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Post by KY Crusader 75 on Apr 17, 2018 14:43:17 GMT -5
Sensational post, alum---great work!!
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Post by ncaam on Apr 17, 2018 14:53:58 GMT -5
I especially liked the tip of the cap to HC70. We should bring him, Sota and gate raider.
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Post by Pakachoag Phreek on Apr 17, 2018 15:38:19 GMT -5
HC Admissions states there are 2,000 alumni who help, in one way or another, with admissions outreach. That's a pretty remarkable number, though what exactly most of these alumni do with respect to admissions, it's impossible to determine from the information given. I agree with alum's very salient points about HC's admissions outreach, which is piss-poor. ________________________________________________ I pretended to be a rising high school senior and went to Colgate's and HC's websites to find out information about the academic program in general, and computer science in particular. Here's the comparison. COLGATEwww.colgate.edu/www.colgate.edu/about^^^ tab (subhead) on home page ^^^^ Featured text on the About page (55 majors and core curriculum are hot-linked in the text) www.colgate.edu/academics/departments-and-programs/computer-science^^^ From clicking on the 55 majors hotlink www.colgate.edu/distinctly-colgate/success-after-colgate/success-after-colgate-results?major=COSC^^^ Post-Colgate employment Core curriculum www.colgate.edu/academics/core-curriculum_____________________________________ Holy Crosswww.holycross.edu/www.holycross.edu/about-holy-cross^^^ Only found using a directory listing. No hot-link. www.holycross.edu/about-holy-cross/offices-and-departmentswww.holycross.edu/academics/academic-programswww.holycross.edu/academics/programs/mathematics-and-computer-sciencewww.holycross.edu/academics/programs/mathematics-and-computer-science/computer-sciencewww.holycross.edu/academics/programs/mathematics-and-computer-science/computer-science/about^^^ Post-HC employment (such as it is) Only because I knew of it, was I able to search on the HC website for info on the Montserrat program www.holycross.edu/holy-cross-approach/montserratAs piss poor as the admissions outreach is, the ability to easily find academic information is worse. _________________________ AFAIK, HC neither prints nor distributes an informational brochure for interested or potentially interested students. Basically, one is expected to discover HC on one's own. Harvard is not so proud or arrogant. college.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/_landing_page_attachments/harvardcollegebrochure_2018_19.pdf
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Post by hcpride on Apr 17, 2018 16:32:45 GMT -5
... The challenge is to get people to understand the above and to also continually sell the value of the liberal arts education. We are not BC, ND, VU, or Georgetown, and don't aspire to be them. We should not apologize for being a liberal arts college. We should try to explain how it is that kids with liberal arts degrees do as well or better in the business world than graduates of large universities. We should aspire to attract kids who go to those schools for whom a small liberal arts college is a good fit. And most importantly, we ought to beef up financial aid so that we beat all of these schools and most of the NESCAC's on price. It may be curious to some that we are a religious LAC that competes/overlaps with religious non-LACs for our students. (There is no escaping the application overlap data.) One can draw all sorts of conclusions from that. (One conclusion might be that many applicants find the Catholic undergraduate liberal arts experience attractive notwithstanding whether it is a community within a larger Catholic university or a smaller Catholic College.) The secular LACs (NESCACs, Colgate, etc.) are just not our competition. If they were our competition (and again, the pesky data on application overlap is clear) it would be quite helpful to beat them at pricing. Of course, for a number of other reasons, it would be helpful to beef up our financial aid.
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Post by CHC8485 on Apr 17, 2018 17:37:44 GMT -5
Phreek,
I don't what web site you were looking at, but on the HC home page the first Hot Link in the purple bar just below the Holy Cross name & "Sun Shield is "About Holy Cross" Second is Academics.
Both links are in basically the same position on the Colgate page (though flip flopped).
The Academic link will get you to a page similar to Colgate's, although from that page (or hovering on the hot link) it is a bit less intuitive to get to majors & minors on the HC page.
Will not debate the larger point, but will submit that the web site is not THAT different from most others out there.
