So this is the situation:
I’m applying to Rice ED. I am from New York. In addition to this I am a URM (Hispanic) and a first generation student. Does this give me a slight advantage?
My stats are: SAT 1470 / UW GPA: 3.88 / Class Rank: My school doesn’t rank students
Rice, like most schools, may consider the fact that you’re Hispanic and a first generation student in your application and see these as factors that would positively contribute towards the school’s diversity. Obviously, what matters most is still your unique experiences, qualifications, and personality. I’m hesitant to say that it gives you an advantage; I would say that it gives you more experience to draw from in setting yourself apart from the rest of the application pool. In that way, it’s advantageous. If you feel that these “hooks” have shaped you and your personal experiences in a significant way that will help you contribute unique experiences to the Rice student body, then I would certainly expand on this in your application.
I agree with srabookworm above. I’m not sure any school in the Houston area would consider Hispanic URM as Hispanics are a majority here.
I would say if you were from Houston it wouldn’t be much of an advantage but since your from NY it should help.
Page 6 of the CDS states that State Residency and Racial/Ethnic status are “Considered”. A little over 14% of the ~3900 students at Rice are Hispanic. About 50% of students are from Texas.
Info here https://oir.rice.edu/Common_Data_Set/
At a recent information session, the admission officer said about 40% of the students are from Texas. The presentation indicated that in this year’s freshman class, 18% are Hispanic.
Some older data of the breakdown of students by state here http://oir.rice.edu/Historical_Facts/Students/Demographics__U_S_/
If you take out the internationals the data shows ~60% from Texas.
Texas then China #1 and #2
That is fascinating information, @ccsouth!
Dear ccsouth, I don’t see how you arrived at your conclusion that the second largest block of students after Texas comes from China. I don’t see any information in the chart you provide about the number of students from China. Also, your chart is a student demographic chart from 2001-2011, and if you look at the total number of students from 2004-2010, the student population increases from 4,073 in 2004 to 4,657 in 2011. First of all, Rice has never had an undergraduate population exceeding 4,000 students. In fact, in the early 2000s, Rice’s undergraduate population was only around 2,800. In the last twelve years, Rice made a significant effort to increase its undergraduate population, adding three new residential colleges, so that its undergraduate population is now around 3,950. Also, this year’s freshmen class of 1,048 students is the largest freshmen class Rice has ever admitted and has resulted in overcrowded residential colleges. Thus, as your chart indicates the number of students in 2011 to be 4,657 then that number must also include graduate students because, as I said, the undergraduate population at Rice has never exceeded 4,000. Here is a more current demographic chart for the most recently admitted undergraduate class: http://futureowls.rice.edu/futureowls/Freshman_Profile.asp
As you can see Texans comprise 42 percent of that undergraduate class, and though in the past it has averaged around 45 percent, your 60 percent figure is simply incorrect. Furthermore, as you can see from the chart, 61 students are from China, which comes to 5.8 percent of the total freshmen class population, which though high (China comprises 55 percent of the international student population), it certainly does not equate to China providing the second largest block of students. If you were to look at a current demographic chart by state, I’m sure you would find that California provides the second largest student population. I think this year’s class has around 200 students from California. And so your determinations that sixty percent of Rice students come from Texas and that the second largest student population comes from China are simply wrong. Yes, fascinating information if it were true, but it’s not.
Further for @NEC2022
At this link below you can go to “Enrollment Trends” by Program (Degree) Level and select the “Race/Ethnicity” and “Geographic Origin” variables
http://oir.rice.edu/Factbook/Students/Enrollment/Enrollment_Demographics/
@Maximilias ^^ chart of undergrads shows Texas with 1708 out of 3408 domestic students (50%) which drops to 44% when you add back in the 471 internationals.
The data directly from Rice is a pretty good foundation to learn about enrollment trends.
ccsouth, yes, I know it’s Rice’s chart. I referred to it as “the chart you provide.” I guess I should have said the Rice chart you provide. And I did finally find the tab connecting me to the geographic distribution of foreign students listing the 392 Chinese Nationals at Rice, and so yes, based on the information in the chart you’re correct. Sorry about that. But your information is misleading for two reasons. Firstly, the Rice chart you provide tracks demographic information from 2001-2011. Thus, the information in that chart is at best six years old, and, the numbers capture trends from 17 to 6 years ago. Secondly, this site is here mainly to provide information to prospective Rice undergraduates. Thus, to claim that 60 percent of the students at Rice are from Texas without mentioning that the 60 percent figure includes graduate students and that it’s based on information that is six years old and older is misleading. Yes, I agree: Rice has a disproportionate number of students who are Chinese Nationals, many of them graduate students. This is likely also the case at MIT and Cal Tech. But as an undergraduate at Rice, I don’t interact with many graduate students, but the undergraduate Chinese Nationals I do interact with are incredibly bright and fun and a great addition to Rice.
