<p>I was accepted into HC last weekend, and am trying to make my final decision. Right now, I think it is between Villanova and HC. Two things are holding me back from making my decision right now: </p>
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<li><p>I have repeatedly heard that it is very difficult to get good grades at HC, and that the workload can be overwhelming. I go to a challenging private high school, and I'm willing to work hard and study in college--but I definitely want to find a balance! </p></li>
<li><p>I am from Ohio and am wondering if I would fit in amongst what seems to be a largely East Coast student body.</p></li>
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<p>If anyone could share their experiences or give feedback on either of these items, I would greatly appreciate it!</p>
<p>HC has traditionally had a lot of kids from Ohio especially from the top Jesuit high schools that are located there. Their star football quarterback who broke all the records in school history last year was from Amelia, Ohio. The workload is tough but manageable and many students are heavily engaged in extracurricluar activities including the over 25% of the student body that are on division 1 sports teams.</p>
<p>if you did well at your high school, you’ll be fine at holy cross. it is not that academically challenging (or at least, i did not find it to be so.) don’t dismiss your fears about the homogeneous student body at holy cross - this is a huge drawback. think very seriously about whether or not you want to attend a school that has a massive proportion of legacies and family members, mainly from the northeast. you will experience VERY LITTLE diversity! good luck with your decision!</p>
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<li><p>As far as your concern about balancing strong academics with actually having a life, Holy Cross seems to excel at this. Their unofficial motto can often be quoted as “study hard, party harder”. I also think Holy Cross has a lot of support for adjusting to college life and doing well. Since you are restricted to four classes a semester, you have time to focus your studies and prepare yourself well. Also, their freshman program, Montserrat basically reduces your course load freshman year with a more discussion based seminar course to help you adapt to college academics. </p></li>
<li><p>As much as it’s true that Holy Cross is homogeneous, it doesn’t mean that they are exclusive or unfriendly. In fact, when I visited campus all the students seemed extremely friendly. I am sure someone from Ohio would easily fit in. I’m going there and am from NE, I’ll be friends with you (:</p></li>
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<p>My daughter is from Louisville, Kentucky and had zero problems at all fitting into Holy Cross. After freshman year she said, regarding choosing Holy Cross iver other schools, “this is the greatest decision I ever made”. Sure there are lots of students from New England and New York but there are kids from all over. In my daughter’s senior year she lived with 3 girls from Mass, one from Pittsburgh, and one from Corpus Christi, Texas. HC has always had a strong contingent from Ohio, particularly Cincinnati. If you got along well in HS you will get along well at HC.</p>
<p>I read they have sub-free dorms, are they in a certain building or a designated floor?
My dentist, who is about 35-40, went to Holy Cross and said the diversity has gotten much better, but being a somewhat isolated Catholic school, isn’t always a big draw. Their statistics aren’t to me any better or worse than most colleges. He said the rigorous academics didn’t make Georgetown Dental School easy, but he defintely was very prepared, more so he thought that some of his peers. He did say, if Georgetown’s diversity was at HC, he would have said his 4 years were perfect. One opinion, but honest.
<1% American Indian/Alaskan Native
6% Asian/Pacific Islander
5% Black/Non-Hispanic
10% Hispanic
72% White/Non-Hispanic
2% Non-Resident Alien
5% Race/ethnicity unreported</p>
<p>I have visited Villanova twice. I was going to visit HC in February, but a family emergency cut that short. I was also planning on visiting last week, but a major financial aid snafu has just come up. Unless it’s resolved, I will not be able to attend :(</p>
<p>Both of these schools are excellent and have good reputations. Other posters have talked about the lack of diversity at HC. Unfortunately that’s true at “Vanilla-nova” as well. On the other hand, Worcester is within easy reach of Boston and Villanova is within easy reach of Philly. So they both would offer major cultural and multicultural opportunities to the student willing to seek them. Good luck making your final decision!</p>
<p>Hi Cadbury, Although I know the percentages aren’t high, 6-10% as mentioned in above post, I saw quite a few minorities today during a visit and what my daughter liked the most, was that they seemed to mix…except for a small group in the cafeteria, many of the groups in other areas, were talking, playing games with friends of all races. That is what made the difference for her. At Marist, and some other colleges the segregation was more noticeable. Since she wanted a tee shirt when we left, I think she will ask me to send the deposit soon. : )</p>
<p>We are from Texas and my D absolutely loves HC. Yes, HC can stand to improve diversity and it appears that they are attempting to improve on this matter.</p>
<p>As far as academics are concerned…I would say Excellent and all the support you need to navigate when things may get tough. Not cut throat</p>