@tobias1234 I definitely think we have an LAC vibe, but generally it’s not as strong as it would be at, say, Amherst. Definitely stronger than any state school, though, so I think it’s the best of both worlds.
@LFC123 Together with your acceptance.
@theRealMesutOzil Congrats! No, merit aid is never reduced by anything, but need-based could be by outside scholarships and your merit award.
@GoldOwls Besides the financial benefits, are there any other benefits associated with the two scholarships you have? I know in some colleges, it can mean priority registrations, access to some opportunities, etc. Thanks.
Quick Question,
What happens if you receive a huge amount of outside scholarship and don’t notify the financial aid office?
Hey, I got the Trustee Distinguished Scholar award and I’m super torn between this, a full ride at GT (in-state) and UC Berkeley. I feel like this decision would be easier if I knew what I wanted to study, but I really don’t…
Im considering Computer Science and Public Policy… What do you know about the CS department? Is Rice good for undecided students?
@NathanBN For the Trustee, it’s just money. For the Century, it’s money and I get to conduct research as soon as I enter Rice, with pretty much any professor I want to because they recognize how selective it is to get chosen. There are a few exclusive social events- we get treated to meals at the tony faculty club- but other than that, no other benefits.
@WAITINGSOUL Well, you’re supposed to. They say that if they find out they’ll deduct that amount from your need-based package.
@banana72 I can’t recommend Rice more if you’re undecided. We have strong professors and overall a highly rigorous CS program, and industry recognizes that and recruits heavily on campus. I know grads going to Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Palantir, etc. after graduation. It’s pretty amazing, although we’re not historically known for CS.
Our policy studies major was recently announced to be changing into a social policy major. I don’t know much about the change, but you can look into it. Houston’s a great place to be studying policy, being in such a diverse and rapidly developing urban landscape, and there are definitely a lot of people on campus passionate about it.
Overall, I think Rice is amazing if you’re undecided. You can change majors very easily, unlike in a lot of big state schools where you’re stuck in the college you applied to. Rice’s distribution requirements are also very flexible, so you can dabble around until you find what you want to pursue and still be able to graduate on time. You can also double major or combine programs of study easily- I know plenty of people who have a STEM major and a completely unrelated humanities major.
@GoldOwls You mentioned that merit scholarships are used as recruiting tools. I’ve read the same. If you were advising a student with near perfect stats, would you recommend them apply ED or RD for the best chance of merit scholarships? TIA.
@bzss7x I don’t know what round the others applied, but I personally applied RD. My advice (for any school, not just Rice) would be to only apply ED if you’re 100% sure you’d like to go there, not just in hopes for getting a scholarship. You might end up getting accepted ED but without a scholarship. Good luck!
Do you know anyone who has received the Edgar Odell Lovett scholarship for foreign nationals? I am a foreign national (British citizen, Green-Card) and I was just wondering what kinds of things Rice looks into when deciding who gets those scholarships? Thanks.
@Jm208158 I don’t personally know an EOL Scholar. For any of the merit scholarships, basically, they have to really want you to attend. That probably means your numerical stats have to be at or above the accepted pool’s average, and your ECs/other softs have to be extremely above average. Other than that, no one outside of the admissions office really knows.
I’m a high school senior in America getting ready to apply to universities this fall. I took the ACT two times: last August, then again this April. My first score wasn’t so great (a 30), but then I improved ( /actually studied) this spring a got a 35!
I’m really happy with the 35, but I’m nervous because I know that they require you to send in your results from every time you’ve taken the exam. Do you know if my original score will hurt my chances of admission? Of course, there’s nothing I can do about it now, but I’m curious!
There is a way to delete ACT scores. http://blog.prepscholar.com/did-you-know-you-can-delete-act-scores-how-to-do-it
@helpyagirlout - I believe the requirement to send all scores is only for the SAT. Check with Rice admissions office. Even if you were to send both scores, there is no need to worry. Your 35 ACT is a very good score.
Since you recieved one, would you mind sharing what you think got you a merit scholarship? Whether it was an outstanding EC, your essay etc. It would be very helpful thanks.
Are any/many classes taught by graduate students at Rice? Do students have any difficulty getting into the classes they want?
@Jm208158 @prodesse
My daughter graduated a month ago, so maybe I can help a little. She received the Trustee Distinguished Scholarship and was a Century Scholar when she was accepted under the Early Decision program at the end of 2012. Things certainly could have changed over the years.
I doubt if anyone gets a big scholarship just because of what was written in the essay; I think it is a combination of everything. She was set on her major in the sciences, and she already had hands-on experience in a lab and was ready to go to work as a Century Scholar. Her high school in Texas seems to have a close relationship with Rice, which no doubt helped the process. She also had tippy-top test scores, and was in the top 5% of her very large graduating class. There were many years of science fair awards including a couple at the international level, and she qualified for URM status.
I don’t think she had any graduate students as the lead instructor for any classes. The only classes that were almost impossible to get were certain P.E. classes. The process of getting classes is fairly lengthy with people signing up for multiple classes and wait lists, and then dropping and adding classes as the deadline gets closer. It all eventually turned out fine, and she graduated on time with the same major that she signed up for as a freshman.
Good luck!
I’ve never heard of any grad students teaching classes at Rice, but there are sometimes postdoctoral fellows teaching classes.
Bump! I’m happy to answer any questions about Rice!
Do you by any chance know of anyone who has received their engineering merit scholarship? If so, do you know how much their scholarship was worth? I’m planning to major in biomedical engineering was wondering about things Rice looks at when deciding who gets scholarships (hopefully my 4 years of research experience will help a bunch?).
Also, just checking my understanding, but the merit scholarships stack right? I.E. if someone happened to get both the trustee and the engineering scholarship, they would add up. Thanks!
How’s Rice’s math/applied math program? In ur earlier post u stated that the two schools u could not change r the music and architecture, we r interested in learning the possibility of doing math/music double major or music minor, do you know whether it is feasible in Rice?
Love the residential college system. Thank you for ur help!
@darryltango Sorry, I don’t know anything about the engineering merit scholarship in particular- I think it might be new, I don’t recall seeing that on the website before. And yes, the merit scholarships stack, I know several people (myself included) who have two.
@makemesmart Rice’s math and applied math (CAAM) programs, as with basically all our departments, are quite good. The CAAM department was recently ranked #11 nationally.
It is theoretically possible to double major in math and an instrument at the Shepherd School, if you get into both. (The Shepherd School has its own audition process.) When pursuing dual degree programs that are so disparate, however, it may not be possible to graduate within four years, depending on how many credits you come in with and how many credits a major requires.
I will note that realistically, the time demand of being a “musi” is pretty high so I don’t personally know anyone who’s done that. I also don’t believe it is possible to minor in something at Shepherd, although you can definitely take classes there as a non-major.