College of the Holy Cross Top Questions

What are the most popular student activities/groups?

Narly

There are many student run organizations on campus. The most popular one? I would not be able to pin point which one. There are always athletic events going on. There are football and rugby games in the fall, basketball and hockey in the winter and baseball and many other sports in the spring. I met my friends by going to Visions (a over-night program for accepted students), orientations (Holy Cross offers Summer orientation, and Fall orientation). There are no fraternities/ sororities. At 2 o'clock A.M. on a Tuesday morning, usually I am sleeping, but if I am awake I am either finishing a paper, or studying for a test.

Alex

lot of performances and events...a bunch of comedians come by.....although i wished we had way cooler music artist come. no frat parties here...

Michelle

We always leave our dorrs open in our dorms and really try to get to know one another. You can hang out in your rooms or you can go to any number of the school sponsored events: dances, commedians, movies, concerts, etc. We are not a suitcase school - we stay here all year long. Most students, including myself, only go home on schedules breaks. We are here on the weekends and there is always something to do. The school even provides transportation to local malls/shopping and eating areas as well as Boston and Providence.

Molly

Many students are involved in clubs and sports on campus, I don't know many people who do absolutely nothing. Popular clubs revolve around volunteering, like SPUD and Appalachia spring break immersion. Students are also involved in student government and Purple Key Society. There are many club sports offered for students that aren't quite varsity status (like me!). I do women's rugby which has been a great experience overall. Coming from a background of gymnastics and tennis, it was very different from anything that I had ever done before. It has introduced me to a great group of girls and a really fun way to keep in shape. There are also other clubs and intramurals, like soccer, lacrosse, tennis, basketball, etc. Social life at Holy Cross is mainly campus-based. While students do go to area bars, most students stay on campus (or go to the houses on the streets off campus) on the weekends. It is more of a laid-back social scene than going to a bar on the weekend. I have really liked it. If you don't drink that's fine too, there are certainly things you can do on campus or off that don't involve drinking. There are always weekend events, usually put on by CAB, and movies played in Kimball. I met my closest friends freshman year because they lived on the same hall as me. We will be living off campus next year for our senior year, which I'm really excited about.

John

Activities are a little limited here at Holy Cross. Because of the lack of transportation and the lack of things to do in Worcester, the main amusement for most of the students is drinking and partying, and drinking some more. You don't hear too much about drugs, besides pot every once and a while, but mainly Holy Cross is a drinking school. The College tries to put on events, some work out better than others. The most popular are: Last Comic Standing, Black and Gold Fashion Show, Noche Latina, Explorasia, Vagina Monalogues, and Holy Cross Idol. We also have Spring Weekend, before finals when a singer comes and there is a carnival. Holy Cross really does try to make it fun on the weekends, but if there do not make the grade for the sudents, the people who go to the others things are usually drunk beforehand.

Ryan

-Holy Cross is a hook up school

Erin

SPUD is huge on campus, definitely the biggest extracurricular. SPUD is a volunteer program that connects you with the Worcester community. I volunteered at a local YMCA, tutoring and entertaining kids after school. It was a lot of fun and the kids were absolutely adorable. Holy Cross also has a great summer internship program (SIP) that connects you with internships all around the country. In terms of social life, there is always something to do! Holy Cross kids definitely know how to have a good time, whether it is from camping out for a day in the spring to enjoy battle of the bands, drinking for 3 days straight to celebrate St. Patty's day (lots of Irish kids), supporting a capella groups form Holy Cross and other scools at an anual a capella festival. Everyone is really supportive of everyone else and their activities. For example, there was a huge turnout at the a capella festival, the annual musical was a hit, and the women's basketball games accumulated a ton of fans this year. Of course, men's basketball and football games are a blast!

Emily

I did so many things this year at Holy Cross. I have more than a few friends involved in theater, so I went to a number of plays... which were all really good. My friends and I went to most of the soccer games and several of the basketball games (although I think I jinxed the basketball team... they didn't win a single game I went to). We have tons of speakers who come to campus. During Spring Weekend, we have a carnival with rides, cotton candy, a cookout, etc. We also have a Spring Weekend Concert, which this year was Jason Mraz and Everclear. Honestly, you can pretty much always find something to do, even if it's just heading out to play Frisbee on the turf field or hitting the gym. People leave their doors open a lot of the time if they're in, so you can usually just pop into someone's room and see what they're up to, say hi, have a quick chat, or steal some of their food :-)

Connie

Good time. Not too many things to do except party and the kids do it hard. Best thing is going in the dinning hall on Saturday and Sunday mornings looking at all the people and recaping the night.

Chris

Good social scene if you like drinking in people's houses. If you're already used to a bar scene that you probably won't really like it. The multicultural groups put on excellent events, I've made a lot of my friends attending these. If you're not into drinking they have movies on campus every Friday and Saturday night and a club on Saturday's as well.

