<p>Does Rice do interest tracking? For example, if you visit Rice and show interest are you more likely to get in?</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>Yes, I think they do.</p>
<p>How can you show interest if you live too far away to visit? Does Rice do regional info sessions around the country? I've been on their mailing list for a long time, but so far that's the only way I've been shown interest.</p>
<p>I wouldn't worry about it too much, I live in TX and it's almost too far away, haha. It's about a 9-10 hour drive from where I live.</p>
<p>I sent them all my AP scores. Dunno if that helps. I also requested a bunch of Rice material and went to one of their info sessions.</p>
<p>When I was applying to schools I wanted to go to Rice and I had my profile in the local newspaper, one of the questions was about what I planned on doing in the near and/or distant future and I mentioned that I wanted to go to Rice and then become a doctor and then save the world. </p>
<p>I sent in the clipping in with my application. I got in, but I don't know if that had anything to do with my article. If anything, it at least gave them a little more information about myself and they could see more of my personality.</p>
<p>I do not think Rice has interest tracking. I can't think of one way I actually 'demonstrated interest' in attending Rice besides the application and fee I sent them. I did visit the school, but this was after I was accepted (I decided to wait and only visit the schools I was accepted to in order to save time and money). Most of the top schools specifically note that demonstrated interest is not a factor in admissions. I know this is true at many of the Ivys and Stanford, just from my own memory. I assume if the Rice admissions webpage does not mention demonstrated interest, it is probably not important. It's not like WUSTL or anything, if that's what you asking. </p>
<p>Btw, I didn't even do an interview, probably because I was out of state. But I remember Rice saying its interview was informative (aka you find out information about the school) rather than evaluative (its used for admissions). So that's my two cents.</p>
<p>hmmm where can you find out for certain whether Rice does interest tracking?</p>
<p>it doesn't really matter either way. express interest, and you're covered.</p>
<p>Ways to express interest without visiting include requesting to be on the mailing list, writing your admissions rep with a good question, attending a rice in your area info session, etc.</p>
<p>If they didn't do interest tracking, why would they keep records of who visited and when? Why would they save the e-mails you send? Why would they put the thank you notes you sent to your interviewer in your file? Why would they ask on the application what contact you've had with Rice? Why would they ask you to sign in at Rice info sessions away from Rice? They actually do most or all of these things. So I would think that they do interest tracking.</p>
<p>Here's a link to the Rice in Your Town schedule: <a href="http://www.futureowls.rice.edu/futureowls/Rice_In_Your_Town.asp%5B/url%5D">http://www.futureowls.rice.edu/futureowls/Rice_In_Your_Town.asp</a></p>
<p>One way my D showed interest was to designate Rice as one of her two schools for National Merit last spring. They replied recently with a letter of congratulations and a waiver for the application fee :)</p>
<p>^ Seriously? Never happened to me.</p>
<p>Seriously! She got the letter this week. She had previously sent them her SAT scores too, don't know if that made a difference or not.</p>
<p>entomom, that's what I did too! They also told me they'd waive the application fee (which I very much appreciated). One question that I have though: I'm applying online, and I don't know if it will let me work on Part II of the application if I don't pay. Will it automatically recognize that my fee is waived, or is there another way to let the online application system know that they waived my fee?</p>
<p>billy,
Sorry, but I haven't made it to the logistics of the fee waiver yet. I don't recall if they said how to do it in the letter, I'll have to go back and reread it. My D was planning on using the CA, so she'll have to figure out how to submitt it without paying. I'll get back to you if I figure it out.</p>
<p>somewhat unrelated to interest tracking, but there are two schools you can designate for national merit? i've always heard of simply a "first-choice" school. i want to go to rice, but one of my safety schools offers many, many benefits for those who designate it as the first-choice school. so i don't really know what to do.</p>
<p>after the PSAT in your junior year, if you're in the 99th percentile or thereabouts you'll get a letter in the spring telling you you're a semifinalist and they'll give you a code to go to a website and it'll let you tell two schools about your superawesomeness. ftj331, it might be for the Finalist phase that you only get to tell one school--I dont know cuz I haven't been there yet.</p>
<p>Actually, the choice of two schools is for all National Merit Commended scorers, and is unrelated to your first choice upon becoming a semifinalist.</p>
<p>I applied online with the waived application fee, but I don't remember how that worked.</p>
<p>The choice of 2 schools is for both commended and semi-finalists, as they won't announce the state cutoffs until this fall. Later, they will request that you designate one school, and there's plenty of time to change your mind on which school you select.</p>
<p>Yes, exactly.</p>
<p>So if we got a waived application fee do we just send in Part I without any money?</p>