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Post by Pakachoag Phreek on Apr 17, 2018 19:25:55 GMT -5
Phreek,
I don't what web site you were looking at, but on the HC home page the first Hot Link in the purple bar just below the Holy Cross name & "Sun Shield is "About Holy Cross" Second is Academics.
Both links are in basically the same position on the Colgate page (though flip flopped).
The Academic link will get you to a page similar to Colgate's, although from that page (or hovering on the hot link) it is a bit less intuitive to get to majors & minors on the HC page.
Will not debate the larger point, but will submit that the web site is not THAT different from most others out there.
Without taking a screen shot, www.holycross.edu/Gives me students in a pastoral setting image with the Move Mountains slogan, and Campus Life as default link tab if I click on it. Immediately under Move Mountains are tabs for Apply / Visit / Request Info / Support, so I think a student visitor would proceed to click on Apply or Request Info, and start searching from, there.. I didn't find it intuitive to move the cursor to different buttons in a row of buttons in the pastoral image to open up expository presentations on different aspects of Holy Cross. And if one did, this brings you, if one keeps clicking, to a narrative of the liberal arts at HC. There seems to be no way of backing into these pages, e.g., if I were to click on the Request Info tab, there are no links to the good stuff written about academics. There is, however an elaborate questionnaire that HC asks you to fill out before they will mail you anything. (What I see could also be a function of the monitor. On my high res monitor, I have to ratchet down the HC webcam image size, otherwise I get no webcam image at all, just a purple page with tabs. This was explained to me as HC's default page when the monitor resolution is not supported.)
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Post by HC1843 on Apr 17, 2018 19:53:08 GMT -5
Some quick points: I don't think that HC Admissions does a good enough job attracting students. (Our old long departed friend HC70 once posted an article from the Washington Post that indicated that not a single public high school student in Montgomery County, MD was going to Holy Cross. How could that be?) 2. I don't think test optional has anything to do with the quality of kids who apply. See Bowdoin, which has been test optional since 1969 and has become very highly competitive. 3. As I have written before, while we study the recruiting process for basketball and football in excruciating detail, we care more about whether we win or lose in competition. For some reason, we think that the only way to measure the academic success of the College is by looking at admissions statistics. Shouldn't we care more about what happens while the students are on campus and upon graduation. See this from the College's web site under Points of Distinction. Look in particular at retention rates, Fulbright's, med and law school admissions. We are proud to be recognized by publications and organizations that cover higher education for our exceptional academic programs, top professors, and great campus experiences. Here are a few of the factors that set Holy Cross apart.College ExcellenceA+ on Niche's list of 2018 Best Colleges in America Most beautiful college in Massachusetts, according to Travel + LeisureNo. 1 on LendEdu's list of most beautiful college campus in Massachusetts No. 2 on USA Today/College Factual's list of best Roman Catholic colleges No. 4 on Wall Street Journal's list of best Catholic colleges in AmericaNo. 4 on Niche.com's list of best Catholic colleges in America No. 5 on USA Today/College Factual's list of best colleges in MassachusettsNo. 7 on Niche.com's list of best test optional colleges in AmericaNo. 8 on Best Choice Schools’ list of beautiful urban college campuses No. 12 on the list of best value liberal arts colleges in the country, according to PayScale’s 2017 College Return on Investment ReportNo. 13 on Kiplinger’s list of liberal arts colleges that combine outstanding academics with affordable cost No. 16 on Washington Monthly’s list of “Best Bang for the Buck - Northeast" collegesNo. 19 on USA Today/College Factual's list of best colleges in the nationNo. 20 on Business Insider's list of best liberal arts collegesNo. 23 on Washington Monthly's list of top liberal arts colleges No. 26 on Niche.com's list of best small colleges in AmericaNo. 27 on Niche.com's list of best liberal arts colleges in AmericaNo. 29 on Times Higher Education's list of best liberal arts colleges No. 33 on U.S. News & World Report's list of best liberal arts collegesNo. 36 on The Economist's list of best colleges in America based on valueIncluded on the Princeton Review's list of best colleges and "Colleges That Pay You Back" Among the "best and most interesting colleges" in the Fiske Guide to CollegesOne of Money Magazine's "31 Great Colleges That Don't Care About Your Lousy Test Scores"Among both "The 100 smartest private colleges in America" and "The 101 smartest liberal arts colleges in America," according to Business Insider No. 1 on the Institute for International Education's list of long-term study abroad programsNo. 