美国大学想招收更多的农村学生

American Colleges Want More Rural Students

Many American higher education officials agree on the need for a more balanced racial, ethnic¹ and cultural mix at universities and colleges.

In the past, American colleges and universities placed special importance on minority or international students. But a growing number of private colleges now seek to admit more rural students. Admissions officials believe that such students have a different way of thinking than students from heavily populated areas like cities.

Andrew Moe is Associate Dean of Admissions and Director of Access at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania. He said admitting students from rural areas is a natural extension of the college’s inclusion goals.

“The fact is, that a sizable proportion of the U.S. population live in rural areas…We found through our research that about 59 million, or 20 percent of the U.S. population, live in rural areas.”

He added that about 50 percent of U.S. school departments are also in rural areas.

Swarthmore is a private liberal arts college near Philadelphia. Moe said that he usually goes to cities to visit high schools and meet students. This is true of most admissions officers, he said.

However, he suggested, this can lead to student populations of which many members share the same outlooks and similar opinions.

Moe said that Swarthmore wants students from across the country and around the world. The opinions of students from rural areas are, in his words, “rich and really different than what I think is represented…really across most private colleges.”

“I think that when you’re in a public health class, and you’re talking about access to health care delivery, I think a student coming from a more populated area has a very different world view than a student coming from a more rural part…So, we want to make sure that those backgrounds and opinions are represented.”

Complicated recruiting

However, identifying and appealing to students from rural areas can be difficult.

“You can’t simply call up a school, say you want to visit and they have never heard of you,” he said. He added that the first step is to build relationships with high schools and their students.

Moe said that in rural areas, fewer students have friends and family able to inform them about college or the admissions process. So, it is important for admissions officers to spend time talking with students about how to prepare college admissions forms.

The size of the United States means college administrators² cannot possibly visit all schools personally.

As a result, colleges are exploring technology for answers. Real-time video communication is one such tool to reach large groups of students.

Another issue is student preparation. Moe said that studies show almost 50 percent of rural schools do not offer college-level studies, known as Advanced Placement classes. However, such classes are available in more than 90 percent of schools in city areas. Credit in Advanced Placement classes can greatly help students gain admission to competitive schools.

At Swarthmore, currently, only 10 percent of rural students seeking admission are accepted.

Moe says that it is important for colleges to change their expectations, and understand the issues that rural students are facing.

Political blends

Most U.S. colleges also want a mix of political thinking among students. Adding rural students could help.

Lynn M. Morton is president of Warren Wilson College in North Carolina. She recently told the publication Inside Higher Education that she worries that students do not have enough people around them who disagree with their opinions.

Morton said she became concerned after examining results of the National Survey of Student Engagement. She found that only 23 percent of students at her school felt they “often” or “very often” spoke³ with people holding different political ideas than their own.

Warren Wilson College is close to Asheville, the largest city in western North Carolina. It is considered a politically liberal city. So, Morton is seeking more students from rural areas, which traditionally are more conservative.

Small, but positive results

Admissions officers at Swarthmore and Warren Wilson say they have seen small but good changes concerning future student populations. Warren Wilson has seen a 57 percent rise in rural students seeking admission to the school. At Swarthmore, Andrew Moe reported an increase of about 25 percent last year.

A recent study of admissions directors found that 28 percent of private and 52 percent of public college admissions directors said they were interested in getting more rural students.

“I hope it’s a growing trend,” said Moe.

I'm Alice Bryant.

I’m Phil Dierking.

Words in This Story

portion - n. a part of a larger amount, area, etc.?

access - n. a way of getting near, at, or to something or someone?

delivery - n. the act of taking something to a person or place?

recruit - n. to find suitable people and get them to join a company, an organization, the armed forces, etc.?

trend - n. a way of behaving, proceeding⁴, etc., that is developing and becoming more common

1 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

2 administrators   

n.管理者( administrator的名词复数 )；有管理（或行政）才能的人；（由遗嘱检验法庭指定的）遗产管理人；奉派暂管主教教区的牧师

参考例句：

• He had administrators under him but took the crucial decisions himself. 他手下有管理人员，但重要的决策仍由他自己来做。 来自辞典例句
• Administrators have their own methods of social intercourse. 办行政的人有他们的社交方式。 来自汉英文学 - 围城

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 proceeding   

n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报

参考例句：

• This train is now proceeding from Paris to London.这次列车从巴黎开往伦敦。
• The work is proceeding briskly.工作很有生气地进展着。