Open House Reflections
The weather was great (sunny and warm) and the mood positive, as over 1500 students, parents, family members, and friends joined us this past Sunday for our Accepted Student Open House. Below I’ve listed a few of my favorite things from the day. If you weren’t able to join us, you missed an information-packed event (but never fear, we’re still available to give you closure on any unanswered questions—Admissions Office: 508-793-2443/800-442-2421). If you were with us, I hope you and your family enjoyed yourselves. See if your “best of” list from the day aligns with mine.
3. The chocolate covered cannolis. These fantastically tasty treats were just one of the many yummy dessert options prepared by our great Dining Services staff for our Open House. As a student, such desserts are available to order whenever you want! (Kimball Sweet Shoppe Menu)
2. Getting my photo taken with the Holy Cross mascot. Many of you seemingly had to be cajoled into posing with our Crusader, but I know that reticence was just for show. Secretly, you’re more than a little excited about your souvenir.
1. Talking with all of you! In many ways this is the best time of the year for the Admissions staff. We first met many of you last spring/summer. We then saw you at high school visits, fairs, and evening information sessions in the fall. This winter, as we read through your applications, we came to know you even better. Each and every one of you, who was offered admission to our Class of 2012, is someone we’ve gotten to know in one way or the other. For us, Open House is wonderful because we get to re-make your acquaintance. We really enjoy the opportunity to see and talk with all of you smart, fantastic, interesting people. We’re invested in you. We truly think purple is your color, and we hope to see you on campus this fall!
[Visit the accepted student website and click on “View the accepted student open house card »” near the bottom of the homepage (under our director’s letter), to view our thank you to you for coming.]
Kelli Powell
Assistant Director of Admissions
In one of my earlier posts this year, I lauded the many benefits of Worcester, specifically 
To the Holy Cross Office of Admissions:
After months of waiting and waiting for a response from colleges, you couldn’t wait for this month to arrive when the admissions decisions come out. But now you realize that you have another daunting task ahead of you. The tables have now turned and you’re the ones making the admissions decision and determining who will get in, if you will (hopefully this means a bit more sympathy for us and the hard decisions we’ve had to make).
In late January and February it didn't seem so bad...there were other things going on to keep those thoughts on the back burner. But now, at the end of March, you can barely control yourself. The moment you get home, you run over and through anything in your way to get to the front door or the end of the driveway. Why? Well, I'm sure I don't have to tell the people that are reading this...it's to get the mail. 
Seniors: The wait will soon be over! I am guessing at this point, most of you are alternating between counting down the last days of your high school career and stalking the mailman, waiting for those decision letters to begin arriving. If you have a moment however, and are willing to tear yourself away from anxiously checking your inbox or dreaming about prom, we’d like to hear from you. Having just finished up the college application process, we’d love to get some feedback on what you enjoyed about it, what you found to be the most stressful part(s), etc. Do you feel Holy Cross specifically, or colleges generally, could have been more helpful, and if so, what form would that extra help have taken? E-mail 
“. . . he was at the kitchen table close to tears, surrounded by binder paper and pencils and unopened books on birds, immobilized by the hugeness of the task ahead. Then my father sat down beside him, put his arm around my brother's shoulder, and said, “Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.”
January 15th is a day that is circled on many calendars across the country for a variety of reasons. Did you know that on January 15, 1559, Queen Elizabeth I was crowned? In 1622, French writer Molière was born? In 1922, Irish revolutionary Michael Collins became the Irish Free States' first premier? In 1929, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was born? And in 1967, the Green Bay Packers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl I.? Well, it's true. And in addition to those events, January 15th is important at Holy Cross because it is the deadline for regular decision applications. 
Many of you are probably breathing sighs of relief right now as you finalize and finally submit your applications for college. For us in the office, we’re just getting warmed up as the applications fly into our reading bins. At this point in the year, we start to buckle down at home and in the office shedding our heels and ties so if you swing by, don’t be surprised to see us romping about in jeans and sneakers. And if we’re at home, most of us are probably decked out in our favorite bathrobes and slippers. Because we read using a pencil, many of us, if not all, have finally chosen our season’s pencils that promise never ending writing comfort for the next two months but ultimately fall a bit short because the nature of this task that lies ahead dictates inevitable writing calluses at some point. But no matter how tedious and sometimes unkind the task is, I have to admit that it’s one of my favorite parts of the job and I speculate that many of my colleagues would agree. I learn about different facets of young peoples’ lives that are funny, entertaining, whimsical, inspiring and sometimes sad. I get to meet interesting and unique individuals from all over the country and even from various parts of the world, all without ever leaving my chair. 
The phone has been busy in the Admissions Office this past week with lots of calls about interviews. As I am sure you know, Holy Cross offers on-campus interviews to prospective students from May through the end of December. Unfortunately, many students lose track of time during this period or become so involved in their academics, extra curricular activities, and other college application tasks, that it becomes hard to get to campus for this interview. As a result, many of these phone calls result in the student being disappointed because the deadline has passed they will be unable to interview. If you happen to be one of those students, please keep in mind that even though interviews at Holy Cross are strongly recommended, they are not required. If you were unable, for one reason or another, to have an interview, this will in no way affect your candidacy for admission to the College. 