3 on Accounting Degree Review's list of "Top 10 Undergraduate Accounting Programs in Massachusetts"No. 9 on USA Today's list of "best U.S. colleges for a major in English" No. 2 on OnStage Blog's list of "Top Ten Most Underrated College Theatre Programs for 2017 - North East Region" One of a select group of "need-blind" colleges that accept students regardless of their ability to pay and meet 100 percent of demonstrated needAverage class size: 19 students (2016-2017 academic year)Among Bon Appétit's "7 Healthiest College Dining Halls in the Country" An Edmit "hidden gem" college based on affordability, quality of degree programs, and student outcomes Holy Cross has been part of either the answer or question on "Jeopardy!" 12 times Student Achievement95 percent first-year retention rate92 percent six-year graduation rateNo. 5 for four-year graduation rates among all colleges and universities in the country, according to U.S. News & World ReportOne of the highest graduation rates (97 percent) for student-athletes, among NCAA Division I schoolsNo. 12 on Money Magazine's list of "The 50 Best Private Colleges for Earning Your Degree On Time" Success After GraduationAverage starting salary for 2016 graduates: $50,534Graduating from Holy Cross adds nearly 27 percent to an alum’s average mid-career earnings, according to a study by the Brookings Institution75 percent medical school acceptance rate88 percent law school acceptance rate14 young alumni awarded Fulbright grants to teach and conduct research around the world during the 2017-18 academic yearA top producer of Fulbright students during the 2017-2018 academic year, according to the Chronicle of Higher EducationOver the last five years, 45 Holy Cross graduates have been awarded Fulbright grants to work and teach abroad Three Holy Cross alumni are recipients of a Pulitzer Prize: Dave Anderson '51 (1991), Jack Higgins '76 (1989), and Edward P. Jones '72 (2004) Alumni EngagementFor the 11th consecutive year, more than 50 percent of alumni made a gift to Holy Cross during the 2017 fiscal year No. 4 on the Chronicle of Philanthropy's list of colleges based on alumni participation in giving No. 11 on U.S. News & World Report's liberal arts colleges with the highest giving rate No. 12 on Princeton Review's Best Alumni Network list 6,111 donors took part in a 24-hour fundraising challenge for Holy Cross on Feb. 14, 2017, setting a donor record for a liberal arts college FacultyAll courses are taught by faculty members; none by teaching assistants95 percent hold terminal degrees10:1 student to faculty ratioNo. 15 on Princeton Review's list of schools that have the most accessible professors4 faculty members have won Guggenheim fellowships: Todd Lewis, professor of religious studies (2011); Sarah Stanbury, professor of English (2010); Leila Phillip, associate professor of English (2007); and Osvaldo Golijov, Loyola Professor of Music (1995)Service and Social Justice1 in 10 students devotes their spring break to immersion and service projectsSPUD (Student Programs for Urban Development) is the largest student organization at Holy Cross with more than 700 participants, and is connected to more than 46 schools and community organizationsNamed to the 2014 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for strong institutional commitment to service and partnerships that produce measurable results for the community15 Holy Cross graduates who have dedicated themselves to a year of service with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps during 2016-17 Sustainability and StewardshipCharter signatory of Second Nature's Climate Leadership Commitment (previously the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment) As part of the commitment, aim to be carbon neutral by 2040 Surpassed our initial campus carbon emissions reduction goal years ahead of scheduleAmong the nation’s most environmentally responsibleThe challenge is to get people to understand the above and to also continually sell the value of the liberal arts education. We are not BC, ND, VU, or Georgetown, and don't aspire to be them. We should not apologize for being a liberal arts college. We should try to explain how it is that kids with liberal arts degrees do as well or better in the business world than graduates of large universities. We should aspire to attract kids who go to those schools for whom a small liberal arts college is a good fit. And most importantly, we ought to beef up financial aid so that we beat all of these schools and most of the NESCAC's on price. And all of these accolades mean nothing when the school fails to market itself beyond posting on its website. BTW, ever wonder who came up with the idea about 15 years ago to have a page on the website akin to "Points of Distinction"? Here is the thing, at the end of the day, no, this is not all about what the kids we get do when they are at HC. That is all bunch of self-congratulatory back patting. We need a business model that keeps us competitive in teenagers' eyes because soon enough, people simply will not and will not be able to spend 100k a year for HC educates men and bmwomen for others. The return on investment has to be muh stronger or we will perish. Cheers.
