<p>Just wanted to pass this on if anyone was interested in this college. My S was going to apply and thinks this is great (still awaiting his scores) I've only known two students that went here and except for the location, they loved it.
<a href="http://www.holycross.edu/departments/adm-fa-bur/admissions/newtesting.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.holycross.edu/departments/adm-fa-bur/admissions/newtesting.htm</a></p>
<p>Wow! We visited Holy Cross and really liked it. Plus I have a friend who teaches there and is very loyal to the school. Ultimately, it was too expensive for us, but if it is affordable to any given family it would certainly be an excellent education. They must be trying to boost the number of applicants, or trying to get a more varied pool. Good for them!</p>
<p>Thanks for this info. D was interested in HC, but didn't want to bother w/ SAT II (which many shcs do not require).</p>
<p>nyc, I sent you a PM</p>
<p>I also saw this item and posted it to the college admissions forum. </p>
<p>This is a particularly interesting item as HC is a jewel of the Jesuit colleges, along with Georgetown and BC. It heralds a radical departure for a college that heretofore had incredibly burdensome requirements to make application. Because of its stature, this college could herald a major turning point in college admissions. The reasoning for doing so is somewhat suspect but is a good step in the right direction.
I believe there are roughly 28 Jesuit schools across America and if one of their leading institutions no longer require the standardized tests, look for the others to follow (except perhaps GU and BC).
Does anyone know of any other schools planning to follow suit?
I am all for using a senior thesis, an interview and a transcript in lieu of standardized testing.</p>
<p>St. Lawrence Univ. also has this new option. This was on their site:</p>
<p>Beginning with applications for entry in Fall 2006, the submission of standardized test scores (SAT-I, SAT Reasoning or ACT) is optional. Students must indicate on the St. Lawrence Common Application supplement which scores, if any, they wish to have considered in the application process. Students for whom English is not the native language must submit the official results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and are encouraged to submit the official results of the SAT-I, SAT Reasoning or ACT.</p>
<p>There are already several top quality schools which do not require the SAT, in case others on this thread are not familiar. I happen to know the ones near my area, Bowdoin and Bates, both CC top LACs.</p>
<p>For others: <a href="http://www.fairtest.org/optinit.htm#anchor89890%5B/url%5D">http://www.fairtest.org/optinit.htm#anchor89890</a></p>
<p>Bates has reported research indicating no difference in college success among their students who chose to submit SAT/ACT scores with their app and those who didn't.</p>
<p>HC's decision probably reflects the personal attention many high-quality LAC's devote to their applicants(Bowdoin). Holy Cross has always been one of the leading Jesuit schools and moreliberal than Boston College which was until 20-30 years ago a Boston commuter school. HC has great school spirit like its Patriot League rival Colgate and long-time Ivy rival Dartmouth. Among Catholic schools, Holy Cross has the highest alumni giving rate and very strong national alumni network.</p>
<p>I just looked at the list for the first time in a while and it has more schools on it. I didn't realize Middlebury was on it; I knew about Bowdoin, Bates, Bard and recently Lawrence, and now HC. It is a good thing. I think of our international students who take the IB program, are great in maths, sciences, languages, the arts and do well in English; but they don't have the nuances of the language down. Like what is the difference between icy and frosty as one young lady put it the other afternoon. We don't have prep courses here. Kids just take the exams. We had a young man several years ago who was in tennis and the best student as far as grades go that we had ever had. He didn't apply to "the ivies": he needed financial aid and he thought his sats weren't good enough. I don't know what they were. He got 1/2 tuition at a school in the Midwest and is happy there. They must be happy to have him!</p>
<p>I can't help but wonder what the "real reasons" would be for announcing that the SAT will no longer be required. Call me cynical but I would assume that those students with high sats would submit them as an addition to their app, and those with lower scores would choose to withhold them. I don't think the intent is more than an institution looking to increase the amount of applications it receives. This in turn elevates the schools admissions percentages allowing them a higher selectivity ranking. As the mom of two students, one a rising sophomore at Colgate and the other an incoming freshman at Holy Cross I know that great attention is given to each and every application. However, when like students apply with equally strong grades, essays, recs, and ec's then what do you think they will look at next???? Also, as these schools all strive to maintain their top 50 status,they are not going to be satisfied in reporting lackluster stats in the SAT categories. IMHO this new policy will change very little in the admissions decisions. Sorry to bust anybody's bubble.</p>
<p>It's particularly interesting that HC dropped the SAT since HC was among the colleges that required SAT-II results (now optional).</p>
<p>overseas, if you remember the mid west school why not name it? Maybe another fine interl will benefit. as to HC - I'd like my D to consider this school as I remember it having a good rep. I grew up in the east but now live in the west and HC doesn't have a high western profile so this maybe one visit I sneek in while we are on the east coast and see if it piques her interest.</p>
<p>HC has recently increased its recruiting of students in western states-long overdue. Holy Cross has long maintained alumni clubs in Arizona,Cal, Oregon,Wash. etc for many years. Might be easier to get into Holy Cross, if one is from the West Coast vs the Boston-Washington area.</p>
<p>path1, Illinois Wesleyan</p>