Amherst is quite picturesque compared to Illinois. Illinois is very near the bottom of the list when it comes to the "50 most beautiful states," or tied for last place with a place like Iowa or something. Amherst provides, as Anne Shirley so aptly states in "Anne of Green Gables," "scope for the imagination."

Do you have any interesting nicknames?

Unfortunately I do have a "queer" nickname. Since I could walk, horridly, it has been Boopie. Even at 20, this name seems to follow me like a bad odor. My aunt still calls me and says, "Boopie Bass, how are you?" Oh how I cringe.

Why did your parents decide to homeschool you?

My parents really didn't decide to homeschool me. It was more of an independent decision. I wanted a chance to learn without the pressures of performance that I had endured previously. I saw a chance to learn for the sheer joy of learning, and I hopped to it. One advantage of being homeschooled is having more time to enjoy life and being a kid. I had time to read books, tons of books. Another advantage is being able to take family trips. I didn't have to worry about missing school, because school came with me. As far as disadvantages go, some people think it's an inhibitor to social development. I don't think I'm retarded, though.

Why are you going abroad next year? Do you ever feel trapped inside the proverbial Amherst bubble?

I need to go and be inspired as a writer. I am not trapped in the bubble ... I have plenty of needles handy if need be. I just need to go somewhere different, somewhere not American. I want to drink tea more often.

As a tour guide, what's the weirdest question that you've encountered from a potential Amherst student or parent?

The weirdest question anyone asked me was "How do you say, 'Good Day' in Elvish?" I couldn't believe it. So I said the closest thing is "Elen sila lumenn omentielvo-The stars shine upon the hour of our meeting." He got a kick out of that. I think he will make his kid come to Amherst now.

What's your favorite movie?

"Pride and Prejudice" and "Anne of Green Gables." They are classic movies with heroines that don't take male egotistical crap. [The heroines] make the men who are interested in them earn them. They are independent women. 

We hear you saw "The Passion" numerous times. How come?

Yes, I saw "The Passion" three times. What can I say? I love Jesus. 

Any claims to fame?

When I was a junior in high school, I went to a women's basketball recruitment program at University of Tennessee. I had a chance to play pick-up with the then-Lady Vols, coached by the legendary Pat Summitt. It was a player's heaven.

You are going to be working this summer for the American Bar Association. Do you have any concerns about that?

If pretense is a required characteristic of a lawyer, then I will be an anomaly in that regard, as I am in many other things in my life. I am not concerned with my abilities to be obnoxious and lie because, thankfully, I am a bit rusty in that area. But who knows? Maybe I will be disgusted with the state of the human soul after the internship and just end up being a writer.

What can you see yourself doing 10 years from now?

I just turned 20, so 10 years from now I see myself as being 20 years from half-a-century old. In all seriousness, I don't know. Perhaps I will be a lawyer, perhaps I will be a writer, perhaps I will be in South America doing relief work ... God alone knows. Personally, I don't want to know it all yet. For me, it is the not knowing, the unanticipated bend in the road that makes life wonderful to live.