Help me! I'm stuck with a situation! I want to go to Rice University :)

Chance Me / Match Me!
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<p>Hey guys, first post. As you guys can see from my CC name, I am passionate about Architecture and would like to major in it. Here goes...</p>

<p>So, my name is Michael, I was born in Ethiopia, moved to the US when i was 4, and have lived there to this day. I'm currently a sophomore at a challenging private school and my dream school is Rice University. I'm serious when I say dream school. I mean, if I got into M.I.T AND Rice, I would chose Rice (that's how serious I am when I say Rice is my dream school). Let me give you some background before I present my problem!</p>

<p>9th grade - Freshman Newbie
- I did "meh"
- offered no AP's but I took all the Pre- AP's and took the hardest possible classes to challenge myself.
- 3.75 GPA weighted. 4.00 unweighted first semester and I believe a 3.97 second semester.
- I placed 3rd in JCL (Junior Classical Latin League) district in Roman History
- My school is really small and really doesn't offer many EC's or leadership positions (there are no clubs... student council is pretty rigged because the richest/Mr. Popular gets nominated president and his buddies get the other slots).</p>

<p>HERE'S THE PROBLEM:</p>

<p>10th grade has been really hard for me. As soon as 9th grade came to a close, my parents began to fight. When I would come home from school, they would already be fighting.The police would come on occasion and I would be in my room, telling my little brother that it would all be okay, but it wasn't. I began to get really depressed and I couldn't concentrate at all. The most frustrating thing about it was that my parents continued to live together and they would never talk about their feelings in a calm manner; it seemed like they just wanted to argue. I can truly say that it was the worst summer of my life. As summer came to a close, I was emotionally drained. I thought school would be like last year, but then I realized it wasn't. As soon as I got my first papers back, I saw my GPA's plummet. Instead of all A's, I had all A's and B's. Then some A's, then lots of B's, and some C's. My first semester GPA was a 3.53 weighted. As soon as I saw my GPA when the semester ended, I began to cry. I felt like I was going at 10%. 9th grade felt like I was going at 60%. I wanted to show Rice my 110%, but I couldn't. I felt like my life was crumbling in my hands. This year came along and my second semester with it. GPA's didn't change. In fact, they are growing worse. My GPA is currently a 3.37 weighted and I feel so stupid. I feel worthless. I'm taking private art lessons after school and that's the only time when I feel happy. When I'm designing a contemporary building, I feel alive. Worth something. My parents recently got divorced and are now not anywhere near each other so life is getting easier. This year I feel like I'm at 5%. Next year, I'm going to be moving to a public school and the thing is I'm really considering repeating 10th grade since my GPA is horrific, I had no EC's, and no leadership positions. Can you please tell me what you guys would do if you were in my position with the passion I have to go to Rice. Rice wants a well rounded student with good EC's, excellent test scores, wonderful leadership positions, and interest in their school as well as interest in a certain area of work. Again, please give me feedback on if you recommend repeating or to continue high school and explain why. I would really appreciate it! </p>

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<p>1) pick up a Bible, pray, find God. I’ll stop my sermon there.
2) I guess you could retake 10th grade, but I don’t think it’s it necessary. Explain on your application what happened, college admission people really do understand that stuff. Do what you can this year, then make sure that your next two years are great. You are not out of it yet, you just have to prove that 10th grade was a fluke and does is not a reflection on your desire or ability. Good luck!</p>

<p>Chance back
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1634747-chances-for-uva-and-vanderbilt-will-chance-back.html#latest”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1634747-chances-for-uva-and-vanderbilt-will-chance-back.html#latest&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>@ArchitectureNerd‌ </p>

<p>~3.4 is not as bad as you make it sound. Definitely do not try to ignore the problem – face it and explain it instead. While a touching essay can be really impressive, I will pass on knowledge given to me by admissions counselors from universities I applied to: avoid heavy central topics like death and divorce in your essay. The readers want to be inspired and impressed, not depressed. That being said, if you feel you can say something important about your emotional or intellectual growth based on experiences relating to those circumstances, it is fine to reference them. You are certainly not worthless, and you have a lot of potential. </p>

<p>Searching for leadership experience is a daunting task, but one that cannot be swept under the rug. That is an expectation that will follow you for the rest of your life, even after college. It’s completely fine to look outside of school for ECs, and the larger public school will offer more opportunities, but you must pursue them wholeheartedly. It’s easy to try and then not get it and then say “I couldn’t get any” when people ask about leadership experience, but that will impress no one, so you must make it your responsibility to find those experiences yourself and work even harder if you find no success at first. The best advice is to try different things, but don’t spread yourself thin. Find something you really enjoy and devote your time and energy to it. You still have plenty of time to find success and fulfilling hobbies, but rewards come with hard work (something you do not soon forget after you enter college, because then you start looking for summer internships). </p>

<p>Rice’s architecture program is highly regarded (and by all accounts ridiculously challenging). If you have any specific questions about the program, I have some Archi friends to whom I can pass them on. I will try to answer any other questions you have!</p>

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<p>I think you have a decent shot- rice would be a reach though- be passionate in your essay</p>