Passport
Academic Services & Learning Resources (ASLR) offers Passport, a program designed to assist promising first-year students achieve their full potential during their transition to the educational experience at Holy Cross.
Each year, the Office of Admission invites selected incoming students to participate in Passport. Students who accept our invitation to join Passport are expected to complete all three components of the program.
Registration for the Passport Class of 2029 will open on March 28, 2025!
Reach out to passport@holycross.edu with any questions. The Passport program has three components:
- Summer Passport – Students spend four weeks on campus in August before classes begin.
- Fall Passport – Students meet regularly with Academic Services staff, attend academic workshops and participate in the Mentor Program.
- Spring Retreat - At the beginning of the spring semester, students get away to reflect on the fall semester, prepare for the challenges of the spring semester and set goals for their time at Holy Cross.
Summer Passport
Summer Passport is a four-week residential component of the Passport program held before fall semester classes begin. Summer Passport 2025 will take place from July 26 - August 19, 2025. Registration details for summer 2025 will be released in March.
Wondering what happens at Summer Passport? Browse last year's schedule.
Summer Passport Details
During Summer Passport invited students have the opportunity to:
- Earn one unit of academic credit for completing one course designed and taught by Holy Cross faculty.
- Participate in skill-building workshops (time management, study skills, effective reading strategies, exam preparation).
- Form a supportive community on campus through classmates, Pathfinders, faculty, staff, and administrators.
- Become familiar with the community off campus through field trips and tours.
- Participate in campus experiential learning workshops and opportunities.
At the end of the summer portion students will start the fall semester by participating in Gateways Orientation.
Courses offered for the Passport Class of 2029:
Intro to Biochemistry: A Case Study in Bacterial Warfare (1 section)
The Centers for Disease Control have declared antibiotic resistance to be an urgent threat to public health in the U.S. and called for the development of new drugs capable of killing resistant bacterial infections. To identify new antibiotics, scientists have historically taken inspiration from how bacteria kill one another in the environment. In this course, students will participate in ongoing research into a novel mechanism of interbacterial killing, which may serve as a model for future antibiotic development. Students will learn fundamental biological and chemical principles in an integrated manner and directly apply them in experiments on bacterial proteins. Class discussions will focus on how chemical structure determines biological function, and assessments will include quizzes, problem sets, and a final presentation on the results of the lab experiments. No prior knowledge of biology or chemistry is expected.
Satisfies Common Area Requirement: Natural Sciences
The Elements of Writing Argument (3 sections)
This course is an introduction to academic writing with an emphasis on writing from sources. The course will focus on the writing process, organization, style, revision, editing, documentation, and use of the library. Students will have the opportunity to read and discuss selections from professional and student writers, to express and develop their ideas clearly in reflective, expository, and persuasive papers, and to develop their own writing styles and voices. The course will center on reading, thinking, and writing critically. In this class we will explore writing in a variety of contexts to understand how the particular language that is writing acts to shape, define, and often change the world around us.
Satisfies Common Area Requirement: Free Elective
Students will be informed of their Passport course placement upon arrival on campus. Placement is determined by Holy Cross faculty and Passport administrators after reviewing a number of factors including, but not limited to: Passport Writing Diagnostic, potential major(s), and high school transcript.
Fall Passport Details
A sample of our workshop topics include:
- Textbook 101
- Success Strategies for STEM classes!
- I Can't Remember What I Just Read!
- Goal Setting
- Study Smarter, Not Harder
- Time Management
Passport students must also utilize the Writer's Workshop or STEM+E Tutoring at least twice during the fall semester.
Writer's Workshop
At the Writer's Workshop, Holy Cross students meet with trained peer consultants to talk about their progress as writers. Consultants guide students toward becoming more confident writers by:
- discussing assignments
- brainstorming ideas
- creating outlines to organize and write a first draft
- improving organization and clarity of their already written drafts
- developing and better articulating their ideas from first to polished drafts
Workshop consultants help students expand their repertoires of effective writing strategies during individual, 45-minute appointments. We take revision seriously and understand that writing and rewriting play a significant role in a liberal arts education. All writers, no matter their skill level, benefit from sustained conversations about their work. Consultants work with students on essays, seminar papers, lab reports, literature reviews, reflections, personal statements, and almost any genre of writing you can think of. If a student is using words, we are ready to talk about it.
STEM+E Tutoring
STEM+E tutoring is a great resource for any student enrolled in intro and upper-level Accounting, Biology, Chemistry, Economics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Physics, Psychology and Neuroscience courses.
Passport students also participate in the Mentor Program, a one-year program structured to integrate the academic, social and cultural experiences of students and to increase awareness of resources available at the College. Each Passport student is assigned a peer mentor and a faculty mentor with whom they meet on a regular basis.
The goals of the Mentor Program are to:
- Create an atmosphere that minimizes anxiety, promotes positive attitudes and stimulates a vibrant learning environment.
- Provide a supportive relationship and sufficient feedback to enable you to make well-informed decisions.
- Assist you in adjusting to the academic environment by helping you to develop a strong identity as a scholar.
- Establish relationships with the institutions, faculty, staff, peers and the community.
- Provide information concerning academic policies, procedures and programs.
Spring Retreat
The Spring Retreat provides the opportunity for Passport students to reflect on the fall term and prepare for the challenges of the spring semester. The retreat will be held at the Joyce Contemplative Center.
Spring Retreat Details
The Spring retreat has three goals for Passport students:
- Enhance learning skills through reflection of fall accomplishments
- Set goals that visualize and crystalize students' academic futures
- Re-establish and build upon community support systems
Passport students continue working with their peer mentors through the academic year. Academic support and advising services continue to be available, just as they are for every Holy Cross student.
Frequently Asked Questions
Passport is free; there is absolutely no cost to students or their families. Holy Cross pays for meals, room, books, and all activities or field trips during Summer Passport. There is no additional charge for the Spring Retreat.
The Office of Admission invites a select group of academically promising students that come from diverse educations, personal, and financial circumstances. This includes, but is not restricted to, first-generation college students, students who come from under-resourced high schools, and students who are English language learners or for whom English is a second language.
No. All students invited to Passport are academically promising and have received full acceptance to Holy Cross. There are many benefits to Passport, however, and it is up to you to choose whether to participate.
Summer Passport is a residential program and the weekends are an important part of the experience, too. Students are expected to remain on campus at all times for the duration. During the weekends, there are field trips and other group activities. Exceptions can be made on a case by case basis for religious or medical reasons by contacting the Passport Director.
Yes. During Summer Passport students will be enrolled in a science or writing course. Students will earn one Holy Cross credit for the successful completion of their Summer Passport course. This course will appear on their college transcripts, be included in the calculation of cumulative GPA, and count toward the total needed for graduation.
Participation in Passport is by-invitation only. Each year, the Office of Admission selects students that they feel would most benefit from the additional academic guidance the program provides. You are welcome to contact the Passport Director at Passport@holycross.edu to inquire about available spaces, however space is limited and preference is given to those students originally selected.
Attending Passport was an experience I would relive over again if possible. As an incoming freshman moving states away from home, I was nervous, homesick and questioning if I made the right choice. However, quickly the program assured me that this was the best choice I made and that Holy cross is my new home. The transition from summer to fall semester was a breeze simply because of how the Passport program prepared me socially and academically.
