<p>Hey guys,</p>
<p>I'm working on my Rice app right now and I still can't figure out what to put for the "have you applied to any other colleges" question. I don't want to lie and say that I'm not applying to any others, but lots of the other ones I am applying to are ivies and I really don't want that doesn't to affect my decision. I got accepted to Yale early action, and I'm really not sure if putting that down will help or hurt? What did you guys do?</p>
<p>I honestly wrote down the colleges that I applied to. Like you, I had several ivies, but I also had an equal amount of non-ivies. Just be straightfoward and write down what you have.</p>
<p>I even wrote down all the colleges that I applied to. But why would anyone apply to Rice if they have gotten into Yale?</p>
<p>Other than the fact that Rice is much cheaper and gives some merit aid, I can't imagine why anyone would apply to Rice if they had gotten into Yale.</p>
<p>Or Houston vs. New Haven weather, I suppose.</p>
<p>I think I'm just gonna write it all down, I pray that it won't hurt me.</p>
<p>I am still applying to Rice because of 1.) merit aid 2.) I've never visited Yale (or any other school on my list except for UIUC) so come April, I want to have a good pool to choose from (hopefully!)</p>
<p>Hmm well, even if it DOES hurt you... it doesn't matter because you still have Yale to go to! :)</p>
<p>I don't understand why they ask that question anyway! grr</p>
<p>my counselor advised me to leave it blank, which is what i did. don't know if that was a smart move or not. i guess i'll see come 2/10.</p>
<p>they ask this question to make sure you're applying to schools of similar types (research)...to make sure that you're not applying to the art institute of ---- or the police academy....</p>
<p>My dad's lifelong advice to me:</p>
<p>"Oh what a tangled web we weave,
When first we practice to deceive."</p>
<p>Honesty is always the best policy!!</p>
<p>ahhh...the why would anybody pick rice over an ivy question is so frustrating to me, since I am asked it all the time. In case anyone asked this question and actually wanted an answer, I will give MY answer - i'm sure this differs for each applicant.</p>
<p>I don't want to pay $45,000 per year to go to an institution that focuses on graduate students and have 200 or 300 person lectures taught by TA's. I want the research opportunities of a university, and I want them as a freshman. I want a shot at a combined medical program. I want laid back, non-competitive students, and I refuse to dress up to go to class. I want to get away from snow and ice. I don't want frats. I don't care about prestige, and I know that Rice is giving me an amazing education.</p>
<p>Jen is right. It is to your advantage to put them all down. Rice does not care about yield and seems to view HYP, Stanford, MIT and Duke both as peers and as a challenge that it is eager to accept. Rather than rejecting you because you have been accepted to Yale, Rice is more likely to try to pry you away by offering you an opportunity for an equal, if not better, undergraduate education for about one-third the price.</p>
<p>Thanks for all your replies. I answered the question with complete honesty and put down all the schools on my list =). Hey, I'm just following the Rice Honor Code ;). Now that I think about it, I really don't think the question matters all that much anyways.</p>
<p>I was sort of plagued by this question as well, but I figured that if I fudged it, I'd be having nagging guilt for approximately forever. So I just put it all down.</p>
<p>As I recall, the space provided on the application was not sufficient for the number of schools on my list. So, I listed as many as would fit (about 5).</p>
<p>I applied interim, before I found out that I got into Yale and after double and triple-checking to make sure it was okay with SCEA. I put down HYP along with UT Austin, Wash U, UNC, and Duke.</p>
<p>Well, when I was applying ID to Rice, I didn't know the full extent of colleges I was going to end up applying to. Basically, I had Princeton, UPenn, Dartmouth, Duke, Rutgers, and a couple of others ... it was a fair representation of what I applied to. I did do quite a few of my applications after mid-December, so I was as honest as possible with what I was going for at the time. </p>
<p>Although I'm wondering what Rice is going to think, actually. Do they care a whole lot about yield? From looking at the selectivity rank on USNWR (as BS as it may be), and it's rated very highly, meaning it admits lots of students with very nice numbers. I also know Rice's yield is on the low side (33% ID/RD). So I'm not completely sure what to make of it.</p>
<p>I don't know too much about the admissions process at Rice. I'm really hoping it's not overly yield driven, because I hope they understand that many students in the NE are going to think about colleges closer to home first, and that Rice may be a top choice, but that it might not be their very top choice. </p>
<p>I just hope they appreciate more brutal honesty than anything else in terms of that question. Especially because it's unfair to the student when the most highly selective colleges assume that a student will get in and go somewhere else. (Not saying that it exists at Rice ... but I'm merely saying that if it does, I don't support it).</p>
<p>Joey</p>
<p>to be honest, I wrote down two state universities (which I didn't apply to) one school I applied too one and MIT EA... I neglected to mention some others... Also my essay didn't answer the question because it was desgined for the common app, but commonapp.org wouldn't let me submit on the 15th (15th is the deadline!). Not starting off on a good foot now am I?</p>