College of the Holy Cross Top Questions

everyone works super hard, and the classes are very challenging. i dont think people realize how hard we work here. a 3.6 at holy cross is worth a 4.0 at harvard. the students are kind of competitive...no one really tolerates slacking off. all of my professors have been amazing, they really make the effort to know who you are, even on a personal level. the education is very much for learning, but also to prepare you for the world beyond college.

Students have a unique opportunity to get to know professors, especially those within their major field of study, extremely well. Students who take advantage of office hours will often get lots of assistance on assignments, will forge solid relationships with faculty members for future recommendations, and can learn a great deal. The academics are RIGOROUS. Students only take 4 courses a semester because they are all so demanding. Most students can be found spending many hours in the library at least a few days a week and the amounts of homework and reading at times get excessive. A high GPA at Holy Cross is a signal achievement.

Classes are small and professors know you by name within the first week of classes. I can't say better things about the professors here, they truly want to help students and focus on them, especially since Holy Cross is only undergraduate. Students are fairly competitive, especially in the pre-medical and science programs. Academics at Holy Cross are very rigorous and that is why we only take four classes a semester, which definitely keeps students busy.

People tend to be neurotic about their grades, then again, I should be more neurotic about my grades. Competition isn't bad compared to what I experienced in Boarding School; most people are willing to help you out with moral support or an quick tutorial when you're in a rut. Professors range from amazing to average; the amazing ones you hold on to, but they aren't by any means scarce to come by.

The library is a hot-spot at Holy Cross and dorm study rooms are always filled at night. We are told almost weekly that Holy Cross has the highest work load in the country. Students here are success-driven and academically competitive.

Professors: Not only do they know you by name, they know your strenghts, weaknesses, what you got on the last exam, and probably a few things about your life outside of class. Classes are generally very small -- around 18 to 20 students -- so you get to know your professors really well! (It makes recommendations so easy!) Students study: HC students have a reputation for studying HARD and OFTEN. It's tough to do well here, and students are driven to earn high marks... but it's not so much that it completely rules your life... it's a "work hard, play hard" mentality Students competitive: With each other? Not at all... they go out of their way to tutor each other, and are really only competitive with themselves. Psychology major/department: Awesome! You don't have to compete with graduate students for research positions or courses, because we don't have any grad students on campus... it's a great school to be a science major at. HC Academic Requirements: The perfect amount... they don't tell you which classes to take, just areas to study (e.g., Take one art course at some point in your 4 year, but you choose whether you take a Pottery class or History of Islamic Art or whatever you'd like) HC education: Is geared towards learning for the sake of learning, getting a career, and making a positive difference in the world (all at the same time). You feel like you get a lot out of your academics here.