<p>Hi...my son is applying ID (Social Sciences) and we realize how tough it is to get into Rice. Does he have a reasonable chance?</p>
<p>Upstate NY
Rank 6/340 4.5 weighted GPA AP's x 2 last year Chem / History both 5's
taking 3 AP's now
SAT's best 790 (verbal) and 760 (math)
ACT's 35 composit
SAT II's 800 writing, 780 Chem, 760 History
Good EC's most notable Boy's State, NHS, Camp Counselor at Science Camp x 2 years
Fences
National Merit Semi-Finalist
Visited this fall and had interview</p>
<p>Thanks...we've heard so many stories of how tough it is....</p>
<p>I guess you two don't belong in this forum and must be things are different where you live. Unfortunately we've seen many with similar get turned down by their top choice schools and I was asking about the SS school. I guess you also failed to read the number that get turned down with perfect SAT's. We're trying to figure out where else he should apply. Rice usually has about 50% Texas residents and we're not...I guess you haven't heard the 8000+ applications down to 750 students but from your post and others I've read I can tell a lot about you. Good luck in your search...hope it's as easy as you think it will be...</p>
<p>If you can't take a forum seriously you shouldn't participate...</p>
<p>Rice is an excellent school. But in terms of selectivity, it's not Harvard. </p>
<p>It should be obvious that not many out-of-staters will have records comparable to your son's. I'll throw out an arbitrary number and say he has a 90% chance of admission.</p>
<p>With stats like that, it IS easy to get into Rice.</p>
<p>Interesting that when I read other stats info posted on other threads including those of the above posters it sometimes goes on for pages...no bragging on our part intended. We've just watched talented kids be told they can get in anywhere and it's not the truth...read Admissions Confidential. I was trully trying to assess his chances as an out of stater. But his stats are not that remarkable where we live...</p>
<p>jpps 1 ~ Why Rice...we liked the school, the Oxford like residential system, the focused kids, the smallness but opportunities. We like Texas! My son isn't a party goer and doesn't want a frat and sorority scene. It just felt good. We though that perhaps not being a Texan might not help the chances. Anyway like above stated his stats are not that remarkable up here and many get turned down from top schools. In fact one student two years ago with similar stats was turned down repeatedly. And yes we think of the Ivy League especially in this area and that isn't really what he wants. Rice seemes like a nice blend.</p>
<p>i know why you posted, rice is nice! but the fact is that your son has as good of a chance as almost anybody applying! check out the numbers on the website, 40% of applicants in the top 5% of their class get in... also your son is above the 75th percentile by 40 points on the SAT. What do you want us to tell you? NOOO THOSE STATS ARE MADE UP! top statistical applicants get rejected because of essays, EC's, and rec's. FIND SOME WAY TO IMPRESS AN ADCOM! 1550 wont seal the deal, they want to have proof in the person's talents, rec's and essays can do that. I bet a lot of the top applicant get ****y with their applications, writing their essays half ass... thats why they are rejected. tell him to WRITE GOOD ESSAYS, AND be humble (as in writing about a personal flaw, or something he needs to work on instead of writing about how great he is)</p>
<p>Yes I thought this post was a joke, why? any person can check rice.edu and interpret the data themselves.</p>
<p>Anyone can check the stats and we have but they what they don't tell you is much more important. Since there are current Rice students on this site they can tell you how they compared and why or why not people they know got in. He is extremely modest probally to a fault and has worked hard on his essays. How great he is would never enter his mind and that is why I was trying to get more information. (clearly for some of you that wouldn't be a problem) He is really concerned that he doesn't have a saftey school and that he won't get in to the schools he applied to. He isn't interested in our state schools. </p>
<p>I am sorry if I misjudged you but I don't need to feel good about my family by visiting this site or posting stats. Clearly there are many here with honest questions and as I said above...our community is filled with stats equal to and better than his. Consider yourself lucky if that isn't the case for you. By the way Princeton review rates Rice as a reach school for him...Enough said and thanks for your information...Best wishes in your search</p>
<p>I'm sorry that you got such a poor response from the people on this forum. </p>
<p>I am also from NY, had fairly similar stats, and I too was nervous about my admission. I can definitely relate to both you and your son. While I wouldn't ever take admission for granted, I think your son really does have an excellent shot. </p>
<p>He may also get nice merit scholarships, which would be great. Rice offers a trustee's distinguished scholarship that is $8000 per year for 4 years, century scholars which is $3,000 per year for the 1st 2 years plus a guaranteed research mentorship, the Barbara Jordan Scholarship for people who have worked to build bridges to minority communities, and there may be a few others as well. Rice is also a National Merit school.</p>
<p>Your son sounds so much like me, especially when you said how he isn't a real partier and welcomes the fact that rice has no fraternities or sororities. Rice and Houston provide a lot of fun things for the non-drinker, and I love Rice, but in the interests of full disclosure, I must tell you that there is quite a lot of drinking at Rice. No one will ever force you to take part, and they will always respect your decision to abstain, I can tell you that from personal experience. However, the culture of drinking on this campus has surprised me. Not that it will be any different at most other colleges. </p>
<p>It is good that you have clear reasons for picking Rice. They sound similar to my reasons - I too was not that excited by the Ivy League (which my peers thought was almost heretical!) but at Rice I have found a really great college experience. It has been almost exactly what I was looking for.</p>
<p>Best of luck! I hope to meet your son in a few months!</p>
<p>Juniormom-
I was last year where you are now-- sweating out the application process. We always wonder if our kid's scores, EC's etc. despite how strong, are "good enough". My s. applied and was accepted ED to Rice. He LOVES it, for all the reasons you describe. We are also from out of state, which I think is a benefit. Rice is proud of the number of National Merit Scholars they have, so I think this is a further plus for you (most semifinalists make it to finalist/scholar status). Bright, well rounded students, especially those with community service are attractive to schools like Rice. Good luck!!</p>
