Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The reason is HC’s new President (first AA and first lay President) who is an excellent leader, strategist and administrator. Raising the College’s profile is a prime objective and he’s making it happen. Increasing the applicant pool nationally, and being less reliant on NE Catholic feeder schools. Becoming a Questibridge school a big plus. There was a time when HC was considered academically superior to Georgetown, never mind BC, which increased in popularity due to savvy sports marketing only in the late 1980s and 90s, not because of any genuine academic superiority. President Rougeau is bringing the school back to where it used to be. Worcester, which has come a long way since bottoming out in the 1980s, will never be Cambridge or Georgetown, but the campus is beautiful and self contained. And I’d argue it’s better than Waterville or Lewiston ME, or Hartford CT, or Poughkeepsie NY… the list goes on. Good hotel recommendation with the AC downtown, as well as restaurant recos. Plenty of very good restaurants on Shrewsbury St, and the Canal Districy is cool & funky. Worcester is 45 mins to Boston, and that much closer too to the Berkshires & Vermont. Route 494 also makes a trip to the Cape very turnkey, probably more so than from Boston crawling down Route 3.
I grew up just outside Worcester and my dad went to HC. It was considered the gold standard in our (Catholic) family, although my siblings ended up at BC to the outrage of one grandparent. I agree the Cross is a hidden gem; Naviance for our MCPS HS made it look out of reach for our DC with a 4.5wGPA. And Worcester has improved a lot. But don't oversell; it's at least an hour to Boston by car (1.5hrs on the commuter rail.) And no one's heading out to the Cape during the school year - weather! - and even if they did, it would be at least 3hrs.