“Some older data of the breakdown of students by state here”. I Iinked to their chart for the OP to review. I am fairly certain any student of Rice caliber can interpret their charts. Other than to refute the data provided by Rice or the manner in which I referenced/linked to it, do you have any information of value to the OP?
Freshman profiles
Class of 2021
Asian American 29%
Caucasian 29%
Hispanic 18%
International Citizens 11%
African American 7%
Multiracial 5%
Unknown 1%
Native American <1%
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander <1%
Texas 42%
Out-of-state/U.S. Territories/International 58%
Class of 2020
Caucasian 36%
Asian American 25%
Hispanic 16%
International Citizens 11%
African American 7%
Multiracial 3%
Unknown 3%
Native American <1%
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander <1%
Texas 43%
Out-of-state/U.S. Territories/International 57%
Class of 2019
Asian American 26%
Caucasian 37%
Hispanic 13%
African American 6%
Native American <1%
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander <1%
Multiracial 4%
International Citizens 12%
Texas 42%
Out-of-state/U.S. Territories/International 58%
Class of 2018
Asian American 26%
Caucasian 36%
Hispanic 12%
African American 8%
Native American <1%
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander <1%
Multiracial 5%
International Citizens 12%
Texas 45%
Out-of-state/U.S. Territories/International 55%
Class of 2017
Asian American 21%
Caucasian 37%
Hispanic 17%
African American 6%
Native American <1%
Multiracial 4%
International Citizens 14%
Texas 46%
Out-of-state/U.S. Territories/International 54%
Class of 2016
Asian American 22%
Caucasian 39%
Hispanic 16%
African American 7%
Multiracial 5%
Native American 0%
International 10%
Out of State/US Territories/International 57%
Texas 43%
Class of 2015
Asian American 21%
Caucasian 40%
Hispanic 19%
African American 7%
Multiracial 5%
Native American <1%
International 10%
Out of State/US Territories/International 55%
Texas 45%
Class of 2014
Asian American 22%
Hispanic 11%
African American 6%
Multiracial 5%
Native American <1%
International 11%
Out of State/US Territories/International 56%
Texas 44%
Source: https://futureowls.rice.edu/futureowls/Freshman_Profile.asp and https://web.archive.org
ccsouth, fair enough. Your question to me: do you have any information of value to the OP? I don’t think the information I provided in my post was irrelevant. And so my question to you: what is your point in your post, which I assume is somehow a response to NEC2022’s question, “Do I have an advantage?” since it appears on his thread. Are you suggesting that he somehow has a better chance if he is a Texan or a Chinese National?
Faulkner1897, thank you for your post with demographic information of Rice freshmen classes for the last eight years, which shows clearly that in those eight years the population of students from Texas has never exceeded 46 percent and in those eight years has averaged 43.75, and in the last four years has averaged 43 percent, which would accurately reflect the entire present undergraduate population at Rice. That is a far cry from 60 percent. And while the Asian population perhaps trends high in those eight years (high when compared to an American Asian population that comprises between five and six percent of the US population), a good percentage of those students I assume are Chinese nationals. I am hopeful that in the future Rice admissions makes a greater effort to admit and recruit more African American students so that they comprise a population percentage at our school that is more representative of their population in our country. But I have no control over such things. And so, Mr. ccsouth (or is it Ms.ccsouth?) that’s some additional information I have offered.
It is significant that this year the number of Asian American students equals the number of Caucasian students for the first time. Rice is ranked number one in the Princeton Review for race and class diversity. Rice also has about an equal number of males and females. One reason my daughter chose Rice was for its diversity. For example in my freshman daughter’s suite there are 6 females: 4 Texans, 1 from NYC and 1 from Beijing. The suite has 3 Caucasians, 2 Asians and 1 Hispanic. The suite looks pretty much like Rice. Like @Maximilias, I wish there were more African American students at Rice. However, I am sure Rice is doing whatever it can to recruit URM students through SOAR. Questbridge etc.