Sarah Margaret Elkins Ince '99

Associate Director of Admissions

selkins@sbc.edu
(P) - 1.800.381.6142
(F) - 434.381.6152

Hometown: I graduated from Ashland High School (OH), but consider Homerville, OH or the Mohican Valley home.

Recruitment Areas: I work with students from Alaska, Arkansas, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin.

Additional/Special Recruitment Responsibilities: I am the Admissions Office coordinator of the Alumnae Admissions Representative (AAR) program and the Athletics Department Liaison. In addition, I work with all Advanced Standing students, which we define as: students interested in transferring to Sweet Briar or women 24 years old or older wishing to complete a bachelor's degree.

Educational/Admissions Background: I received a B.A. in English with a minor in Creative Writing from Sweet Briar College in 1999, and an M.A. in English with a Rhetoric focus from Texas Woman's University in 2004. I am in my eighth year of admissions - one year at a public college in Nebraska, two years a small, private college in Ohio. I returned to my alma mater in July of 2003 and have loved being at Sweet Briar ever since!

A Few Thoughts on Sweet Briar: This is my home! Like all Sweet Briar Women, I found SBC to be my home for four years, not just my college. Living and learning in an environment such as the one created at SBC is a life changing experience. I watched my classmates discover a sense of self, outside of the pressures normally associated with a coeducational environment. We all work hard and play hard during our four years at SBC. Whether on the athletic fields, at the riding center, in labs, or poetry discussion groups, Sweet Briar Women are expected to explore a range of academic and social endeavors. My experience as a student at Sweet Briar is by far the most challenging and rewarding period of my life thus far.

Favorite Place on Campus: Our entire campus is a place of such natural beauty and historic grandeur that it is difficult to pick one favorite place. I have memories of my life as a student attached to almost every nook of the library or path through the woods. I think the view that most embodies SBC is the drive in the main entrance. Coming to work every morning I am reminded of what a special place Sweet Briar is as I wind my way up the hill, emerging through the trees to the brick facades of the residence halls and academic buildings. All aspects of living and learning are united at Sweet Briar comfortably and naturally.

What I Like to Do in My Spare Time: I make an effort not to have spare time, a pattern that I developed while a student at SBC. I can often be found lounging at the boathouse with my husband and our dogs, enjoying a game night with our campus community friends, hunting for glorious finds at local antique shops, or taking advantage of the variety of activities available on campus, in Lynchburg or Charlottesville.

A Few Words of Advice to Prospective Students: Get involved! Don't let your parents drag you around on college visits... drag them around! Start early, research colleges and universities online. Try something new. Consider a school without a big football team, consider a single gender school, consider a school your friends haven't heard of, look outside of your home state. Ask about study abroad, ask about outcomes, and ask about the food. Make your college selection based upon where you are going to be comfortable and engaged in living for the next four years of your life.