<p>I'm interested in pre-med & life sciences and I heard that holy cross was good in these fields. </p>
<p>I was just wondering how the campus environment is at Holy Cross. Is religion a big part of campus life? Would a non-religious person have an easy time fitting in?
Also, if you could just state things you notice about the campus environment or campus life, I'd appreciate it. </p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>Be aware that Holy Cross is one of 28 colleges in the US that are run by the Jesuits which are a Catholic religious order. Other prominent Jesuit colleges include Georgetown, Boston College, Fordham, Marquette, St Joseph’s, Gonzaga, St Louis University, etc. Jesuit colleges are known for their academics and religious studies are available but they also offer courses in world religions. The nation’s top expert on Islam, John Esposito, was a professor at Holy Cross for 20 years before moving to Georgetown to head up their center. Catholic religious services are readily available at Jesuit colleges but are not compulsory and they attract a large number of students of other religions or none at all. Holy Cross has a large focus on sports. Over 25% of the student body are varsity athletes. The college sponsors 27 varsity sports teams at the division 1 level and the school is only 3000 students.</p>
<p>People assume Holy Cross is ultra religious because of its name but it is no more religious than any of the other Jesuit colleges as the other poster mentioned. Here is the complete list of the 28 Jesuit colleges in America sorted by popularity:
[Jesuit</a> Colleges and Universities Quiz Results - sporcle](<a href=“http://www.sporcle.com/games/jesuit_colleges_results.php]Jesuit”>http://www.sporcle.com/games/jesuit_colleges_results.php)</p>
<p>I am not particularly religious. Actually, I was borderline atheist for a while during high school. During orientation they make it seem like religion is a huge part of campus (at least for someone who went to a public high school where christmas decorations were not allowed), but it’s not as big a deal as they make it out to be. The only thing I can say is that Holy Cross students are more likely to have discussions about religion, but no one ever judges or casts someone out because of a particular view. All in all, it’s really not a big deal. It just makes you contemplate your own spirituality. It’s really about reflecting on your life and trying to figure out who you are and what you want to be, not about being an “uptight catholic”. </p>
<p>But since you mentioned that you were pre-med, you DEFINITELY looked in the right place. Holy Cross has one of the best programs in the nation for pre-med (I would argue the best). If you can get a 3.2 or up, you are going to be all set for med school. The reason the gpa is so low is because Holy Cross doesn’t inflate grades (we actually believe they deflate them). Academics are HARD. Literally a 3.75ish will land you valedictorian. The highest I’ve ever heard was a 3.8. But again, they pay off. I have no doubt in my mind that I won’t be accepted to med school if I want it. Most important part of Holy Cross is that medical schools KNOW Holy Cross and it’s academics. It’s why our acceptance rate is 85-90% into med.</p>
<p>The pre-med program is very tough at Holy Cross, my friends son wished he went to another institution at one point, because they seemed a bit easier, BUT if you work hard and get good grades, your chances of getting in are very good. I do think it should be noted, they expect an A- or better when it comes to writing a rec and if you don’t by a certain point, they will suggest you drop it. The med schools know Holy Cross, know the students they recommend are great students and the acceptance rate is excellent.
They also suggest, you don’t do Bio and pre-med which some students find even harder, but that is a personal thing.</p>
<p>I visited and the thing that I couldn’t stand was the town. It was one of the most miserable places-hit really hard by the economy. Just in general a really sad place.</p>
<p>Worcester is an old manufacturing city rife with three deckers and old factory buildings but it is also the home to 10 colleges and is only 40 miles to Boston and Providence and the college sponsors free shuttles to those cities. Worcester is very working class but there are indeed very nice sections (near Assumption College) and very bad sections (near Clark University) as in any large city. It is no worse than other college towns such as South Bend, Poughkeepsie, College Park, New Haven, Hartford, Lewiston, and Durham.</p>
<p>[Worcester</a> Rocks | Colleges of Worcester Consortium (COWC)](<a href=“College Admissions News”>College Admissions News)</p>
<p>Some plusses about Worcester is that it has a low cost of living, easy access to Boston (1hr) or New York (3hrs), and good location to access the rest of New England (Cape Cod, N.H., Skiiing, Maine, etc). It is central to a lot of places.</p>