Take an ‘Existential Selfie,’ Through a Rural Lens

Admissions Beat host Lee Coffin encourages applicants to periodically snap an “existential selfie,” an exercise to zoom in on their values and priorities. This week, he and his guests train that metaphorical lens on high school students from rural backgrounds. For many, that upbringing can be a powerful theme in the stories they tell in their college applications. Joining Coffin are Kim Jackson, Director of Advising and Scholar Support at Lenfest Scholars Foundation, which serves college applicants from rural Pennsylvania, and Jacques Steinberg, a Lenfest board member and co-author of “The College Conversation: A Practical Companion for Parents to Guide Their Children Along the Path to Higher Education.”