Alison Franco '15 says the intensive academics at Holy Cross at the beginning of her first year took her by surprise. But the psychology major from Medfield, Mass., says the College's first-year program, Montserrat, not only helped her ease her way into College life, but also helped her muster the courage to become an active participant in the classroom. The program even helped reveal her passion for social justice.
What do incoming students have to look forward to about Montserrat?
Montserrat is a small, entirely freshman seminar that is discussion based. The five clusters of Montserrat — Global Society, Core Human Questions, Divine, Natural World, and Self — explore broad questions that challenge you to think critically and express yourself clearly through writing and dialogue.
The size of the seminar is great. Because seminars generally run between 16 and 18 students, Montserrat is a fabulous opportunity to participate frequently and receive really great feedback on your work. The open discussion structure of the seminar and the evaluation of written work both aid with the transition into college level classes. Additionally, unlike any other class Holy Cross students take, Montserrat lasts both semesters of freshman year, so it is easy to build strong relationships with your Montserrat professors as well as make friends within your seminar.
Furthermore, the Montserrat seminars are very cool. The topics of the seminars take interesting and simulating approaches to their subject area. I would encourage first-year students to select Montserrat seminars that do not necessarily fit into their interests or passions. Try something new! It’s a great chance for self-discovery.
Lastly, Montserrat is not just a seminar. Your cluster determines which building you live in, which really enforces the “living and learning” philosophy of the College. Outside of the seminar, the Montserrat program hosts events, speakers, dinners, and activities to enhance the first-year experience. For example, I was in the Global Society cluster and in just a year, we had countless events including group movie viewings, discussion panels about global issues, a 24-hour “Turn Off Technology” day, a Chinese New Year celebration, and a presentation by author Sherry Turkle [read Turkle's honorary degree citation]. With the extra academic evaluation, discussion-based setting, and “living and learning” aspects, the Montserrat program is carefully designed to help shape the first-year experience at Holy Cross.
Did you find that Montserrat helped you settle into your first year at Holy Cross? If so, how?
Yes. At the beginning of my first year, I felt a little intimidated by the upperclassman in the rest of my classes, as well as the adjustment to college level work. However, I found that Montserrat challenged me to become a more active participant and voice my opinions not just in my Montserrat seminar, but in all of my classes. The design of a Montserrat seminar is very inclusive. We sat in a circle in the classroom and had open dialogues that were facilitated not by the professor, but the students. The environment is very comfortable since you are with all first-year students and the professors truly want to help you succeed. I also really liked the aspect of having peers from my class living in my residence hall. This made other students in my class very accessible whenever I had questions or we wanted to continue discussion outside of class.
Additionally, there is a lot of bonding with your Montserrat seminar because a few nights before large projects or papers were due, a group of us would sit in the common room of Hanselman, my residence hall, to encourage and edit each other’s work. I became very close to my Montserrat seminar and my professor took the time to get to know me. Montserrat made me feel like I was a valued individual both inside and outside of the classroom, so it was an integral part of settling into Holy Cross my first year.
Which cluster and seminar were you in?
I was in the Global Society Cluster, which resided in Hanselman Hall.
My first semester seminar was titled “You—the Global Citizen”, which explored global issues of poverty, degradation of the environment, ethnocentrism, and our responsibilities as citizens of our planet.
My second semester seminar was titled “You—the Ethical Consumer,” which focused on ethical consumerism, our responsibility and accountability as consumers, problems with corporations and ways to seek change. We created two comprehensive and cool class projects second semester. Our first project was a website of book reviews concerning ethical consumerism: ethicalconsumerbookreviews.com. For our second project, we published a shopping guide that looked at the ethical practices of businesses on campus and in the Worcester community.
Both of my seminars were taught by Ellis Jones in the sociology and anthropology department.
Through these seminars, I have learned so much about the subject area of social justice. The knowledge I gained in my Montserrat seminar has inspired me to pursue more opportunities to discuss social justice through peer groups and academics next semester.
Related Information:
Franco '15: Montserrat Program Is an Integral Part of Students' First Year at Holy Cross
Rising second-year student praises unique living and learning program
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