For Three Quick Questions, I send the same three questions to admissions representatives at colleges all over the country (the subject line of the e-mail is “Three quick questions”), and then I hope to hear back from them. When I do, I post them on Apply with Sanity. It’s that simple.

The three questions are meant to probe some of the things that make a school unique but that aren’t easily captured as a stat to go in a book or web search.

This response is from Rodrigue Lembven, Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions at the Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.

What is a course, tradition, program or event that is unique to Case Western Reserve University?

One unique tradition at CWRU is the annual Hudson Relay; a race that pits the best runners in each class in a 26 mile relay around campus. This is a commemoration of the move of our campus from Hudson to Cleveland. The prize for a class winning 4 years in a row is a steak dinner and champagne with the President of the University for every member of the class.

Naturally every college wants to recruit the perfect student--high grades, high test scores, involved in their community, leadership...everything. But what kinds of imperfect students tend to flourish at CWRU?

While you are certainly right that most colleges want students that bring the glitz on paper, we find that generally speaking students that are a cultural fit at the university tend to do well, regardless of if they are as you termed it 'imperfect'. These are students that are genuinely curious academically, value collaboration, and know when/how to ask for help (recognize that failure is just a step to success). Students that fit this mold tend to do well at CWRU, regardless of their profile on paper.

When people come to visit Cleveland, what's a place off campus that you recommend they check out while they're there?

There are quite a few places that I would recommend checking out off campus for visitors. My pick would be the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame which is a must visit music pantheon with lots of exhibits, films and clips that showcase the power of rock & roll.

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Photo by Angela Elisabeth. [The banner photo is not of Case Western Reserve. I use the same photo for all Meet the Class posts so you can spot them easily.]