Chance me for Rice ED 2024?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Rice University
1

To give a bit of context, I am a female Hispanic living in an “under-resourced” border town along Mexico.

I realize this list may be a bit too robust, sorry for the potentially long read!

ACT: 33 (E: 36, R:36, S:35, M: 26)
(I am worried about my lower math score)

GPA:
Weighted: 98/100
Unweighted: 3.7/4.0
My GPA is definitely the weakest aspect of my application. I dealt with a few debilitating personal issues during my freshman & sophomore years that I discussed in my Common Application essay, but there has been a significant improvement in my grades. Last year, I was able to earn all (high) A’s in my courses.

AP’s:
-Biology
-English 3: Lang&Comp
-English 4: Lit&Comp
-Chemistry
-Psychology
-APUSH
-Calculus AB
-Statistics
-Physics 1
-Macroeconomics
-US Government
-I’m advanced in my English courses, so I’m currently taking World Literature & Advanced English studies as Dual-Enrollment as an “English 5” course.

Essays:
My essays might be the strongest components of my application. I wrote and revised them over the course of several weeks, getting feedback from current Rice students as well as Rice professors (I attended a program there this summer, two English professors there offered to read my essays). In short, they’re (hopefully) as polished as they could have been. I’ve been told that my Common App essay is strong & “poetic” as well.

EC’s:
-Student Council President
-Pan American Student Forum Vice President (Cultural education club)
-NHS (3-year member)
-Writer & communications leader for a local border advocacy organization.
-Church Council Treasurer
-Co-Founder & President of my school’s Bible Study Club
-Poetry Club (I write a lot of poetry, and have been published)
-Technology Student Association (a STEM-based competitive event, I’ve placed 1st at State & advanced to Semi’s at Nationals)
-200+ volunteer hours at a local hospital
-Part-time job in fast food

Awards:
-AP Scholar w/ Distinction
-National Hispanic Scholar
-National Scholastic Poetry Competition Silver Key (2nd Place)
-Published poetry in an anthology
-Published poetry in a local literary magazine

I also participated in a research internship at Rice this summer and worked with postdoc researchers. I applied as an English & Biology double major with a minor in Poverty, Justice, & Human Capabilities. :slight_smile:

2

Which school within Rice did you apply to? Humanities or Natural Sciences?

3

I applied to the school of Natural Sciences; I listed Biology as my first major.

4

Your ACT/GPA scores are slightly below the Rice average but your extracurriculars are solid and being a URM will also work to your advantage as Rice makes very heavy use of affirmative action in its admissions decisions. Your personal story sounds more compelling than most as well. I’d give you an above-average chance of admission. Best wishes and good luck!

5

I think you’ve got a solid shot. I have no qualifications in saying this however. I think essays are 50% of the application, so if yours are as well-written as you say, you have every chance of being accepted! Good luck