October 15, 2025

Bridging the Gap for Rural Students with Andrew Moe Hoffman

How can college admissions make accommodations for rural students, and how can rural students make their college applications as strong as possible? Andrew Moe Hoffman is here to answer these questions, and more:

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About the Episode

Rural students face unique challenges in the college admissions process. Their schools may not offer the same opportunities to impress admissions officers, whether that’s advanced courses, clubs, or high-end athletic facilities.

In this episode, Andrew Moe Hoffman gives some pointers to help bridge this gap. He offers some guidelines for how admissions officers should take rural students’ background into account, and gives rural students and their families advice on how to craft an effective application, using resources like Matriculate, Khan Academy, Schoolhouse.world, and much more.

Mentioned in the Episode

Ask Dr. Hoffman

If you liked this episode, check out Andrew’s new venture Ask Dr. Hoffman to access additional resources. Interested parents can subscribe to the Parent’s Ultimate College Admissions Course.

It’s a monthly (or annual) subscription, cancel at any time, and Andrew has created an exclusive discount code for Office Hours viewers: SCHOLARSHIPS360 will provide 50% of the first month or year, so parents can access 6+ hours of content for less than $100.

Parents from lower income backgrounds can also request a course fee waiver (for families applying for need-based aid AND either qualify for free or reduced lunch at school or an ACT/SAT fee waiver): https://www.askdrhoffman.com/parent-fee-waiver-form. View the entire course listing here for all of the topics covered.

Host

Will Geiger

Will Geiger is the co-founder of Scholarships360 and has a decade of experience in college admissions and financial aid. He is a former Senior Assistant Director of Admissions at Kenyon College where he personally reviewed 10,000 admissions applications and essays. Will also managed the Kenyon College merit scholarship program and served on the financial aid appeals committee. He has also worked as an Associate Director of College Counseling at a high school in New Haven, Connecticut.Will earned his master’s in education from the University of Pennsylvania and received his undergraduate degree in history from Wake Forest University.

Guest

Andrew Moe Hoffman

Dr. Andrew Hoffman is a former director of admissions at Swarthmore College and previously worked at Vanderbilt admissions. He’s co-founder of the National Association for College Admission Counseling Rural and Small Town Special Interest Group, a professional network helping rural counselors and admissions professionals. Today, he’s founder and principal of AskDrHoffman.com, a consulting firm helping parents, students and admissions professionals with college admissions and financial aid. He also works full-time as Senior Director of College Partnerships at Matriculate, a non-profit that helps high-achieving, low-income students get to college. Dr. Hoffman is first in his family to graduate from college and attended Arizona State for his bachelor’s, Vanderbilt for his master’s, and the University of Pennsylvania for his doctorate in higher education.