<p>hey guys, i've heard the work load at hocro is ridiculously intense, is this true?</p>
<p>xirtan, I wish I could help but, I have the same question.</p>
<p>I forget where it was reported, but HC supposedly receives the 3rd largest workload in the country after MIT & Yale. It also depends on the class/professor. But yes, the workload is tremendous.</p>
<p>I seriously doubt that with all the other academic intense colleges out there, i.e. Caltech, Chicago, Standford, Harvard, Princeton, etc.</p>
<p>My sister is a senior at Holy Cross and I have not heard her complain much about the workload, then again she is a spanish/music major</p>
<p>here's my honest answer: the workload is very high if you want to get good grades-- it depends on what you're satisfied with. for those who are trying to get As (which can be incredibly hard to get depending on your major), the workload is tremendous. you have to be prepared all the time for class- in most cases classes are small and if you are going to participate meaningfully, then you need to know your stuff and keep up with the reading. most advanced classes are in seminar format and participation is an important part of your grade. i worked very hard to keep my grades up and graduated cum laude. now that i'm a grad student i find the grading much easier in grad school and the workload is somewhat less now than it was at HC-- the difference being i took 4 classes per semester at HC and take 3 as a grad student. one of my HC profs recently told me that many, many HC undergrads who go to grad school often find the grading is somewhat harsher at HC.</p>
<p>thanks for the reply! i'm actually aiming at premed right now, i hear that its workload is insane. i'm just worried that if the grading is so harsh, will i have a tough time applying to med schools with lower grades than people at easier undergrad schools?</p>
<p>hi- the workload for pre-med is insane- i was good friends with someone at HC who was pre-med and he lived at the library... to give you an idea, he was studying, doing labs, or HW most weeknights after classes until 10 or 11pm and also spent most saturdays in the library. the rewards are great, though. the pre-med program has an incredibly high rate of success... my friend actually went on to grad school in biochemistry rather than med school but i know the acceptance rate into med school is very high. i think med schools (and grad schools) generally know the high reputation of holy cross and therefore take a B+ or A- average at HC to be as good as an A at other schools. good luck!</p>