An education from a highly selective college is the key to upward social mobility for many of America’s disadvantaged groups. That’s why elite college admissions officers are responsible for curating diverse classes from huge applicant pools. But diversity isn’t just a matter of race (which, for the record, these schools will still consider through the Roberts Loophole, despite the overturning of Affirmative Action last year). Diversity, in the sense of college admissions, takes many forms: socioeconomic diversity, gender diversity, regional diversity, etc. 

This last form of diversity is usually the most overlooked. But those of you who have perused a college brochure have probably seen the number of states represented in incoming classes highlighted in big bright letters amidst the statistics on first-generation students and low-income students. Regional diversity is not about admitting students from New York, California, and Texas. These highly populated states are bound to be represented on elite college campuses. No, applicants from highly rural states with low population density — the states of the Great Plains, Deep South, and Rocky Mountains — excite admissions officers.

Sparse Country: Harvard’s Strategy for Drawing In Rural Students

“Sparse country.” That’s the term Harvard Dean of Admissions William R. Fitzsimmons used to describe the country’s rural areas where Harvard heightens its recruitment efforts. However, this term was meant to be private. The “sparse country” policy was only made public in 2018 during the Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard court case, which adjudicated whether Harvard discriminates against applicants of Asian descent and led to the eventual repeal of Affirmative Action. 

Potential applicants from “sparse country,” before the downfall of race-based Affirmative Action, were sent materials inviting them to apply to Harvard as long as they met a certain standardized testing threshold that varied by race. While this policy only amounted to a marketing strategy aimed at rural applicants, it reflects a broader institutional practice of giving an admissions boost to students from underrepresented states to cultivate regional diversity on campus.

If this strategy sounds unnecessary or biased, it’s worth considering that at a place like Harvard, a historical stronghold of the coastal elite, a prestigious high school in Manhattan can have more alumni representation on campus than entire swathes of middle America. By giving an advantage to rural applicants, Harvard deflects allegations that its educational mission fails to serve all of America. The same goes for the rest of the Ivy League and all other highly selective schools in densely populated areas that typically admit many city-dwellers.

Outside of the Coastal Elite Bubble, Name Brand Schools Have Less Recognition

Another factor influencing strategies targeting rural applicants is elite schools’ lack of name recognition in small communities. It might be hard for a New Englander or New Yorker to believe, but Yale and Stanford are not necessarily household names in the robust countryside of West Virginia or the forests of Mississippi. “Sparse country” policies aim to attract talented students with much to contribute to campus who might not otherwise know that campus exists! It’s a twofold way of maximizing human capital and diversity in the student body.

Students from rural parts of the country can offer a unique perspective that their urban counterparts may lack. These highly coveted students bring diverse political, academic, and professional interests to classrooms where such perspectives are rare. Does this mean an under-qualified student with a lackluster academic track record is bound to get into Princeton over a highly talented student from the city? Of course not! However, a student with competitive test scores and a high GPA will undoubtedly receive a second look.

How Ivy Coach Helps Rural Applicants Get Into Elite Schools

Ivy Coach knows exactly how to craft an application that emphasizes the merits of a strong rural upbringing. If you’d like to optimize your child’s chances of admission to an elite college, fill out our complimentary consultation form, and we’ll be in touch.