It can be easy to think of large public universities as too large, too bureaucratic, too impersonal. But that’s not usually the case. If a busy admission department at a school like Georgia Tech can take time to answer questions for my little website, then think about the attention they can give actual applicants.

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 Alexandra Thackston, Senior Admission Counselor at Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia.

What is a course, tradition, program or event that is unique to Georgia Institute of Technology?

One tradition that is unique to GA Tech is our Freshman Cake Race. This tradition dates back to 1911 and is still holding strong today. The Cake Race is held before sunrise on the morning of our Homecoming football game and spans half a mile around GT's campus. All freshman participants receive a cupcake, but the top winners receive a cake and great bragging rights. You can learn more about GA Tech traditions here.

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 Georgia Tech?

We practice holistic admission reviews at GA Tech. Therefore, we evaluate multiple documents and levels of each student's application. Something that stands out to us is grit. We love to see students who may have been challenged in some way or another, but were able to overcome that challenge and become who they are today. This represents what many students experience when they go off to college. We also look for students who demonstrate progress and service (our motto) throughout their high school experience.

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

I ALWAYS encourage students to check out the Atlanta Beltline. This is an urban pathway built throughout our city and encompasses what our Atlanta Community looks like. It's one of our favorite parts of Atlanta.

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.

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