<p>Thanks you so much jenskate 1...that is exactally the kind of information and the type of person I was hoping to talk to. I am not surprised that there is some drinking at Rice it seems that happens everywhere. It's good that it can be a personal choice though. Do you miss NYS or are you enjoying the balmy weather? Have you gotten home at all or had family down? Do you like the residential campus system and did you apply ED or ID? Sorry so many questions...</p>
<p>I really appreciate your response, thank you. I realize that some might think there are other motivating reasons for posting but we are so busy right now we are just trying to help him through this decision making process. By the way what is your field of interest? When we were in Houston they said there was only one or two students from our area. Is it hard being a New Yorker?</p>
<p>Thanks to you also JYM626...so glad to hear your son loves it too! When we were at Rice students spoke to us and said hello.Much different than other campuses we were on!</p>
<p>Juniormom, I didn't mean to offend you in any way. I honestly think that your son is above a "what are my chances" type of post because his stats are pretty far above those of a typical Rice applicant. I realize that Rice rejects a good number of 1600 scorers, but I would still say that your son has a 75+% shot. I don't know what you meant by saying that I don't belong on this forum...did I sound elitist? Stupid? Immature? Things tend to be misunderstood on message boards, and by asking if your son had a "reasonable chance" at Rice, you sounded almost like you were fishing for compliments. Anyways, YES your son has a GREAT chance at Rice and MANY other schools (HYP, anyone?). I'm sure he'll get in somewhere amazing, so don't worry.</p>
<p>I both miss NY and am enjoying the weather. I think it's lovely that I can go outside and play tag with the fourth graders that I mentor without a coat on and that there are still impatients and petunias in bloom here. But I do think it would be sad to go totally without snow! I am hoping that it snows when I am home for winter break. </p>
<p>I am going home for Thanksgiving next week and am so excited! I have not been home since August. My parents did get to come for parents weekend in October, but I haven't seen my siblings or my friends from high school in months!</p>
<p>The residential college system is one of Rice's great strengths. You get to meet so many people so fast, and then you turly become part of that smaller community within the larger university setting. Also, having the college masters around is really fantastic. Although a lot of teenagers might not admit it, it is nice to see some "grown-ups" every once in a while.</p>
<p>I applied ED, but I don't think that matters a huge amount, actually.</p>
<p>I am going to study either Cognitive Science or Psychology, with Healthcare Policy. I am Pre-Med.</p>
<p>Apparently there are 62 undergrad NY'ers at Rice right now. There is another freshman from NY 3 doors down from me in my dorm. That said, I am the only one here from my high school (among all classes), and only one of 2 freshman from LI. Sometimes, I do think about how I could have gone to Cornell, and been with about 15 freshman from my high school. But then, when I actually think about why I chose to come here - the small environment with big research opps, the low cost, the combined BA/MD program, the city, the college system, the lack of frats - I realize how truly lucky I am to be here.</p>
<p>If you have more questions, please post them or you can e-mail me!</p>
<p>Jen, Jym, anybody else:
My D loved a visit she made to Rice. Her reasons for being interested in Rice -- as a sort of non-Ivy, Ivy-alternative -- are somewhat similar to Jen's. However, she has one deep concern: whether Rice is so much of a science, math, engineering, pre-med type of campus that liberal arts majors are sort of an afterthought. Clearly, Rice's academic reputation comes from these science/math areas. While my D loves both science and math, she's most interested in pursuing English. Please tell me: from what you can tell, is the English program respected? Also, I know first-hand of other campus cultures where the prevailing science/math orientation leads to humanities majors being something of second-class citizens -- anything of the sort happen at Rice?
Thank you for your candid responses.</p>
<p>I think your daughter would be fine if she was an english major at Rice. I would recommend the English Freshman Seminars pretty highly and (English Professor) Dr. Dennis Huston is very, very highly thought of on campus. </p>
<p>That said - Rice students do traditionally engage in some lighthearted ribbing of their "academ" classmates (as opposed to SE's - science and engineering students). If your daughter will be bothered by this, she shouldn't come. But really, it's all in good fun. </p>
<p>Why Rice over LACs better known for humanities, though?</p>
<p>Jen- Thanks again for your comments and I will post again after giving it some thought! I appreciate your thoughts!</p>
<p>cavalier302- We have been mainly on CC through Service Academy discussions, another strong interest of my son's and postings there are very upfront and comments like yours would / are perceived as very rude. I guess because of our conversations on the other boards I was surprised by your comments especially from someone in the same process who posted pretty long stats himself. His stats are not exceptional where we live, in his school or at the places he has applied. After going through the multiple applications a Service Academy requires you don't have a lot of confidence as you look at other schools as the process is so entirely different. He has written over 20 essays so far. Rice is a strong choice for him if he were lucky enough to be accepted. Honestly gaining insight from others is helpful but not from those that feel you have other motivations. You are correct, you can't read or understand everything in this type of communication forum but your comments weren't very nice. I hope that you are lucky to get in you ED school (Princeton right?)...HYP aren't for my son but they are where many of his friends are applying. As long as you're happy it will work out fine. Best of luck to you.</p>
<p>DudeD- One of the things my son liked about Rice / similar to the Service Academies is the ability to pursue the humanaties along with math/science and engineering. It is possible to get a BS and have a humanities background. He is interested in History and IR. It's a real bonus in the job market.</p>