11 Tips for Rural Students Applying to Top Colleges
My College Application Experience as a Rural Student
Initially, as I was applying to college, I thought I had the same opportunities as everyone else because I was a rural student. I had a good act score, I was a letter winner in multiple activities, and I had a good job.
I participated in almost every activity at my school and excelled in them, and I ran out of ideas on how to make my college application better; however, I never accounted for the lack of opportunities that were given at my school compared to larger urban school districts.
Opportunities are far more plentiful at larger urban schools. These can include science fairs, clubs, AP classes, learning communities, and so much more.
I live in rural northern Minnesota, and my high school, which hosted grades 7-12, only had around 300 students. My school is in a farming community and offers a limited amount of sports, clubs, and teacher support.
Still, my coming from a small farming town, did not stop me from wanting to become a top scientist. However, to do this, I had to start the application process to top colleges. In the process of my application, I thought there were no other opportunities in which I could have participated to make my application better.
In other words, I thought my application was the best of the best. However, when a TikTok trend surfaced, and I saw other people’s applications online, I realized that there were clubs and activities that I had never even heard about but that would never be accessible to me or my community.
Some of these include research, writing books, science bowls, and much more. When I got my application back from top colleges, I realized that I would have to start at a much smaller college and eventually work my way up, inevitably delaying my scientific progression.
Still, I have learned about what is offered at larger schools, and I have compiled a few tips on how to improve your college application as a rural high schooler applying to top colleges.
College Application Tips for Rural High Schoolers
If you find that your high school is lacking the facilities to make your college application “next level,” I have put together a list of tips that you can implement in your own life.
1 - Be Aggressive and Determined
This does not mean you should be angry at your college admissions team; instead, you should be aggressive in finding new opportunities to improve your college application. In short, you have to put yourself out there.
If you are from a small school, there are going to be some opportunities that are not going to be offered through your school but will improve your college application. In this sense, you should be aggressive and determined in your search and quest to improve your college application.
As you go about reading this list, keep in mind these two values. They will help you pursue your future career and college ideals. If you are not aggressive or do not care about improving your application, your application will most likely fall short in the reviewing process.
2 - Start Independent Projects
If you find yourself at a rural school but have big dreams of going to a top college, at some point, you will have to take matters into your own hands. In this case, it involves starting projects yourself.
Independent projects can include starting non-profits, research, creating apps, volunteering, or other passion projects.
However, while searching for independent passion projects, keep in mind that if you can find a few people to join you, it will not decrease the value of your project and that the best passion projects on college applications intertwine with what you want to do at college.
3 - Reach Out to Industries You Are Interested In Pursuing
A great way to improve your college application is to get in contact with people or companies that specialize in the area you intend to pursue. Keep in mind, however, this is where you may have to get out of your comfort zone.
If you reach out to companies or people that are in your area of interest, there is a chance they may invite you to come around to their work area for a job shadow, tour, or even an internship. After all, you will never know unless you ask.
Additionally, reaching out to a rural company may increase your chances of a better opportunity. People and businesses in rural areas may be less accustomed to people being interested in their industry and may be more open to extending an invitation to you.
4 - Reach Out to Colleges for Research
This tip applies especially to students who want to eventually pursue research or are interested in a Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematical (STEM) field.
Getting your feet wet in research as a high schooler is invaluable. Granted, you may pursue research independently, in a group, or with the help of your high school teacher, however, if you are able to intern at a college for research, that is all the better.
Contrary to popular belief in rural high schools, colleges do allow high school students to participate in college-level research. You can start your journey by exploring the surrounding colleges’ research to see if they are looking for high schoolers to help and emailing professors a short blurb stating your interest in their work.
If nothing else, you will become familiar with the surrounding professors in the area.
5 - If Something is Not Offered, Start it!
Rural schools tend to not have a wide variety of clubs or other extracurricular activities, so, if there is something that you are interested in, be a founding member!
If you are interested in a computer science club, start it! If you are interested in the science bowl, start it!
Being an active member of a group looks good on college applications, but being the founding member of the group looks even better!
To actually start a club or extracurricular, ask your school’s counselor or administration and do some outside research on how to start a club.
6 - Develop a Support Network of Teachers and Peers
Even if you seem to be the lone person determined to do big things at your school, there will always be people who are ready to support you on your journey. Whether that be friends, family, or teachers, it does not matter.
Becoming more independent and pushing yourself to further your college application can be draining, so, it’s very important that you surround yourself with people who support you.
Additionally, you can also look to these people when starting clubs, pursuing research, and other activities for additional aid.
7 - Gain Rapport with Teachers, Administration, Community Leaders, or even Professors
A sizable portion of top colleges’ applications are recommendation letters. So, being able to develop a rapport with leaders of the community, teachers, or other adults will be crucial.
When asking people to write recommendation letters for you, the most important factor is that they know the real you. If you write about your aspirations, that is one thing, but if someone else is able to hold you up to the same standards you hold yourself, colleges will be able to see that you are an astounding student worthy of admission.
8 - Take Online College Classes
This next tip applies especially if your class does not offer a lot of advanced classes, AP classes, IB classes, Honor classes, etc. Some schools will offer online college classes through a local or state college for students to take.
This will help strengthen your academic background and some credits you earn may be transferred to your future college.
Furthermore, in Minnesota, Ohio, and Washington, there is actually a Post Secondary Enrollment Option (PSEO) for high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors. This program allows students to apply for basically any college in the state and receive free tuition as long as they are in high school.
Personally, I took advantage of this opportunity during my senior year of high school, and I am projected to graduate 1-2 years early, even with a double major and minor!
9 - Explore Colleges You Are Interested in and What They Look For in Applicants
A great way to streamline your application to your ideal college is to research what they look for in candidates. For example, if your dream college values independence, do some independent passion projects or research to show them you belong there!
10 - Focus on Your Passion and Career Goals
If you plan on majoring in English, but you participate in the science bowl, colleges won’t place the same value on the activity as if you were a STEM major participating in a science bowl.
So, when you are finding new activities, hobbies, and clubs to pursue, make sure that they have something to do with what you want to do in college. If colleges can see that you are focused on your intended major, they are more likely to accept you.
11 - Start Early!
Lastly, it is never too early to start thinking about how to strengthen your college application, and the younger you begin, the more opportunities you will have.
As you begin your journey, keep these tips in mind, and best of luck to you!
About Inspirit AI
AI Scholars Live Online is a 10 session (25-hour) program that exposes high school students to fundamental AI concepts and guides them to build a socially impactful project. Taught by our team of graduate students from Stanford, MIT, and more, students receive a personalized learning experience in small groups with a student-teacher ratio of 5:1.
