The Rural College Student Experience
The Rural College Student Experience is the first and only podcast dedicated exclusively to centering rural college student voices in conversations about higher education access and equity. This podcast is a space for rural students to share their stories, inspire others, and challenge the misconceptions about rural college students.
Hosted by Dr. Matt Newlin (mattnewlin.com), RCSE features student guests —a currently enrolled undergraduate or graduate student from a rural background—who shares their experiences navigating college. Together, we discuss the barriers and challenges rural students face, as well as the resilience, strengths, and successes that define our journeys.
Find us on Bluesky: @rcsepod.bsky.social
The Rural College Student Experience
Admissions Essays for Rural Students
Welcome to Episode 14 of the Rural College Student Experience. Please be sure to subscribe to the podcast so you'll know when a new episode is available. Also, please follow us on Twitter (@rcsepod) and share ideas for future episodes.
This episode we’re talking about admissions applications and essays for rural students. Dr. Matt Newlin is joined by co-host is Jay Kauffin. Jay attended McMinn County High School in Athens, Tennessee and is now a junior at Yale University studying Political and Computer Science. We talk about his transition to college and how the application process can be improved for rural students.
Our guest is Corinne Smith. Corrine is an undergraduate admissions officer at Yale University where she oversees all rural outreach and recruitment. She also grew up in a small town an hour outside of Chicago. In April 2022, Corinne Smith and Ann Merrell published the College Essay Journal: A Mindful Manual for College Applications. We discuss the book in-depth during our conversation. Corinne is currently pursuing her doctorate in Diversity and Equity in Education through the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Her research focuses on the intersectional identities of rural students and the college access barriers they face.