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Post by CHC8485 on Apr 17, 2018 19:57:01 GMT -5
Phreek,
Sounds as if you’re looking at the site optimized for a mobile device - phone/tablet etc.
If so, there may be a gray box at the top (next to the search box) that says menu. This is quite typical of mobile versions of web sites that if you use often you are used to. Click the menu button and you’ll find the hot links I describe on the full site.
If you are on a desktop or laptop your screen resolution must be so high that it automatically opens the mobile optimized version of the HC website.
It does not appear that Colgate has a mobile optimized version of their web site.
Here's a screen capture of the full HC Site (click to enlarge)
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Post by alum on Apr 18, 2018 7:05:32 GMT -5
Pride--I agree that we don't overlap with the NESCAC's but, given that they attract students who want a small New England liberal arts college and like athletics, we ought to try to compete with them. Let's face it, there are plenty of Catholic kids at the New England prep schools who would have been at Catholic high schools in the 70's and 80's. We should be recruiting aggressively there. There's no sense in just giving up and ceding the field.
1843--Reread my post. I said right up front that the College isn't doing a good job attracting students and that it needs to get better. I have made specific suggestions often. That said, what happens on campus and after is what matters. I understand that a company can make the best widgets in the world, but if nobody knows about it, the company fails. I also understand that a great sales force can sell a lot of widgets, but that if the widgets are defective, eventually the word will get out and the company will fail. If Holy Cross was doing a lousy job attracting students and an equally lousy job educating them and preparing them for the world, I would say that a big problem exists.
As to your "self congratulatory back patting" comment, many of the things on that list are not matters of opinion but real measurable points. The retention and graduation rates prove that the College is doing a good job with the kids it gets. The law school and med school acceptances establish that the kids are academically prepared. The Fulbrights show that the College is well regarded and the alumni are considered ready to go to foreign countries and represent the United States to the world. That's good stuff.
By the way, 1843, I think that is is amusing that you close your post with "Cheers." I just scrolled through your recent posts via the member page. Cheerfulness does not shine through.
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Post by hcpride on Apr 18, 2018 10:49:19 GMT -5
hcpride, Some have asked you why did you specifically pick Villanova as a point of comparison to HC when for some of us,Villanova, except for b-ball, is completely off the radar. Yet, in your responses you continue to make the comparison, (slip past our question(?) and you have not adequately explained your choice of Villanova rather than other PL schools or other LAC schools or other Catholic colleges. Are you basing your choice of Villanova on metrics such as a comparative choice of schools by HS seniors that shows that Villanova is HC's biggest "competitor" or vice versa? We know that choice of school numbers can be interesting but can be manipulated by aggressive marketing designed solely to increase the number of applicants and are not dispositive as they can be subject to many variables.Comparable SAT/ACT scores can be shaped(Engineering Program?) and are not entirely indicative of student quality and these numbers are transient. Clearly, admissions numbers are not the sole basis for academic reputation as others on this board have beautifully explained to us. Academic reputation cannot be reduced to a popularity contest which so many publications breathlessly like to do to increase their sales. But, if you are concerned about HC you could have selected another college or added other colleges for your comparisons. But you picked Villanova and continue to pick only Villanova. And, I repeat , why Villanova? Of all the colleges in America, on this planet! Have you been talking to Villanova administrators expressing their pride about creeping up on HC or HC people expressing their fears of Villanova? We all know that HC has been slipping and there may be many factors involved in the slide. But, again I ask for the "zillionth time" why do you( not the students) choose to compare Villanova to HC? Why do you choose Villanova? I am really curious (and not in a contentious way) and would appreciate a straight, direct answer to my simple question. Respectfully, Love HC You do seem very focused and sensitive regarding Villanova.