Mary

Few of my weekends are spent drinking. I like to attend parties occassionally, but don't understand the enjoyment of partaking every weekend night, even though many students on campus choose to do this. I find watching movies at the school theater, shopping and eating out at Blackstone Valley, attending and working at campus plays, and seeing visiting comedians more enjoyable. Our school also has a movie rental service. It does take a while to find students who would rather do these things than drink if you are that type of student, but once you do you will enjoy college so much more. For students who feel they only know students who party on the weekends, I would recommend that they keep trying and stay patient; if I could find my group of friends I believe anyone can. I think this process could me made easier by increased campus dialogue about weekend life, everyone assumes everyone drinks every weekend but there are other things to do as well, and while some students may choose to only party or never party, many students also lie mid spectrum. So I think increased dialogue would allow students to more quickly find the students who are a perfect fit for them. While I am really happy to have found my niche junior year, I empathize with students who haven't yet done so and wish more could be done to assist them.

Quinn

a lot of people play sprots because we are division 1 and there is a strong theatre department students usually leave doors open, but it depends on the hall and the student freshman year you meet friends because you are living with them people party every weekend and during the week too, however much you want to not greek life is good because there is no hierarchy. there are sports houses off campus though

Charlie

Student Programs for Urban Development is the biggest organization - it has tons of volunteer opportunities in different programs around the Worcester area. Close to 1000 students volunteer through SPUD. There is tutoring kids, adolescents, refugees, ESL, working with elderly, soup kitchens, shelters, pretty much everything. In the dorms doors are pretty much mostly shut, but you can become friends with the people on your hall anyway. Most of my friends though come from organizations, my team, or even classes with people so we have similar interests rather than being randomly plopped on a floor together. Partying is frequent, drinking is almost always involved, and you can probably find something any night of the week, although Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays are definitely the most, except whatever day St. Patrick's day is, that is a 24 hr party, not joking. There aren't frats or sororities, but there's Caro St. of off-campus apartments people go to, and sports houses that function kind of like frats or sororities. There is stuff to do that doesn't involve drinking though, movies in our own movie theater, and every weekend has at least one event like a comedian or something, so that kind of stuff is cool.

TJ

There's always something going on on campus. I have never been bored. In fact, I think I'm too entertained. I have not found an excuse to go drinking or do anything that I would regret yet.

Abby

Most people party on Wednesday or Thursday and then on Friday and Saturday. There is no Greek life on campus. So, parties are mostly off campus on famous Caro St. or in dorms.

Ashley

SGA is a big deal. Don't really know what they do, but they have a lot of people in it. CAB is also a big deal, especially for spring weekend and dances like Opp Knocks. I'm involved in Ballroom dance, which is also a sweet group, and the people are really friendly and quasi-cultish. You wouldn't be suprised to know that the nerds who enjoy slaving over languages that died with empires that fell out 2 thousand years ago also enjoy dressing up like 1920's aristocracy and dancing like maniacs. Students do leave the dorm room doors open, unless something is going on behind it that they would not like to share with the rest of the hall. Which happens frequently. Dating, eh, you can tell when people are dating, and there's this whole "70{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of people marry people from Holy Cross" thing, so that's weird, but kind of comforting? In the classics department and ballroom, and then there are randoms, but mostly those two, are where I found my closest friends. People party a lot. It's okay, you can have fun without it. But there is a considerable amount of drinking going on both on and off campus. It's fun though, so don't worry about it. Last weekend I was studying my ass off, but that shouldn't count. The weekend before that was spring weekend, so we goofed around, went to the carnival thing, didn't actually drink, and danced at groove boston. You can have fun without drinking. Most people chose not to. I don't always; actually I don't usually. There are a lot of people who think that it's not possible to have fun without drinking, but in the immortal words of Ferris Bueller, "you just don't have anything better to do." If you find something to do, you are thoroughly entertained. Off campus, shop mostly. Movies, drinking, food, but mostly shopping.

Jordan

1. CAB, basketball, track, football, cheerleading, SGA. 2. Admissions Outreach Program is a great way to help prospective students learn more about Holy Cross with the option of hosting a student during the day, overnight, etc. 3. Yes, students in dorms leave their doors open 4. Athletic events and guest speakers are extremely popular--usually, people have to go early to these functions, in order to get a seat. 5. The dating scene...from what I understand, most kids "hook up". I, however, am in a very stable relationship that both he and I consider to last. 6. I met my closest friends from my dorm, because I lived in a freshman dorm--full of students who were just as nervous about college as I was. 7. If I'm awake that late on a weeknight, I'm studying or doing work. 8. The first snowfall always brings a lot of students who sled down the high hills of Mount St. James. 9. People party a lot, to say the least. 10. There are no fraternities/sororities at Holy Cross, fortunately. 11. Well...it's the summer. Last weekend I visited a few friends from Holy Cross in Connecticut. 12. I actually chose not to drink at Holy Cross and my boyfriend followed suit. We still go to parties but just choose not to drink. 13. I don't really go off-campus.

