Test scores for which only strong students submit (test optional). The bottom line is that they would not be offering merit if they were already getting enough numbers of the high academic students they want and the tuition price they need to meet their goals. This is no different than most colleges, BTW. Only the very top schools in this country can afford to not have merit and be need blind.
Widely incorrect notion: SAT test scores are skewed higher due to optional nature (i.e. best score are submitted).
As you know, HC has a ton of athletes. 100% of said recruited athletes are required to submit SAT’s (PL academic index requirement and possibly a clearinghouse requirement as well)
These athlete scores are below (or marginally below) the school’s mean.
As you also probably know, HC is going to be 99.1% need blind rather than 100%. In today’s landscape, it’s not a choice but a requirement to begin giving merit. As the tuition increases 3-5% per annum perpetually, concessions must be made at all schools.
Often overthought of: you will get an entirely different college experience (and post grad experience) at the small niche HC than the large universities Bc, Gtown, nova, Marquette. Kids who want that niche experience go to hc. Kids who want the larger experience go to the others. Fairly straightforward whether you’d like to believe it or not.
Totally agree.
Re: scores and my “wildly incorrect notion”:
Facts: According to the CDS, ~40% of incoming freshman do not submit any test scores (60% do).
1- I said widely not wildly
2- What’s your point? My point stands. HC’s SAT scores (no slouch) are more indicative of the student athletes than the student body. Not a bad thing…just a fact.
What explains the Common Data set indicating the acceptance rate ED being almost 81%. My guess is it is athletes and legacies. HC has not been comparable to Georgetown, BC or Notre Dame for many years. Better comparable to Villanova, Fordham and Providence, and a notch above Stonehill and Wheaton.
@Btown1238 to your very good point in post #21, what makes HC so popular and sought after is the fact that it’s a Liberal Arts College, not a University, like the other Jesuit schools that people often compare it to. Holy Cross is not a consolation prize for not getting into BC or GT! Holy Cross is proudly and unapologetically, a highly selective, LAC with top tier rankings (always solidly placed among the other top North East LAC’s, which there are many and I really think if the name were different, it would be looked at by many more top students that want that solid LAC experience). It’s fairly large for a LAC at a bit over 3,000 students and as such it’s a more diverse" feel" than some of it’s peer LAC’s that scrape 1800 students. And before someone jumps in with the % of demographics, HC takes more students from the bottom 60% than just about any school it’s compared to (including, BC, GT, Villanova. And perhaps that accounts for the slightly lower standardized scores ). Students are smart and then some. The Jesuit mission of "Men and Women for Others " is demonstrated by the socially aware students contributing to the “greater good” in real life campus and outreach projects and vs the feel good posturing of some other schools. The college is gorgeous and situated in the periphery of a city on the upswing with lots to offer (and is way cheaper than Boston) and is serviced by an airport, bus, train and conveniently off I90 and 290 for those of us driving to campus. You can actually get there without too much struggling!! The out of date impression of some posters here with an obvious sour grape style of contributing, is really silly. Holy Cross is not for everyone, but for those that know it- it’s a gem.
Good luck to the incoming first years and returning students. Go forth and set the world on fire!
In rankings of Catholic colleges, HC is ranked highly. Niche gives only 4 Catholic schools an A+ rating. Notre Dame, G’town, BC and Holy Cross.
College Factual ranks Holy Cross 2nd to only Notre Dame in its Catholic college ranking.
Forbes ranks HC #22 in its list of top liberal arts colleges and US News has it as #35. Kiplinger just ranked HC as the #22 best value school on its list which includes both LACs and universities.
So while some posters on this thread don’t regard it highly, a lot of others certainly do!
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Not sure if this is on or off topic at this point but USNWR rankings also include the most common applicant overlap schools. The four listed with HC are BC, Fordham, PC and UMass Amherst. In no particular order. None of this is surprising. Looking at the overlap schools for each one of those four, only PC also lists HC. So that means a high percentage of HC applicant also apply to PC AND a high percentage of PC applicants also apply to HC.
It is interesting (although not surprising) that no LAC is among the four largest HC cross applicant schools. Although 3 Catholic schools are (and each does offer liberal arts within a larger setting).
(FWIW PC’s biggest cross applicants are BC, Fordham, HC and Fairfield; Fordham’s biggest cross applicants are SUNY Binghamton, BC, BU, and NYU; BC’s biggest cross applicants are Georgetown, Northeastern, UVA, and Notre Dame.).
Re#27. Don’t know who reports such data for it to be meaningful, but ok.
But there’s a whole lot of kids showing love to Holy Cross by applying ED in big numbers. And by applying ED they are demonstrating that HC is their #1 choice over any other school, LAC or Uní. That, along with a 92% first year retention rate, a 92% 6 year graduation rate and a 91% 4 year graduation rate (2nd highest in nation, tied w/Bowdoin) shows that students thrive and succeed at HC. That’s the kind of data parents find useful.
/\ /\ I’m not sure if it is the number of ED applicants (471 out of 7,000 total applicants) or the ED acceptance rate (81%) that jumps out as a ‘big number’ but in any case there is no doubt HC is the first choice for a large percentage of students accepted into the school.
Personally I am more a fan of EA but I certainly recognize the benefits of ED to the institution.
I think it would be very difficult.
What IS the transportation situation like for College of Holy Cross students off the hill into the local area for regular shopping, eating, etc? And how easy is it to get from College of Holy Cross into Boston for long weekends, etc… without a car or to the airport?
Holy Cross runs regular transport from the student center to various places in Worcester ie; mall, stores, movie theatre etc. Worcester is also an Uber town which makes transportation easy and their are zipcars on campus too. Holy Cross also runS buses to the airport for breaks.