Against All Odds

So I've had Phil Collins stick in my head all day, so what? Judge me.

His famous ballad Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now) got me thinking about the CIL, naturally. I know some all you out there think its "against all odds" that you'll be admitted to a CIL school, or even that it would be against all odds that you would enjoy attending such a school.

What are you willing to do to distinguish yourself? What's going to make someone "take a look at me now"?

As my dad always told me, "SOMEONE has to go to these schools. Why not you?"

Don't sell yourself short, ever.

Believing in you, St. Claire

United We Stand

I spent the afternoon yesterday at a fab winter wedding. The priest, during his homily, touched on what makes Catholics different from other Christians- unity in the Eucharist. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the faith, while all Christians believe Jesus is their savior- only Catholics believe they receive his body and blood (NOT a symbol, his ACTUAL body and blood) through the holy eucharist at weekly mass. That got me to thinking- what makes the Catholic Ivy League schools different from other schools? All colleges are founded to educate their students, but what makes a Catholic school different from a public, private, or another Christian institution? Here's what I've come up with:

1. Jesuits educate their students to be "men and women for others". Social awareness is a cornerstone of a Catholic education- for what's the point of a fancy education if you're not going to make the world a better place?

2. Catholic schools require students to take a form of theology in the core curriculum. Contrary to popular belief, these classes are focused on Bible scripture and basic fundamentals of theology as a concept- these courses are NOT designed to make you "turn Catholic" nor are they a sophisticated form of Sunday School.

3. Catholic schools always have TWO spring breaks- one for a week in March, and a smaller one for Easter (Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Monday are typically days given off).

What else makes a Catholic school different from another college? Is it more of a personal thing or can it be explained by pointing to specific rules and traditions of each institution? Why enroll in the Catholic Ivy League- what makes it worth it?

Yours truly, St. Claire

Single or Attached on Valentine's Day?

Dear Catholic Ivy Leaguers- today is the feast day of one of my fellow saints - St. Valentine. Rather than bore you on history- you get enough of that in school! - let me tell you how to deal with Valentine's Day, single or attached:

Single:

Ladies, you can say you are happy to be single all you want today, and you've got every right to live it up! Make a pitcher of sangria with your girlfriends, go out for sushi and sake, wear your pinkest J. Crew sweater and tightest skinny jeans to class and then dress it UP tonight! Have fun, celebrate your single life, and forget all about what's-his-name you were hooking up with last semester. Ancient history!

As hot as you are going to look in your pink stilettos (yes, I know its a Monday night, but you're only in college once! GO OUT!) you might feel a slight twinge in your heart when you see that perfect cute couple walking hand in hand in front of you heading for a romantic price-fixed dinner with complimentary soundtracks and single red roses. Resist the urge to throw a tree branch in their direction and ALSO resist the urge to dial your ex to "catch up!" You are hot, accomplished, and a Catholic Ivy League student- don't forget it! Your Valentine is out there- he just probably went to the wrong school! (More on meeting Catholic Ivy Leaguers post-grad in a later post). Keep the faith, and in the meantime, LOVE your life!

Attached:

Well aren't you lucky! You and your man are of course planning a flashy evening with a dozen roses, Godiva chocolate, a $75 price-fixed menu dinner you made reservations for a month in advance (read: this does not apply to Notre Dame or Holy Cross- I honestly don't know where couples EAT in those towns!). Obviously you have roommates, one of whom is at least single, so be sensitive. Don't ask her to take pictures of you and your man before your leave. Don't leave your flowers on your desk- put them in a common area (if you live in a house) so everyone can enjoy them. Do offer her some of your chocolate, and do offer to do a girls weekend next weekend (Helllllllo! Long weekend! You CAN take a night off from your man!) and remember, your man must really like you to take you out on a such a public day of love- so be sure to show your appreciation!

Happy Valentine's, Catholic Ivy Leaguers - kisses from St. Claire

Basketball Round-Up

Tonight was a big night in the Catholic Ivy League for basketball...