Jamie

I'm biased, but.... Theatre kicks ass. Small community, awesome people, great professors. No need to say more.

Eric

Social life is great here. Most all students keep their dorm rooms open, as everyone is welcoming. Parties are there for students who want them...but because there are no fraternities or sororities, students can stay away from the partying if they want to. Holy Cross also offers a substance-free dorm for students who want to stay away from alcohol.

KC

The much-maligned city of Worcester, is actually a great place for a college. There are ten colleges in the area, and plenty of great things to do. There are concerts every week, from classical to rock music, either at those colleges or at the several local theaters. Shrewsbury Street is packed with great restaurants. Shopping areas are a long (though refreshing, on a nice day) walk or a short cab or bus ride away. Worcester has some great book stores, and many small shops that are great for an easy and interesting browse. Granted, it is not a Boston or a New York, but, for a small city, Worcester is a lot of fun.

Kim

This is such a fun school! It is a big drinking campus, but there are things to do if you do not. CAB puts on wonderful weekend programming that generates a lot of attendance. The people here are wonderful, and you are never bored!

Michelle

SPUD, or student program for urban development, is the largest group on campus. It's a group that has different volunteer groups around Worcester. There's groups for tutoring and mentoring children, helping the homeless, talking to the elderly at nursing homes, etc. It's so easy to do because there are vans running to all the sites. It's a fabulous experience because you're helping people, but since there's so many options, you can pick something that you'll actually enjoy doing too. My freshman year, I did Homeless Family Outreach, where I volunteered at a homeless shelter and played with little kids. Last year, I volunteered at Burncoat High School and tutored there. This year, I am living abroad in Galway in Ireland. It has been a fabulous experience!!! But, I definitely miss Holy Cross because it is such a wonderful place to live. The basketball games are always packed. Most people I know go to a lot of the games. Most people leave their doors open in the dorms. I knew everyone on my floor when I lived in Hanselman and Lehy. Most of my closest friends lived in my dorm freshman year or in my building, but I met more people through my friends. There's movies in the Kimball theater a couple times a week, and there's always sporting events to go to on the weekends.

Matthew

The sports scene at Holy Cross is good, but not great. We have a real good basketball program, as our teams usually compete to make the NCAA tournament. Our football team is on the rise. They have had a few real good seasons and with their success has come a much stronger fan base. In terms of other sports though, they are rather mediocre and the amount of support for them is sub par. In terms of the social scene, it's a real fun school. School run functions such as concerts and fairs are usually fun and provide a good way to interact with your friends as well as people you may not know as well.

Kristin

In the beginning of freshman year, there were a decent number of students that left their doors open in hopes of meeting and getting to know the other students on their hall. As the year progressed, students left their doors open less and less being that it wasn't as necessary to talk to people. The social scene on campus can be very superficial at times, especially on the weekends. Going to parties and Caro Street, off campus, are pretty much the social scene on Friday and Saturday nights. Many people get to know their closest friends at first through these long partying nights. Others meet many of their friends through their first encounter at Fall Gateways, fall orientation. The dating scene seems pretty similar to any college campus: either you are single and not really looking, hooking up with others at parties, or in a serious relationship. It is very rare to see students holding hands or kissing on campus and they are generally stared down by other students.

Maureen

Athletic events on campus are very popular here. Students love going to support their teams. Guest speakers come to Holy Cross on a regular basis, and some of them are very inspiring speakers. My closest friends either live on my hall, were involved in Club soccer, or I met them at parties. Frats and Sororities are non existent, but that does not mean that we don't party. However, if you don't drink, there is a lot of other stuff to do at night. There are movies playing on campus every weekend, or you can take a cab off campus. Also, every weekend there is a bus that takes students to either Providence or Boston for free.

Nora

At Holy Cross there is always something going on. CAB, a student-run board, is always coming up with new ideas. Clubs seem to constantly be providing shows and entertainment. Sports are a huge aspect of the school, and most student come out for the big basketball games and football games. When there is not something going on there are buses into Worcester to go out to eat or free transportation into Providence and Boston on many weekends. Off-campus parties on legendary Caro Street are the big parties, and often the scene is just hanging out on the actual street. Dorm parties do happen but campus security and RA's make it rather tight. Needless to say there are always opportunities to have a good time with or without the mix of alcohol.