As I have patiently explained, Villanova is a northeast Catholic competitor school that once had an academic reputation weaker than ours amongst the many students-parents-counsellors with whom I have contact and now has a reputation stronger than ours amongst the students-parents-counsellors with whom I have contact . A newer version of BC if you will. While there are some still in denial about BC and unaware regarding VU´s recent move, nevertheless there may be lessons to learn. I have also found that there are more than a few posters who do not realize the changed academic credentials of enrolled students for VU and HC.
If you suggesting there are other northeast Catholic competitor schools who are now surpassing HC in terms of academic reputation and academic quality of enrollees that once were inferior in terms of reputation and applicants that you would like to focus on than by all means do so. The BC issue is long gone.
Perhaps in your mind Fordham is another northeast Catholic competitor school that is closing the gap or has closed the gap in terms of quality of enrollees and academic reputation. I don´t think Fordham is there...although they may be closing the gap since the standardized tests for enrollees seem about the same as the test score optional standardized test numbers at Holy Cross. And name recognition for NYC dwellers and prospective students is another story.
BTW It is certainly true that BC, VU, and Fordham are different from Holy Cross, a school is more than a number, and that numbers change.
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Post by Pakachoag Phreek on Apr 18, 2018 12:39:38 GMT -5
Phreek,
Sounds as if you’re looking at the site optimized for a mobile device - phone/tablet etc.
If so, there may be a gray box at the top (next to the search box) that says menu. This is quite typical of mobile versions of web sites that if you use often you are used to. Click the menu button and you’ll find the hot links I describe on the full site.
If you are on a desktop or laptop your screen resolution must be so high that it automatically opens the mobile optimized version of the HC website.
It does not appear that Colgate has a mobile optimized version of their web site.
Here's a screen capture of the full HC Site (click to enlarge)
I cannot get that screen capture, which obviously and clearly has the horizontal bar with the hot links at the top of the photo. The bar is missing when I go to the HC splash page. I did some experimenting. The horizontal bar does not appear in Chrome or Firefox, but does appear in Microsoft Edge. It does not appear in Chrome or Firefox on my smartphone. I don't have a Microsoft browser on my smartphone. If I go to my hi-res monitor (and Windows 10) and increase the window size until the webpage is full monitor width, the photograph disappears, and I get the purple screen with a vertical column of tabs that I can 'swipe' right for 'About Holy Cross', 'Academics', etc. Its possible that this page was created using a specific software suite, and never tested across different platforms. It also seems to use Javascript, which is out of favor (as is Flash)..
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Post by nhteamer on Apr 18, 2018 13:03:41 GMT -5
So many of you don't get what we "negative" posters are saying
WE ALSO THINK HC IS GREAT.
But, we are selling a great $250,000 product to a market.
It is not enough that your product is great.
The MARKET needs to think your product is great.
If a product is not branded well it will not be known as great.
The market will, therefore, not pay for a product not known as great.
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Post by alum on Apr 18, 2018 13:08:18 GMT -5
So many of you don't get what we "negative" posters are saying WE ALSO THINK HC IS GREAT. But, we are selling a great $250,000 product to a market. It is not enough that your product is great. The MARKET needs to think your product is great. If a product is not branded well it will not be known as great. The market will, therefore, not pay for a product not known as great. Who here has disagreed with that premise?
