For Three Quick Questions, I send the same three questions to admissions representatives at colleges all over the country, and then I hope to hear back from them. 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.

Today’s response is from Chris Lydon, VP for Enrollment Management at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC.

What is a course, tradition, program or event that is unique to the Catholic University of America?

Program - the University Honors Program, offering access to faculty and research opportunities to undergraduates from across all of our programs.

Tradition - the Saint Mother Teresa Day of Service in September; the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service in January.  These events, sponsored by Campus Ministry, are held early in the fall and spring semesters, as a way to give back to our Washington, D.C. community. Typically, 800-1,000 students, faculty, and staff participate.

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 CatholicU?

CatholicU does not consider standardized tests in the review for admission or for merit scholarships. The heart of our academic review is based on a student's curriculum and the fit to the major of their choice, and their classroom performance. We recalculate all GPA's on an unweighted 4.0 scale, and the GPA middle 50% is 3.30 - 3.70 (basically B+ - A-). The 25% of our students who are admitted with less than a 3.30 cumulative GPA have typically taken an especially demanding curriculum, or have significantly improved over the course of their high school career, with their best work taking place in the junior year and first semester of the senior year. Essays, recommendations, and activities (viewed as opportunities to demonstrate commitment, responsibility, and leadership) help shape our perspective on a student's personal fit.

So many students who are admitted to CatholicU are "imperfect." Some are still coming into their own academically, some don't know what they plan to study, and some have had limited opportunities for engagement outside of the classroom. We're seeking to determine fit, and the potential to take advantage of the academic and extracurricular offerings we provide. And we offer the advising support to help students find their way.

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

The monuments at night—even more beautiful than during the day. The Smithsonian Museums (all free!); my personal favorite is the National Portrait Gallery. Here's a great summary about how our students take advantage of the Nation's Capital.

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

1. Share it on your social media feeds so your friends and colleagues can see it too.

2. See which other colleges and universities answered the questions.

3. Is there a school you’d like to hear from? Let me know, and I’ll make sure they get the questions.

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

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