Reply to Is any school actually seeking students from the DMV?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote]I’ve sat through more than my share of tours where colleges talk about having students from every state “except North Dakota” or “except Alaska.” It makes me think that there would be a lot more options for DC if we lived in one of these remote areas. It seems that being from this area is not just a neutral factor, but actually at negative factor at some schools that are inundated with applications from this area. Does anyone know of any selective schools that are actively seeking to increase the number of students from the DMV area?[/quote]

There is some truth to the fact that colleges are looking for geographical diversity, however, I don't think it would be necessarily "easier" to get in from one of those more remote areas.  For one thing, most remote, rural schools have really crappy college counciling.  DH went to a rural school in a remote area, and basically they told him that he was obviously going to figure out how to go to college, so they didn't give him any advice.  No discussion of reaches, or what SAT score was competitive for what college, or really any guidance whatsoever.  He went to a nearby state university, applied to the honors program, got a pell grant and a scholarship that was linked to his ACT score.  He assumed the ivies were not something he could afford, because there wasn't a lot of good info about financial aid (he probably would have qualified for near a full ride).  Along with that, there are generally not as strong schools with as rigorous course offerings, it's near impossible to attract qualified teachers to teach in remote areas, the idea of taking an SAT prep class is unheard of, and it is really difficult to get in a situation where you would have the sort of extracurriculars that make you competitive for highly competitive colleges.  You would have to be a pretty exceptional person to take the initiative to figure out financial aid/get out of your community at a young age and to have the sort of record and essays that would make you qualified.  The standards are lowered, but it is also much more difficult to reach those lowered standards than it is for kids from wealthy suburban or private prep schools in areas such DC/NYC/Chicago/Boston/SF, etc.  And even if you have highly educated parents guiding students in a more remote area offering guidance, there is still the effect of peers and the relative lack of opportunities nearby.[/quote]

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