WashU’s Rural Scholars Academy welcomed its third cohort of 36 incoming high school juniors to campus this month for college courses, admissions workshops, and excursions to St. Louis attractions. New this year — the chance to engage with the first graduates of the academy who will enroll at WashU.

“Two years ago, we stood where they are now. None of us could have predicted how significantly the academy would alter our futures,” remarked prospective WashU student Bella Woolsey, hailing from Summersville, Mo., as she mingled with current scholars in Tisch Park during a pizza gathering. “I arrived thinking there was no possibility I could enroll at WashU, and I departed equipped with the tools and confidence that I could indeed succeed if I made the effort.”

The Office of Undergraduate Admissions initiated the complimentary Rural Scholars Academy for high-achieving high school juniors in 2023 as part of WashU’s wider initiative to enhance recruitment and support for rural students, many of whom lack access to college advisors and Advanced Placement classes. The academy is backed by alumna and honorary emerita trustee Joyce Buchheit and her spouse, Chauncy Buchheit, from rural Missouri.

WashU has also amplified recruiting efforts at rural high schools and is a founding member of the STARS College Network, which seeks to bolster rural enrollment at prestigious universities.

Throughout the one-week Rural Scholars Academy, students explored WashU’s comprehensive admissions process, which takes into account student experiences and characteristics alongside academic performance; and the WashU Pledge, which ensures a tuition-free education at WashU for admitted low-income students from Missouri and southern Illinois.

Dacoda Scarlett, inaugural associate director of rural recruitment in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, stated that the academy’s initial success validates what he has believed for a long time — rural students are meant to be at WashU. Thirteen students from the academy’s inaugural cohort of 22 were accepted to WashU, and 10 students are set to enroll this fall. Many of these students are participating in the First-year Summer Academic Program, a five-week transition program that enhances academic preparedness and other essential skills.

“These are extraordinarily talented and diligent students who will contribute significantly to WashU,” said Scarlett, who originates from the small town of Clever, Missouri. “They applied the lessons they gathered from the Rural Scholars Academy — how to request letters of recommendation, how to write an essay, how to construct a list of activities — and successfully utilized it in their lives. We now recognize this experience will aid our scholars, regardless of where they choose to apply to college.”

One of those high school students is Tao Yang, an upcoming junior from Canton, Mo., who aspires to become a cardiologist. He appreciated his design thinking course with faculty from the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts and enjoyed life in the dorms on the South 40. He also valued the sense of community.

“I think the best part has been being around individuals like me who comprehend what it’s like to come from a small town,” Yang expressed. “Even if you possess the grades to gain entry to a school like WashU, you ponder whether you’ll belong.”

Rising WashU senior Auriel Prepejchal from Makanda, Ill., experienced similar feelings upon her arrival on campus. She acts as both a rural student ambassador for the academy and co-founder of the Rural Students Collective, a burgeoning student organization that organizes study groups and social gatherings and is compiling a directory of rural staff and faculty.

“It genuinely warms my heart when I hear this next generation express confidence in their college applications,” stated Prepejchal, who is studying computational biology in Arts & Sciences. “When I applied here, I dealt with substantial imposter syndrome — ‘Do I even have the right to attend such a prestigious institution like WashU?’ And, of course, I did. They do, too.”

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