Kelly
As someone who was skeptical about going to Holy Cross, I absolutely love it here! There is a great community feel and almost all of the people I have met here are kind and intelligent.
Travis
I love Holy Cross. And most of the students here do, too. It is a place you quickly come to think of as home. My favorite thing about HC is the flexibility you have as a student; the school encourages you to find your passion - whether that be in the classroom, a club, or on the athletic field - and pursue it. You do more than just acquire knowledge, you really learn to grow as a whole person.
I love the size - it's small enough that you get individual attention from professors and large enough to always meet new friends. I enjoy walking around campus and always seeing someone you know.
I spend a lot of time in the library because we always have a lot of work! That's part of the reputation here, if you tell people you go to Holy Cross they usually raise their eyebrows and say 'O, that's a good school.' The Jesuits definitely keep us busy. Worcester is a great city for college students, too. It sometimes gets a bad rap but there are tons of other colleges and universities in the city and lots of great restaurants and bars around campus. Boston is not far away, either. The school administration is very receptive to feedback and Student Representatives sit on nearly every important administrative committee.
I will always remember my first Spring Weekend at Holy Cross; after a long winter, all the students came out onto the green lawns and socialized together. It was a perfect representation of the sense of community and camaraderie that you can expect to find at Holy Cross.
Andre
What's the best thing about Holy Cross?
1)The MANY resources and opportunities presented to foster one's growth and development.
2)Faculty and staff who generally care for students
3)Feeling of connectedness to be a crusader in spite of noticeable segregation in race and class.
4)The gorgeous campus!!!
5)Generous financial aid
Most frequent complaints?
1)Grade deflation by professors in order to "increase the prestige and difficulty of the school"
2)Worcester is not the ideal college town
3)Rumors can be very easily spread due to small student body (around 2,800 students)
4)Can get tired of seeing the same people everyday(particularly, those who one does not wish to see)
5)Campus food is not amazing (but it's definitely better than most)
Alex
I think if you love that your professors know your name then this is a place for you. If you're really into gettng the top notch education then again this is a place for you. If you're not a decedant of Albert Einstein himself then there isnt really any room for slacking unless you like being disappointed in your grades. If you want to be around freakishly friendly people...the kind who always wait like 5 min holding the door for you...then this is the place for you. School pride at games is huge...you'll be proud to rock the purple and yell out at the rivals and opponents at esp at both american and european football. The college town in my opinion sucks ass...but there is always boston just an our away and aslo Rhode Island...the thing i would change about Holy Cross is people's ability to have more of an open mind about culture and different people in general...and erase their fear and hesitation to talk to other people who are not the same as them in any way...and well if you like what you hear maybe you can perhaps start the new trend this coming year.
Michelle
I really like the size of Holy Cross. I feel that it is large enough that I don't know everyone on campus but that is small enough that I am not lost in the crowd. I see friendly faces on my walk to class and people I have probably never seen before. It is a good mix. One of the reasons I came here was because of the size: I wanted to be a 'big fish' in a 'little pond' not a 'small fish' in a 'big pond'.
Molly
Holy Cross has a great community feel to it. I love the size of the school, although some people may feel that it is too small. I like seeing people I know on the way to class. Although our college is in a city, it is a closed campus, so you're not walking on a city street to get to class. The campus is beautiful, it actually stands in very stark contrast to the surrounding city. Because of the size, it won't take you more than 10 minutes to walk from one side of campus to the other, which is really nice when you're late for class! Worcester is not the best city, although it has its nice parts that do have some things to offer. The part of the city where the campus is located is not a nice section, but there are shuttles and buses that can take you to area malls and restaurants. Most students find things to do on campus on the weekends.
John
Over all, Holy Cross is pretty good. It has some shortcomings, mainly transportation. Holy Cross is not in the best part of Worcester, and getting off campus to someplace that does not involve a mall is hard unless you are the lucky few with cars. But Holy Cross has been trying to improve it lately. The other thing is that the art department is quite small. We are not given as much supplies as we should be given and we often have to use our own money to get supplies to finish projects. Besides that, most things are pretty cool. The people are awesome, and are usually pretty nice. It is really easy to get a sense of community at this school. It is small enough to know people whereever you go, but big enough to have your own group and meet new people when you go out. Besides the good social life, the academics are pretty good too. There are alot of good professors, and they take an interest in the student for the most part. There are no TAs, so that is always good and the professors will always find time to have office hours. Holy Cross, in general, is pretty chill, people do their thing and have fun. We work hard and party hard.
Erin
The best thing about Holy Cross is the supportive environment. There is pressure to do well in your classes of course, but students are not cut throat or overly competetive. People are always willing to help out classmates. Another great thing is that, sure there are different groups of friends, but there are no cliques. Everyone knows everyone else, either driectly or through someone, and at Coolbeans and off campus it feels like everyone is friends. I like that community/family type feeling.
Emily
The best thing about Holy Cross is the people who make up the school. The students there are strong minded, but also open minded. For the most part, they will stand up for their own opinions but will also listen to yours. I know it sounds cliche, but the professors really do want you to succeed. I have had some of the most interesting, understanding, helpful, and FUN professors this year.
The fact that Holy Cross is built on a mountain takes some getting used to. But that hiking up and down is totally worth it, I promise!!! I actually LOST weight when I went to school, and since I've been home for the summer I've gained some. The mountain makes the school unique, though. Holy Cross definitely would not be the same if I didn't have to climb hundreds of stairs to get from class to my room.
Stephanie
Holy cross is a tight knit community, at larger schools you never see the same person twice in a crowd, but you run into people you have met all the time which allows you to build closer relationships with those people, the campus is set away from the city of worcester and is its own community. Worcester really isn't a huge part of the school, the city itself is not the safest but the campus security is phenomenal. The food in the dining hall is only OKAY definitely not amazing, but there are always other options which is nice. The most recent controversy at our school was having a woman from an organization come and speak about abortion on campus to speak with students, because although holy cross doesn't force catholicism on you, its foundation IS catholicism and advertising abortion was a very big deal, there were protests and everything.