski

Senior Assistant Director of Admissions
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What’s New at Holy Cross?

One of the most common questions we get asked on the road while traveling as Admissions Counselors is “What’s new at Holy Cross?” This year, there have been a few changes to the campus. For starters, the newest dormitory on campus, Figge Hall, is officially open! The townhouse style residence hall is the new home to many current Holy Cross seniors.  Each apartment accommodates four students with two bedrooms, bathroom, kitchen area and common space. Senior year and a brand new apartment? What more could you ask for?

The new Hogan Courtyard provides students with a bigger open green space on campus. Several tables and chairs have been added around the courtyard and as classes have begun, I’ve noticed more students congregating in the area to grab a bite to eat with friends or to sit outside and enjoy the nice weather while studying!

Cool Beans 2, a great place to get coffee and snacks, has been transformed into a “Starbucks-like” coffee shop. Located right in one of our main academic buildings, Stein Hall, Cool Beans 2 will be a great place to chat with a professor, meet up with friends, or just re-charge before that grueling mid-term exam!

If you haven’t been to campus, fall is a great time to visit. Check out our schedule (http://admissions.holycross.edu/visiting/tours-information-sessions) to come for a tour of campus. If you have already been, come back to check out what’s new at Holy Cross!

Nicole Zervos ‘09

Assistant Director of Admissions
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College Essay Tips

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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Admissions Travel Rules

I think anyone working in admissions would tell you the first days of travel are the hardest.  Now a seasoned pro,  I’ve learned a few tricks I know I’ll be bringing with me on my next trip:

1)      If your GPS tells you it will take 20 minutes to get somewhere, expect it to take 30. And plan ahead for that. The difference between arriving at 8:28 and 8:30 are astronomical on your stress level. Or maybe that’s just me.

2)      Get used to eating breakfast and lunch in the car. It’s rare you get a half hour to just sit in an eatery that just so happens to be conveniently located two blocks from your next school (see: never).

3)      Napkins, napkins, napkins. Drinking coffee or eating a sandwich with delicious spicy mustard while driving a car usually ends in what my aunt describes as “blapping.” A white shirt with a noticeable stain on the front isn’t the greatest first impression.

4)      Bring your running shoes. I sprinted through Charlotte airport to make a connection on my first day. (They closed the doors 90 seconds later.)

5)      But pack a nice outfit on your carry on. (Although I made it to my connecting flight, my suitcase with all my clothes did not. That came six hours later.)

6)      Be adventurous! The restaurant in the hotel is fine for a night, but these are cities I’d likely never be in otherwise. There’s a reason I watched all those episodes of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. This is that reason!

I know I’ve only scratched the surface of travel experiences and blunders. With a season under my belt, though, I think I’m a little bit wiser.
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Meet New Admissions Counselor Nancy Nelsen

I’m delighted to be joining the Holy Cross Admissions team as an Assistant Director for Community Outreach. Four weeks ago, I stepped foot on campus with anticipation and a sense of nostalgia. Though I didn’t attend Holy Cross, I nevertheless felt as though it was my first day of school, as memories from my own undergraduate experience came rushing back. There’s something very special about working on a college campus. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to work with so many prospective students and be a part of the decision making process for admitting a new class each year.

Not only am I ecstatic to be working at an institution for higher learning, but also I am particularly excited about working at Holy Cross. I feel strongly about the type of education students get at such a small, exclusively undergraduate school. Moreover, I understand the degree to which a liberal arts education opens so many doors, providing students with a broad range of skills they can use in any field. I’m a product of such an education and feel it has served me well in my own career.

I attended a small, liberal arts college in Maine and then transferred to another school in Boston in order to be in a more metropolitan area. After college, I began my career in publishing where I edited educational resources for children and teachers. Knowing I wanted to work more with students, I returned to school to obtain a masters degree in curriculum and teaching. Prior to my role at Holy Cross, I had the pleasure of working at a college access program. I prepared urban schoolchildren to get into, and succeed at, independent and public exam schools in the Boston area.

Outside of work, I’ve enjoyed living in Boston for the last ten years, taking advantage of all the city has to offer. Interestingly enough, I met my husband on the T (Boston’s subway system for those of you who aren’t from the area) 8 years ago. As a former college athlete, I continue to play basketball and tennis in my free time. I’m originally from Brunswick, Maine, so I’m a true New Englander who loves the change of seasons. You’ll find me on Cape Cod for most summer weekends, spending time with my family at the beach and attending Cape League baseball games where my Dad has coached ever since I was a little girl.

Last week marked the start of my travel season, and I couldn’t be more excited about being on the road and meeting students. My first trip to Dallas was full of many high school visits and college fairs, not to mention warmer weather and southern hospitality. I look forward to meeting more students when I head out to New York, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Boston area schools in the coming weeks. I wish you all the best in your college search and hope to hear from you!

Nancy Nelsen

Assistant Director for Community Outreach
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Meet New Admissions Counselor Kate Stewart

Hi! I’m Kate Stewart, the lucky thirteenth member of the Holy Cross admissions team. I started working here in early September, only about a week or so after all the students had returned to campus and begun their fall semester. In fact, in the nights leading up to my first day I was having my own “back-to-school” dreams … you know, the ones where you’re running late and show up to class only to realize that either you’re not wearing any pants or there’s a test you haven’t studied for. But as soon as I stepped foot in the door of Fenwick Hall (home of the admissions office), any anxiety I had was assuaged by all of the wonderful—and I mean WONDERFUL—people who work here.

Not only am I excited about being at Holy Cross for the start of the school year, I cannot WAIT to experience fall on this beautiful campus. I’ve lived in New England my whole life and am most proud to call it home when my favorite season arrives. I can already picture the hillside transforming as the leaves change colors and am looking forward to cheering on the Crusaders at some home football games, going apple picking and, most of all, running in the cooler weather. I am currently training for my first half-marathon, which will take place in Vermont in early November! When I’m on the road visiting high schools in Connecticut and Long Island, I will definitely need some suggestions for good running routes in those areas. (Next year I add Atlanta to my travel—is it too hot to run there??)

Having taught preschool for several years before getting my master’s degree in school counseling, I am eager to jump to the other end of the spectrum and interact with high school students. To some extent, the move from high school to college is not all that different from my preschoolers’ transition to kindergarten… there’s the apprehension of entering an unknown environment with unfamiliar faces and new expectations, coupled with the excitement of being a “big kid” with increased independence. But while naptime disappears in kindergarten, I bet a lot of students will tell you that they took it up again in college. You’ll just have to ask some Holy Cross students how they manage to find time for it in between studying, volunteering through Student Programs for Urban Development, participating in the Student Government Association, playing club sports like Ultimate Frisbee, and meeting friends for coffee at Cool Beans.

Kate Stewart

Admissions Counselor