Hey, I feel kinda awkward posting here because it seems as if everyone’s stats are so much better than mine. I’d like to consider myself a pretty smart guy who, unfortunately, made some mistakes early in his high school career. 8th and 9th grade I made really bad grades, although I was still in honors level classes. Since then I have made mostly A’s and only 1 or 2 Bs. I have a 4.8 GPA on a 6 pt scale, and I’m in the top 10 percent of my class. By the time I start applaying to colleges, I’ll probably be top 7 or 8 percent. I made a 204 on my PSAT and I qualified to be in the Natl. Merit Competition, so I’ll get 2 recommendations from Natl. Merit. I’ve attended summer school at Rice, Kansas (through the Duke TIPs program) and this summer I’ll be attending summer school at Harvard. I’m an active member of MSA, and I do a lot of community stuff through MSA. I’m a part of all the Honors Societies, and I love to play basketball (I was on the school team for 2 years). I am a junior now, and I’ll take my SATs and SAT IIs in October and November, and I think I’ll score above 2250 on my SAT and do really well on my SAT IIs. I live in Houston and I really want to attend Rice University. I used to be a bad student and bad kid that didn’t care about anyone but myself, but since then I’ve become closer to my religion, much more diligent in my studies (my grades have DRAMATICALLY improved) and I think I’ll get great recommendations. What advice do you guys have on admissions into a school like Rice? Be brutally honest!
<p>I would have suggested that you take the SAT I this spring and then again in the fall if needed. That would give you a better read on where you stand for Rice. With the upward trend in your grades, the bad early years shouldn't be a problem. What other activities are you in? Are you not playing basketball anymore? You will need to show Rice that you have a passion for something. This will help you stand out as an applicant.</p>
<p>Rice is a tough school to get into. If I remember correctly (I applied there four years ago), they have a non-binding deadline first and then the regular deadline. Most of my friends who applied with the first deadline got in with good scores and stats. Most of my friends that applied regular (with relatively the same stats) got waitlisted. Apply early.</p>
<p>I need more time to study for the SAT I, if I took it now I would get around 2050-2100. If I spent my summer studying for it I could get well above that. This is why I can't apply early, because I need to take my SATs and SAT IIs in October and November.</p>
<p>No, I stopped playing basketball to concentrate more on schoolwork. However, I am very involved in community activites at the local mosque. I help setup lots of programs for the youth, including a monthly lock-ins, weekly events where we play basketball and have speeches and stuff. I am Vice President of the MSA, I founded a Politically Active Students Association at school...so I keepy busy</p>
<p>You can probably still apply early to Rice and have the November scores rushed. I still think it would have been good to get an SAT under your belt even if you didn't get to prepare much. Most people take it more than once. If you have a bad day next fall, it will be difficult to fit in all the testing.</p>
<p>Actually, someone told me that when you apply, your scores don't have to be with your application immediately, and that they give you some time? Is that true? And I'm not quite sure what you mean by having my scores "rushed". And what benefits do campus visits provide as far as admissions go? Rice also offers lunch with alumni for prospective undergraduates, and I was thinking about taking advantage of that opportunity as well.</p>
<p>Zafirk, it will definitely help that you are from Texas even though I have heard that admissions is trying to "broaden" the study body by bringing in more out of staters. My D got into Rice (and is anxiously awaiting orientation in August) and applied ID (interim decision). We are from PA. I am not sure what "grabbed them" about D's application but she is certainly happy that something did, LOL! I agree that your earlier grades shouldn't be too much of a problem since you have obviously improved so much. In addition, your outside activities sound really strong - if you get the scores on the standardized testing I would think that you have as good a chance as any of the other strong applicants.. good luck to you.</p>