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’ll 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 Carrine Gadoury, Admissions Counselor at Bucknell University.

What is a course, tradition, program or event that is unique to Bucknell University?

The night before classes start, first-year students and faculty parade to the Malesardi Quadrangle, where the students stand side-by-side along the quad’s outer edges. Bucknell’s president welcomes the students and faculty, and highlights another year of knowledge, growth, and intellectual challenges. The president lights a candle – representing the “Light of Knowledge” – and spreads that light to all the students, forming a circle of light and community. Blowing out one’s candle symbolizes the start of a student’s journey as a Bucknellian. The candle-lighting ceremony ends with faculty and students joining together to sing the alma mater, “Dear Bucknell.” This candle-lighting ceremony is repeated the night before Commencement, with the president sending the “Light of Knowledge” out with the graduating seniors. This tradition is truly bittersweet, and a favorite among all students.

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 Bucknell?

At Bucknell, we don’t believe in the word “imperfect”. All of our students are unique, with varying experiences, perspectives and ideas. Students who may be shy are thriving in our experiential, hands-on classrooms. Students who enjoy being on the go throughout their entire day have multiple student clubs, organizations, sports teams, and jobs to fill their time! Students intrigued by the local community are growing into community leaders, strengthening our connection with Lewisburg. Students who are unsure of their future career enjoy not only the flexibility and interdisciplinary approach of a liberal arts education, but also the support of, and advice from, hundreds of faculty members. All students flourish at Bucknell, regardless of perfect or “imperfect” labels.

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

Before visitors leave Bucknell, I always recommend they take a stroll through downtown Lewisburg. Lewisburg is a quintessential college town, offering 7 blocks of beautiful Victorian architecture, mom and pop restaurants and boutiques, and more coffee shops, art, and music than a small town has any right to have! Visitors can get some coffee at a cat café, try some freshly made chocolate at the local candy shop, and peruse two floors of school apparel at our university bookstore! While downtown, visitors can even sit back, relax, and watch a movie in our 75+ year old, single screen, art deco campus theatre! A visit to Bucknell is truly not complete until one has been downtown!

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, here are three easy things you can do:

Share it on your social media feeds so your friends and colleagues can see it too.
See which other colleges and universities answered the questions.
Is there a school you’d like to hear from? Let me know, and I’ll make sure they get the questions.

Apply with Sanity doesn’t have ads or annoying pop-ups. It doesn’t share user data, sell user data, or even track personal data. It doesn’t do anything to “monetize” you. You’re nothing but a reader to me, and that means everything to me.

Photo by Angela Elisabeth.