<p>Classof2018app I think they give Fee waivers so more Students apply, something to do with their Rankings if more students apply I guess… I think they target students with higher ACT, SAT and AP scores…</p>
<p>I thought Rice didn’t release till April 1st so I wasn’t too nervous yet but after reading this thread, light anxiety has started… I’m from NM and Rice is one of my top choices, fingers crossed for tomorrow!! </p>
<p>Oh, and I got like 700s on my SATs, 30 on ACTs and 3’s on APs (so overall pretty lousy) and I got a fee waiver so I genuinely doubt it had anything to do with scores… </p>
<p>Less than 24 hours. :(|) </p>
<p>I requested for an interview, but never got one. So I got an email saying that my interview was waived, meaning that the interview is an important aspect.</p>
<p>I think number Of APs, not scores, is what they determined waivers by</p>
<p>@Apushed96 same with my case. In my email, they said it has been noted in my file. I think the request showed that we’re genuinely interested in Rice, and that the waiver of the interview is just as important as the actual interview. The lack of alumni in my area meant that an interview was not going to happen. </p>
<p>Since acceptance rates tend to loosely equate to better schools rice is probably trying to lower their rate. Keep in mind that just because more qualified people apply doesn’t always mean that they go and so the yeild rate may be lower so the acceptance rate may not fall as much (at least I certainly hope) plus by giving a fee waivers people may genuinely find they like the school which aids rice too. Honestly when it comes down to it they’re going to look at your application not these little tiny things. For every tiny benefit one person has they lack another so it comes down mainly to you as a total person. </p>
<p>Is it a good thing or a bad thing that I requested an interview but got an email back about there not being anyone in my area? </p>
<p>@Jhsu320 It is such a bad thing! Oh my god. You must as well give up hope on everything to do with Rice.</p>
<p>In case you didn’t catch the sarcasm, it is noted in your app that the interview is waived.</p>
<p>I just figured there wouldn’t be anyone in my area (northern Florida) so I didn’t even bother to request an interview, and by the time I convinced myself that maybe I should give it a try, the deadline for requests was so close I decided it wasn’t worth it. If I don’t get in, I feel like my lack of interview will be one of the main reasons for it. (I probably would’ve put my foot in my mouth anyway.)</p>
<p>Also, I didn’t even know Rice sent out fee waivers until now. If it’s not random, then it’s probably SAT Subject Tests rather than APs; I’ve taken a lot of them and have done really well, so going by that logic, I would’ve gotten one if that were the case. I never even took any SAT IIs. I’d like to know the truth behind it…</p>
<p>My interview sucked. My interviewer said I was the first applicant in my area for 5 years. I tried asking him if his chemical engineering degree from Rice had helped in his current career or any other aspects of his life, and he retorted that he was a furniture store owner and salesman… erm… AWKWARD. He then told about how I couldn’t possibly like Rice, and why was I even applying, if I had never visited. He just did not like that fact apparently. He had been there before it was even co-ed, and so I couldn’t ask him about any of the campus life because he just stared at me and said he was too busy actually working his butt off to pay the tuition fees by being a dishwasher in the Rice kitchens to even be able to participate in any campus life. He had only applied because where he grew up, that’s where everyone applied. He started then complaining about kids going there who were wealthy, and wealthy people in general, and the entire interview deteriorated from there… I really, really hope the interview plays a small part, because he just seemed bitter to me.</p>
<p>Also, why is he an interviewer for Rice? He sounded like he was trying to dissuade me from Rice by telling me that the academics were so hard that there was no time for anything else. All of the EC’s he had heard about (but never had time to participate in) were the type who never met. He talked for a really long time about how science and math-centric the curriculum used to be, and how terribly difficult everything was. What in the world?!</p>
<p>Are decisions for sure for sure going up tomorrow? </p>
<p>24 hours from decision time…hopefully. Good luck to everyone. I’m panicking. Rice is absolutely my number 1 choice. While I’ve gotten into a few top schools, I have been absolutely obsessed with going to Rice for the past year. I feel like I didn’t demonstrate enough interest. All I did was request an interview (didn’t get one). I’m a URM and I didn’t get invited to Visions 
. These are going to be a long 24 hours. And I’m on spring break so I don’t have school to distract me tomorrow. </p>
<p>Wait regular decission applicants for rice get their answer tomorrow? Wether you are in or not?</p>
<p>@Smaestro That’s the current prediction that most of us are making. No one knows for sure though</p>
<p>@Jhsu320, I’m from NM too! </p>
<p>Also, SO nervous for decisions. ;_;</p>
<p>So, what facts do we have backing up the possibility of a tomorrow release?</p>
<p>I live in TEXAS, turned in my app by Dec. 15, and STILL didn’t get an interview. </p>
<p>This is what the fee waiver email said:</p>
<p>Congratulations on your outstanding performance on the Advanced Placement exams. We learned of your scores through the College Board, and we hope you will give serious consideration to applying to Rice. Our Advanced Placement policy awards credit to fours and fives on most AP exams. This generous policy enables our students to easily incorporate study abroad, double major, or simply take more elective courses.</p>
<p>As an additional reward for your hard work and success in AP courses, Rice will waive the $75 application fee normally required of all applicants. We are an exclusive user of the Common Application. To activate your application fee waiver from the Common Application, go to the My Colleges tab and select Questions from the left navigation menu. In the General section, select “I have been offered a Rice application fee waiver by the Office of Admission” for the school-specific fee waiver question.</p>
<p>and there’s more but that’s the gist of it</p>
<p>@dragonflymusic sweet! What school do you go to?? </p>