Erin

Clubs sports are very popular here. If you do not belong to a varsity sport, club sports are worth it. They give you an instant feeling of belonging, and they are so much fun. People here are very involved, and may be involved in tons of groups. This is one reason why everyone is friends with everyone. Groups mix, and so do friends. Students in the dorms leave there doors open, and generally welcome anyone who comes in. The school offers great speakers all the time. Everyday there is something on campus going on. Finding friends on campus is so easy. They have all programs to meet your neighbors. If you don't find a friend, join a group. I met my friends from my freshman year floor, and I'm still living with them. Also, everyone on the rugby team is my close friend. People party here a lot, but only if you want to. People do drink, however if you chose not to drink, people wont judge you, and welcome you to their party anyway. Fraternities and sororities are not on campus, however sport teams kind of take that place. The school also offers alternatives for the people who do not want to party on or off campus. They have a dance party every saturday, and a free movie theatre.

Parker

Social life is so fun! There are always things going on on campus, organized by CAB. They have the ten spot every week, its like a coffee house. We have aa few concerts each year, but Spring Weekend is the best. St. Patrick's Day is also a tone of fun. There are no sororities or frats but the upperclassmen mostly live on Caro St. so thats where the parties are.

Lily

Sports are very popular at Holy Cross. Unfortunately, on the weekends much of the fun revolves around drinking, so for those of you who don't drink, try to be prepared for that. There are other fun things to do. There are comedians, shows, and movies. If you want to be involved in the drinking scene, you can. If you don't, that's fine too. There isn't a lot of pressure on campus to drink if you don't want to.

Justin

they provide a lot for their students in terms of extra-curriculars social life is good as long as you like to drink not many drugs on campus expect marijuana drugs are generally looked down upon because no one really does them so it's not the norm social life gets better as you get older dorm life is fun SPUD is a great program

David

People party on the weekends and on thursday. No fraternities

Jessica

The activity that I have been most involved in on campus is the SPUD program, which is a Holy Cross volunteer organization. Most of my friends at Holy Cross are comprised from people that I met freshman year. We don't have any fraternities or sororities at Holy Cross, and we do have a lot of support for our athletic events.

Stephanie

spud is a huge thing on campus...everyone volunteers. everyone is a really good person, very friendly and open to meeting new people. people party a lot, but work always comes first...so if i have a test first thing monday morning, i might not go out on saturday but rather study instead. there is not much of a dating scene...more casual hook ups. people who want to be in a relationship can usually find one.

Jeffrey

Student Programs for Urban Development (SPUD), an umbrella community service progrm, is by far the most popular thing to be involved in at Holy Cross. Sporting events aren't particularly well-attended, but the Holy Cross-Bucknell basketball game is always huge, as are home playoff games. People tend to party 3-4 times per week, and drink excessively on the weekends.

Charlotte

The Holy Cross student is typically very busy. Because the school is so small and so many things are happening on campus at one given time, students are often involved in different things. I met my closest friends living on the same floor with them. Students are typically friendly and open to friendship. Fraternities and sororities are nonexistent. Drinking is very big on the weekends, but the school makes an effort to hold events and entertainment on the weekends so students aren't forced to drink, but I don't know how well attended those events are. Athletic events are well attended.

Elizabeth

There's so much to do! It's hard for me to comment because I've been here so briefly, I haven't had time to get to everything. There's a club for everything, and dorm life is so much fun, you can't make me live off campus (1. its gross 2. its not nearly as much of an experience). Don't listen to your RA when they tell you to stop playing hall sports, that's half the fun. We don't have a Greek system, but we really don't need one because everyone tends to find their niche.

Casey

No matter what one is told at orientation, the EDGE is not popular. There is no Greek life at Holy Cross, but there are sports houses right off campus. Students love to drink here but those who do not drink should not feel pressured. On Tuesday nights there is an event called the Ten Spot where Holy Cross student-musicians can perform. Different groups also host Pub Nights on campus, which are open to those who are 21 and older.

Tara

Groups/Orgs: Club Sports/Intramural Sports are HUGE! Largest club is SPUD, Student Programs for Urban Development, which include volunteer organizations like Big Brother/Big Sister, Soup Kitchen, etc. Multicultural societies are also very popular Athletic events: Huge part of the social scene, especially basketball Awake at 2am on Tuesday: Studying or up with friends watching movies Traditions: Purple Pride Day (think purple balloons, cookies, sidewalk chalk, and EVERYTHING); Spring Weekened (huge concert with a big-name band, carnival, BBQ) Saturday night, no drinking: Virtually anything... go to an on-campus dance, comedian, concert, talent show, hockey game; go out into the city for a play, new cuisine, etc.; take a free shuttle to the shopping malls, or to Boston or Providence Off campus: parties at the "sports houses" (e.g., the "football house" or "hockey house", which aren't recognized by the College but the students know what they are); or head into the city and do something above;