Holy Cross College 2020-21 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide

Holy Cross College 2020-21 Application Essay Question Explanation

The Requirements: 2 essays of 150-200 words

Supplemental Essay Type(s): Why, Community

Before you jump into this guide, make sure you’re not looking for information about College of the Holy Cross! Holy Cross College is a separate institution, and only this school requires supplemental essays — College of the Holy Cross does not. If you know you’re in the right place, then read on!

Why are you interested in attending Holy Cross College? Recommended response of 150-200 words.

Holy Cross College has had it’s heart broken one too many times, so admissions has just decided to ask you plain and simple: “Why us?” Your reasons can run the gamut. Maybe all of your older siblings went to Holy Cross College and it’s kind of become a family tradition. Maybe you want to go to a Catholic liberal arts school close to home. If nothing immediately comes to mind, don’t hesitate to familiarize yourself with their website and/or take a virtual tour. Infuse your essay with school-specific details to make sure admissions knows that you’ve done your homework on Holy Cross.

All students at Holy Cross College will enroll in a course called The Common Good Practicum and Seminar. How do you advance the common good in your family, school, and/or community? What compels you to act for the common good? Recommended response of 150-200 words.

Holy Cross isn’t the first Catholic school to ask about service to others, and it certainly won’t be the last. If you’re applying to other schools with Christian roots, you’ll do yourself a service by having a solid community service essay at the ready. That said, the phrasing of this prompt asks you to focus more on your motivations for service rather than reflecting on your experiences. 

You can write about a formal community service experience like organizing a coat drive or a Habitat for Humanity trip, but you should also consider less formal moments when you felt compelled to help someone in need simply because it was the right thing to do. (Maybe, for example, you’ve taken on the responsibility of cooking dinner two nights a week so your single parent can have some much-needed downtime.) Focus on the process: What motivates you to act? Why does a particular issue, person, or community matter to you? At the end of the day, this essay is about your values and how you will carry them into your future at Holy Cross and beyond.