Worcester, MA:The College of the Holy Cross was foundedin 1843 and operates in the Catholic tradition of the Jesuits. This liberal artscollege is ranked among the nation's top 30. The 174-acre campus is only 45 mileswest of Boston, and is one of 10 colleges in the Worcester area.

Themission of the college states that, "As a liberal arts college, Holy Crosspursues excellence in teaching, learning and research. All who share its life arechallenged to be open to new ideas, to be patient with ambiguity and uncertainty,to combine a passion for truth with respect for the views of others."

Since its founding, Holy Cross has sought to educate students who will beleaders in the business and civic worlds. Holy Cross creates an environment inwhich learning can be pursued in the classroom and laboratory, studio andtheater, residence hall and chapel.

Holy Cross feels that life is nottotally intellectual, but social as well, and strives to build community amongthe students. This is accomplished through extracurricular and co-curricularactivities overseen, organized and funded by the Director of StudentActivities.

Most students take part in athletics, with 26 varsity sports,nine intramural sports and eleven club teams. Holy Cross is a member of thePatriot League, which includes Army, Navy, Lafayette and Buck-nell. The athleticfacilities include fields for football and baseball, a swimming pool and a centerfor basketball and hockey.

The student body is diverse, coming from 49states and 22 countries. The faculty is excellent and very approachable.Ninety-four percent of the full-time professors have doctorate degrees. Classesare generally small; the student to faculty ratio is 13:1. The student body isfor the most part very friendly.

Among the best things about Holy Crossare the many activities taking place that offer entertainment and socialinteraction. Each week, student bands put on concerts and every year, the collegeinvites a popular band to perform on campus. In addition, the dormitories areclean, safe and comfortable.

Holy Cross has two negative aspects.Worcester does not have that many businesses or restaurants, and offers little tostudents for entertainment (there are certainly enough activities on campus tokeep them occupied, though). The other drawback, I felt, is the poor selection ofmeals and quality of food.

Overall, though, the good outweighs the bad,and Holy Cross is a superb school. I recommend it to anyone embarking on thecollege hunt who wishes to receive an education from a top school while having amemorable time.


Reviewed in 2000