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Post by WCHC Sports on Apr 18, 2018 13:08:20 GMT -5
Just because I've been reading thus far, and I have over a decade of less-recent historical perspective.... when I was applying to colleges in 2003, academically (by reputation/guidance counselor suggestions/research):
Holy Cross was ahead of Villanova Holy Cross was ahead of Fordham Fordham was slightly ahead of Villanova Colgate was slightly ahead of Holy Cross Georgetown was solidly ahead of all of them.
This is going by my recollection at least 15 years ago, so could be a little off.
Bucknell, Lehigh, and Lafayette were not on my radar at all. As a kid who grew up in Westchester and went to high school in NYC, I had little to no information on them. I could probably say I had heard of Lehigh, but not of the other two, until I attended HC.
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Post by WCHC Sports on Apr 18, 2018 13:09:54 GMT -5
So many of you don't get what we "negative" posters are saying WE ALSO THINK HC IS GREAT. But, we are selling a great $250,000 product to a market. It is not enough that your product is great. The MARKET needs to think your product is great. If a product is not branded well it will not be known as great. The market will, therefore, not pay for a product not known as great. I work in equities. The product is only worth what the market is willing to pay for it. Doesn't matter what the holder/issuer thinks. Just look at GE!
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Post by nhteamer on Apr 18, 2018 13:12:22 GMT -5
my point!
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Post by hcpride on Apr 18, 2018 14:20:42 GMT -5
Just because I've been reading thus far, and I have over a decade of less-recent historical perspective.... when I was applying to colleges in 2003, academically (by reputation/guidance counselor suggestions/research): Holy Cross was ahead of Villanova Holy Cross was ahead of Fordham Fordham was slightly ahead of Villanova Colgate was slightly ahead of Holy Cross Georgetown was solidly ahead of all of them. This is going by my recollection at least 15 years ago, so could be a little off. Bucknell, Lehigh, and Lafayette were not on my radar at all. As a kid who grew up in Westchester and went to high school in NYC, I had little to no information on them. I could probably say I had heard of Lehigh, but not of the other two, until I attended HC. That’s about how I saw it about fifteen years ago too. (Although I graduated prior to that). I assume you saw BC as below Georgetown but above VU/HC/Fordham?
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Post by lou on Apr 18, 2018 17:01:20 GMT -5
[quote author=" WCHC Sports" source="/post/69156/thread" timestamp="1524074900Bucknell, Lehigh, and Lafayette were not on my radar at all. As a kid who grew up in Westchester and went to high school in NYC, I had little to no information on them. I could probably say I had heard of Lehigh, but not of the other two, until I attended HC.[/quote] So I'm going to assume you didn't follow Holy Cross sports if you didn't know about these schools. I went to high school a long time ago. HC probably didn't play these schools, but I certainly knew about them because I followed sports - in newspapers
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Post by hcpride on Apr 18, 2018 18:10:43 GMT -5
So many of you don't get what we "negative" posters are saying WE ALSO THINK HC IS GREAT. But, we are selling a great $250,000 product to a market. It is not enough that your product is great. The MARKET needs to think your product is great. If a product is not branded well it will not be known as great. The market will, therefore, not pay for a product not known as great. Great points. Hopefully we can rebound from this year's public relations missteps. A reputation and brand as a pretty good social justice school that plays a lot of Division I sports simply does not set the market on fire. The good news is that there are northeast Catholic schools who are on the upswing so we know it can be done.
