Mitchell Baker '22

I’ve spoken of the beauty of Holy Cross’s famed Dinand Library with its elegant steps arising from the majestic Linden Lane. However, I’ve yet to discusses the true beauty of the library system at the College, that is, how expansive the library’s collections are and how helpful the dedicated team of librarians is!

To start, the library system at Holy Cross consists of a team of librarians who all specialize in certain disciplines. The librarians work in close conjunction with academic departments and students to ensure that the collections are up to date with the resources students need for class and research. Further, the librarians are dedicated to ensuring that course reserves are always met, thus ensuring equitable obtainment of textbooks and other resources for classes that some students may not be able to afford.

The librarian team may be the friendliest group on campus (and that’s saying a lot as everyone at HC is friendly beyond belief)! I’ve had wonderful discussions with the librarians concerning my personal research and other matters.

I have never had an issue getting a book or journal article for class or personal research before. THe ILLIAD (interlibrary loan system) allows HC to request books outside of our collections from other universities. More importantly, if you are unable to get a book HC has a no-questions-asked purchasing policy, meaning that students will always be able to get the resources they need for their studies!

One of the upper-reading rooms in Dinand Library where students can study.

It’s been a long time since I’ve posted here, but I’m finally back! And with good news! Ever since January, I have been studying at Mansfield College at the University of Oxford with five other Holy Cross students during the latter half of the pandemic.

All sophomores at the College have the wonderful opportunity of applying to study abroad in a variety of places during their junior year such as South America, the UK, Germany, Athens, France, China, India, and a wide range of other places – all at the top universities of each respective country!

As noted by this recent report, for the last decade Holy Cross has been the top school for placing students in interesting and rigorous study abroad programs!

I was fortunate enough to be able to attend Mansfield College at Oxford, where I am able to undertake the rigorous tutorial system which consists of writing a paper each week that I present to my tutor for rigorous questioning.

Small class sizes at Holy Cross as well as seminars have greatly prepared for me the defense of my arguments in front of my tutors. Further, all the tutors here have commented that Holy Cross students present some of the best analysis and writing they have ever seen, a testament to our rigorous curriculum and great professors back at home!

While studying at Oxford requires a lot of dedicated studying and time management

skills (something HC has prepared us all for), there still has been some time to get out and view the amazing nature and architecture scattered throughout the city. Dazzling towers and magnificent churches line the streets throughout Oxford, making for an amazing view for daily walks to the library!

To all prospective students, studying abroad has been one of the highlights of my undergraduate experience, and Holy Cross is amazing in sending students wherever they want to go!

Check out the pictures below for a glimpse into the sights I experience every day!