<p>Movinmom,</p>
<p>I absolutley loved the Cross and one term that you may hear from some students and grads is that many of us “bleed purple blood”, to wit, we love Holy Cross. While no school is perfect, I loved HC’s small size, which resulted in a great academic experience with teachers and other students. Professors were for the most part very accessible and interested in helping the students further their career goals. It was not uncommon for students to have lunch, dinner, drinks with profs. Pre-professional counseling in my case was very strong. Academics are demanding but competition is not cutthroat, or was not in my experience, which I think reflects most students’ experience. Studying is definitely something I spent a lot of time doing, but it was also balanced out against a varstiy sport, intramurals, attending games, etc. To your question about Boston and Providence…yes, students do go there and the school will provide a bus at time for some excursions.</p>
<p>As to diversity, when I was at HC the % was roughly 10% or so. The college is now somewhere b/t 13-15% and is actively working to increase diversity substantially. Improvements are being made every year in this area, but more needs to be done. However, the school is seriously committed to increasing diversity across the board.</p>
<p>As to drinking and socializing. Sure, alcohol is a part of it, but it is by no means the only part. From this perspective, a lot will depend upon the decisions that the student makes. But, yes there is drinking. However, it is not the center of the college’s social experience.</p>
<p>Athletics: HC has in recent years recommitted itself to its past athletic excellence. I wish the school would do far more, but on whole we are seeing strong results. BBall is doing great, football is rebuilding, and hockey just upset Minnesota in the NCAA tourney…a victory some are calling the greatest upset in college hockey. Mens and women’s lacrosse are on the upswing and Mr. Brine of Brine sports is increasingly backing the teams’ development. Women’s field hockey is a perennial power and the HC women’s bball team is the class of the league.</p>
<p>Basically, I loved my experience at the Cross as did all of my friends. Its small size may not be for everybody, but the tradeoff is an intimate, challenging and rewarding academic experience. Also, while HC is Jesuit, religion is there but it is not forced on students…I never made much of it…some do, some don’t. Another thing to note, many HC students marry other HC students. While I am not sure of the percentage, it is pretty high. My wife is an alumna as are maybe 60% of my buddies’ wives…this is not an anecdotal rarity. But that is years off.</p>
<p>Good luck to your daughter in whatever path she chooses. That said, HC is a great choice to have. Let me know if I can be of further help. </p>
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