For Three Quick Questions, I send the same three questions to admission 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 Christopher Kalcich, Admission Counselor at Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania.

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

A unique program to Susquehanna is our Global Opportunities Program, nicknamed our GO Program. Through it, 100% of students study away from campus during their time with us- 95% choose to do this internationally. There are three types of programs we offer here, GO Long, GO Short, and GO Your Way. The GO Long program is a full semester in length at a host university or center, with the credits transferring back to Susquehanna when the student returns. The GO Short program is a 2-6 week experience over summer or winter breaks that contains either research, and internship, or a service project. GO Your Way provides the opportunity for students to travel somewhere where we do not have official programming. Students typically do this in their Junior year with us, and Susquehanna gives more than $750,000 in need-based aid towards these trips annually.

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 Susquehanna?

The average student at Susquehanna is one that is involved, engaged, and ready to take that next big step to prepare for their future career. When we review students for admission, we do look at whether or not a student will be able to succeed here academically, but it is through a holistic lens. We are test score optional and have been since the 1990s and we require a letter of recommendation with student's applications that allow students to put their best foot forward.

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

Downtown Selinsgrove is a popular destination for many of our students and their visiting families. In town, there is an abundance of colonial and early American architecture, cafes, sit down restaurants, a beautiful commons space, and free parking! It is less than a half of a mile away as well, with numerous events happening throughout the year.

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Photo by Angela Elisabeth. [The banner photo is not of Susquehanna. I use the same photo for all Three Quick Questions posts so you can spot them easily.]