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Post by hcpride on Apr 18, 2018 18:28:10 GMT -5
Maybe Villanova has surpassed HC ,maybe it has not ( as I surmise) but , you dear sir have not supported your case in the slightest. Please, I am not trying to offend or be disrespectful of you. Finally, I bid you peace with hopefully a little more mutually respectful dialogue as is befitting of fellow graduates of our most beloved and great HC. Love HC Assuming you are serious: I wouldn't worry too much about Villanova (put them in the BC category and don't stress over them any more) and would suggest focusing more on Fordham as they seem to be closing the gap - if you are worried we are losing more and more of the stronger academic students to our competitor colleges. I guess I forgot to post these VU stats (I think I already did and I apologize in advance for another triggering if that is the case): Holy Cross Enrolled Students Class of 2021: ACT Composite Average (Test Score Optional): 29.5, Percentage of Students in Top 10%: 57.2% Villanova Enrolled Students Class of 2021: ACT Composite Average (Actual): 31.5, Percentage of Students in Top 10%: 65% (HC's ACT number includes the Test Score Optional Statistical Advantage) HC reports Class of 2021 acceptance rate at 39% and Villanova reports Class of 2021 at 35.9% (HC's Class of 2021 number includes the Early Decision statistical advantage. Villanova's Class of 2022 stats will include Early Decision since this is the first year for it at VU - one usually reliable website has reported a VU Class of 2022 28.8% number [ here] Apparently just 24% of the class was filled ED but this (and a huge ED/RD applicant pool) was enough to reap quite a large statistical advantage )
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Post by WCHC Sports on Apr 19, 2018 9:47:36 GMT -5
Just because I've been reading thus far, and I have over a decade of less-recent historical perspective.... when I was applying to colleges in 2003, academically (by reputation/guidance counselor suggestions/research): Holy Cross was ahead of Villanova Holy Cross was ahead of Fordham Fordham was slightly ahead of Villanova Colgate was slightly ahead of Holy Cross Georgetown was solidly ahead of all of them. This is going by my recollection at least 15 years ago, so could be a little off. Bucknell, Lehigh, and Lafayette were not on my radar at all. As a kid who grew up in Westchester and went to high school in NYC, I had little to no information on them. I could probably say I had heard of Lehigh, but not of the other two, until I attended HC. That’s about how I saw it about fifteen years ago too. (Although I graduated prior to that). I assume you saw BC as below Georgetown but above VU/HC/Fordham? I couldn't really peg BC down. My older cousin who I knew had aspirations to become a doctor (went to the same high school that I did) loved BC and picked it pretty much as his top choice. I certainly wouldn't put it ahead of Georgetown, but I didn't put it ahead of HC either (selection bias on my part? maybe). Certainly ahead of Villanova, and reputation-wise, at least in these parts, not too dissimilar from Fordham.
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Post by WCHC Sports on Apr 19, 2018 10:15:30 GMT -5
[quote author=" WCHC Sports " Bucknell, Lehigh, and Lafayette were not on my radar at all. As a kid who grew up in Westchester and went to high school in NYC, I had little to no information on them. I could probably say I had heard of Lehigh, but not of the other two, until I attended HC. So I'm going to assume you didn't follow Holy Cross sports if you didn't know about these schools. I went to high school a long time ago. HC probably didn't play these schools, but I certainly knew about them because I followed sports - in newspapers WCHC = Yes, that's correct. I had familiarity with HC, but not because of sports. To me down in then NYC area, the only college sports I would hear about for basketball were the big programs such as Duke, UNC, UCLA, and some others. Syracuse scores were always mentioned as a "New York" team, and St. John's was spoken about/written about somewhat regularly. There was zero mention of HC. College football is cared about/covered even less in the NY metro area, and again, Holy Cross would get no play/ink. Rutgers and Army might be mentioned from time to time as "local" teams. Pro teams get the most focus, since there are only about 30 of them in this area. College is always a DISTANT second in attention among sports awareness in this area. Even among my friends growing up... granted our parents were not college graduates and some didn't get through high school, but college sports weren't on our radar. We had Yankee hats, Yankee jackets, and had trading cards/video games for pro teams.
The only bearing I had for HC athletics was a classmate of mine in HS, who was on the basketball team, was talking about his college choices. The line he said was something like, "And what, play basketball... in the PATRIOT LEAGUE?!?!" The reference to the league was clearly one of disdain. That was my introduction. His older brother (I can't remember if he had one or two) were basketball players and it seemed in his family, it was looked down on as an inferior choice to play for.
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