#11 Georgetown defeated rival #13 Syracuse 64-56

#7 Notre Dame defeated #15 Louisville 89-79

but...

#10 Villanova lost to (unranked) Rutgers by one measly point, 76-77

Go Hoyas, Go Irish! Nova...get your act together.

Yours in prayer, St. Claire

An Arms Race

According to the Wall Street Journal, it has become an arms race to get into college. Check out an interview with the author here.

Good information to keep in mind on your quest for admission to the Catholic Ivy League.

Stay tuned...yours truly, St. Claire

Clothing Makes the [Wo]man

Some more items to add to your shopping list as a member of the Catholic Ivy League:

Females

Cable Knit Sweaters - if you're in the CIL, chances are, winter is cold. Stay warm with a classic cable knit, preferably in cashmere, the brighter the better. You've got plenty of time to wear the color black when you're a working professional with your CIL diploma. Enjoy color now!

Designer jeans- preferably Seven's, J Brand, Mavi, just something that costs more than $75 a pair (you can cheat and get them on sale, that's ok, no one has to know ;)

Something silver from Tiffany's- pretty much everyone will have some type of a heart, star, key, or T charm on a silver chain from Tiffany's. Don't worry about what kind of charm you have, just acquire one through any means necessary.

I apologize for the brevity, more to come tomorrow! - St. Claire

Clothing the Catholic Ivy Leaguer

Once you've paid the $900 or so deposit to reserve your spot at your Catholic Ivy League school, you'll want to stock up on the following (gender specific, of course):

Females

2 Longchamp purses (one small, one large) [do not bring your backpack from high school and expect to look cool walking around campus. you are in college. in the real world, people don't use backpacks, so get started early]

Small clutch (to fit only a phone, ID [yours or someone else's ;)], and credit card/cash) preferably from Coach or Vera Bradley

Rainboots [None of the geographies home to the CIL schools are particularly rainy, but everyone seems to have them]

Males

Sperry Boat Shoes (if you didn't already have them from prep school, now is the time to purchase them)

Black North Face fleece (try finding it at the end of the night at a house party- might be a better idea to get a grey or brown one for backup when you lose the first one)

Jeans (prep schoolers, I know you didn't wear them in high school, but this is college. Everyone wears jeans. Get your mom to buy them for you if you must)

more clothing to come tomorrow...until then, yours truly, St. Claire

US News and World Report

One of the cornerstones of an education in the Catholic Ivy League is that all claims must be backed up by proof- so to validate my prior post, refer to the US News & World Report college rankings 2011.

To summarize, Notre Dame is a respectable #19, closely followed by Georgetown at #21, and #31 Boston College. Fordham is represented at #56 on the National University Rankings.

Find Villanova ranked #1 on the Regional Universities (North) and Holy Cross holding #32 on the National Liberal Arts Rankings.

So, when someone says, "I'm going to Notre Dame" that means "Yes, I was accepted to all the other CIL schools, but I love football, my first trip to Indiana was to an ND football game when I was 7 with my uncle's cousin's nephew, but who cares, I'm ready to party."

"I'm going to Georgetown" means "I may or may not have wanted to go to Notre Dame, but I'm more 'refined' and I want to be in a city. I'm also ready to party, and Boston's too cold."

"I'm going to Boston College" means "Ugh, I really tried for ND and G'town, but it didn't work out. I guess Boston's cool, I'm REALLY ready to party, where's the keg already?"

"I'm going to Fordham" means "I may have applied to the Big Three, maybe not. I went to Catholic high school and this seemed like a good choice. And New York? Can't beat it!" note: this person did not see Fordham Road on his or her campus tour

"I'm going to Holy Cross" means "I worked really hard in high school, but Georgetown, ND and BC only took three kids from my high school class. Oh well, Worcester is kinda near Boston, right? Where's the keg?"

"I'm going to Villanova" means "Yep, had my heart set on Georgetown."

Until next time, raise your glass and say a prayer to St. Claire