College of the Holy Cross Top Questions

Definitely challenging, but the professors are attentive and students seem to enjoy helping one another.

The best thing about College of the Holy Cross is the network system that surrounds each student. From classroom professors, to the faculty members in Academic Services, to the Deans and to all the other faculty members are willing to motivate, support, challenge and make you as a student succeed. There are many people on campus that will make you realize your goals, your dreams, figure out who you are, what you would like to be and help you plan how to get to your dreams and aspirations. Honestly, one thing I would change would be the stairs, although your calves get a great workout. College of the Holy Cross is medium-small- about 3,000 students. Pretty much everyone knows everyone else. When I tell people, "I attend College of the Holy Cross". Their first reaction is, "OH REALLY? That is great!" My mother, who also works as a waitress, gets the same response and reaction when regular customers ask about my brother and I. Holy Cross is a very prestigious college. Something unusual about the school? The student body. The students are very talented and diverse. Most of the people that I have met are always willing, and eager to learn something new or try to something different. Within Holy Cross you find this internal drive to learn about many different academic areas. Along with learning new things and having an open mind, Holy Cross helps the students learn about themselves, and being confident is one of the keys of success - in school, in any every career and in life.

No two ways about it: You will work hard if you come to Holy Cross. But, thankfully, you will also have a great support system. Professors know your name, you're not just a number to them. There are no graduate students so you have the full attention of your professors and it's not uncommon to be able to do research as an undergraduate - a great opportunity! Students study a lot. Most weeknights you can find most everyone buried in school work. A rough estimate is that for every hour of class you can expect 2-3 hours of homework per night. I've loved so many of my classes, especially Political Violence with Professor Chubb and Political Theology with Professor Eggemeier. Classes here often challenge you to think deeply about the material (my Political Theology class caused me to design my own major!). Students are generally not competitive with each other - there's not really any reason to be. Anyone who wants access to professors will be able to have it and anyone who works hard will succeed. Professors are great - I struggle to name a bad one I've had and they are really willing to be mentors. There is no core curriculum, which I sometimes resent, but we do have distribution requirements. That means you have to take classes in different disciplines by the time you graduate, but there is no one class that every student must take. We are a liberal arts school, so we like to learn for the sake of learning. That being said, we also have a really active Career Services office and a REALLY dedicated alumni network full of people willing to bend over backwards for current students. You'll be challenged to work hard, but you'll be rewarded if you do.

Very intensive albeit manageable.

Classes are generally okay...everyone will definately give you the 411 on any of the professors there so if you're worried about a particular professor...ask around...there is always sway period or W (withdrawal)....classes are small and only get smaller so of course there is definately no hiding.

Professors definitely know your name here - which is really due to the great size of the school. I am not a number here at the college, I am me - a biology major who is very involved and loves to dance. My professors know that. It is suprising how fast the professors get to know your name! I have actually been to numerous professor's houses for dinner. It is a great community atmosphere.

I have loved most of my professors at Holy Cross. I have a major and two concentrations, so I have been able to take a wide array of classes, and most of them have been very interesting. I have never been in a class with more than 45 people, and most of them have been around 20 people. Because of the small class size, the professors get to know you very quickly. I have found them very accessible if you go to their office hours. I have had several favorite classes so far at Holy Cross, an HIV/AIDS biology course, social ethics, and North American theologies of liberation. I have taken many psychology courses that I have really enjoyed too, such as cognitive neuroscience and a seminar on consciousness. Peace and Conflict Studies is an excellent concentration that combines many different academic departments, and draws from some extremely passionate professors. Because Holy Cross is a liberal arts college, there are several core requirements that you have to fulfill on top of major/concentration requirements. I have not really minded doing these requirements, since they helped me to choose which major and concentrations were best for me. I found that fulfilling these requirements early on (within your freshman and sophomore year) have allowed me to take more interesting classes within my major and concentrations during my junior, and soon to be senior year, because of higher class standing. I have found it a little frustrating that Holy Cross does not offer all that many majors. Also it is difficult to get into the courses that you want sometimes, although some professors will let you in if you discuss your desire to be in the class. Like many other liberal arts colleges, Holy Cross does not exactly prepare you for a career, but I like to think that it prepares you for a purposeful life. We are told again and again to be "men and women for others." Although I will be pursuing graduate study that Holy Cross has not prepared me for (in terms of prerequisites I will need), I do not regret my education at Holy Cross. I have become a more aware person, am able to think critically, and have become devoted to issues of social justice because of my education at Holy Cross. I cannot separate that growth and development from my decision to attend Holy Cross.

Pretty good for the most part. There will always be classes that are bad and you do not want to take, but hey, deal with it. Overall the academics are good here. The classes are never over thirty, and there are no TAs. The teachers really try to get to know every student and will always make time for office hours. The work load is alot, but there are resources that students can use to help them out. Holy Cross students can be overworked, but there is nothing a good weekend party can't handle to let off some steam. Teachers try to make things fun and try to improve on there classes. The school gives out course evaluation forms which help the teachers with this.

-students are very competitive and generally into their studies- people are always working -professors are very good and class sizes are small -I stop and talk to my professors when I see them -While I have a lot of issues with Holy Cross, I can rest assured that I'm getting a good education

My classes are challenging. There are no easy A classes at Holy Cross, and if you find one it won't be there next year because the professor will probably get fired. You definitely earn the grades that you get, and you learn a lot more that way. If you go to Holy Cross you should be serious about school and getting a great education but just as serious about having fun. Classes are small, of course, but I have to say that one of my favorite classes was my intro. to psychology and it had 40 students. The professor really makes or brakes the class and I've never had a professor that I didn't like. I think Holy Cross must pick their professors very carefully.