<p>How much does geographic location help for Rice? I've been thinking about applying for quite awhile now, but looking through the test scores on their website and the chances threads here I'm afraid that my test scores are below average. But then I saw their neat map with the location of the freshmen class and noticed there wasn't one person from my state and few from the surrounding states. So does it help coming from an unrepresented area? </p>
<p>By the way I'm from Utah. Then again I'm asian so any benefit would cancel out, right?</p>
<p>I think it actually factors in A LOT! A few years ago I remember one CC poster who got into Rice from Alaska with stats a fair amount below the average stats. And it's no secret that Rice is trying to increase its draw from outside of Texas.</p>
<p>Well, seeing how about half of Rice's undergrads are from Texas and how Rice is indeed trying to increase its geographic diversity, I would think that anyone outside of Texas would have a reasonable shot (provided that their stats are decent). </p>
<p>Then again, geographic location is only one factor in the admissions process.</p>
<p>I think being out of state does help your chances, but not THAT much. Work on the other parts of your application: awesome essays, strong extra curriculars, good recommendations, an awesome box, etc. </p>
<p>New York is the state that gives Rice the third-highest number of students. However, New York is also the third-biggest state in terms of population, so it kind of makes sense.</p>