hi everyone! I recently got into Rice University and while i’m absolutely elated, my insecurities are currently getting the best of me. Since I don’t know anyone who goes to Rice I was wondering if anyone could help me out. I’m a fun loving girl from Long Island, while my grades aren’t awful (4.0/4.2 GPA) I’m scared they’re not of Rices standards. I’ve never been at the top of my class and struggle with many of my STEM classes (even dropped out of BC Calc this year). As someone who absolutely loves Rice but is a humanities girl looking to major along the lines of psychology/communications/studio art will I be out of place and looked down upon at such a prestigious university? My other options are Wesleyan, Lehigh, and Richmond- I absolutely adore Rice but would those be a better fit for me?
Thank you so so much for any help <33
Hi!
Congrats on getting in to all those schools, that’s an amazing accomplishment!
In regards to your question, I think that it comes down to how hard you are willing to work. If you are committed to putting in some extra hours to get the grades and maybe sacrifice some social life aspects in order to succeed, then I think you will do great!
That being said, I predict that Rice is going to be more competitive than some of the other schools you listed. I think you should definitely take into consideration the fact that it’s going to be a little harder to maintain a high gpa there as well.
If you’re pursuing the humanities however, and that’s where you excel, then if this is your dream I predict it will likely work out pretty well.
Granted, I am working off of limited information, but with your gpa and all the schools that accepted you it seems like your a great candidate for a school with the academic rigor of Rice.
**you’re omg oops.
You have a 4.0, what other type of standard are you referring to? That said Rice will be rigorous and many straight A students receive their first B or even C in college. As far as humanities goes, Rice wants students with a variety of interests and they clearly saw something in your application that says you’d be a great addition to the campus community. You have the academic chops to do just fine there!
As a note, there are some differences between Rice and a couple of your other choices: it doesn’t have Greek life but it does have an amazing residential college system, warmer weather and a plane ride away vs. driving distance, for example.
If it’s the leader I say celebrate an amazing accomplishment and enjoy the next 4 years!
if you got into Rice, that means they believe you’ll be successful there. Don’t worry.
Don’t sell yourself short. You won’t be looked down upon. Psychology is a very popular major at Rice, and the arts are very strong too. Rice wouldn’t have admitted you if the admissions folks didn’t think you were well qualified and could soar at Rice. While it is true that more students at Rice major in the STEM disciplines than the humanities, the humanities offerings are also excellent. My daughter is a senior completing a double major in Psychology and English. She has loved her experience at Rice, and it was a great fit for her. She got lots of AP credit at Rice, and was able to place out of almost all of her math/science distribution requirements. She did not have to take a huge class load any semester. Rice does not have a cut throat atmosphere. Students work hard but they are also supportive of one another, and they like to have fun too.
Does anybody in your high school get better than straight As? As far as I can see, you have met any standard out there.
Furthermore, people whose profession is to check that students who are accepted to Rice meet their standard, looked at your application, and said “we want that person”. They also looked at it more than once, and always came to the same conclusion - “this person is good for Rice and will de well at Rice”.
Rice isn’t doing you a favor. They accepted you because they want you to attend their school, and they think that you will benefit them.
You have three other excellent choices, so now Rice needs you more than you need them. Your question shouldn’t be now “am I good enough for Rice?” that question has been answered with a clear “yes!”, when you were notified of your acceptance.
Your question now should be “are they the best school for me?” In essence. “are the good enough for me?”
if you really like Rice, and they have the classes that you want and the atmosphere that your want, then they are the best choice for you. Of course, for a person like you, Wesleyan would also be an amazing school, but it is also populated by the same level of students as Rice is.
In fact, any college where you will thrive is populated by the same high level of student. The great thing is that you are one of those students. At Rice and at Wesleyan, you will be surrounded by peers, not by students who are any better than you are academically.
So go to a mirror, and channel Stuart Smalley, and recite after me: “I’m Good Enough, I’m Smart Enough, and Doggone It, Rice University Likes Me!”
If you got into Rice your academically ready for Rice. You would not have gained admittance if you were not up to par. It sits in a great part of Houston and they have some great kids. Your biggest hurdle will be getting use to the Houston humidity in the summer. Best wishes to you.
OP wrote: "I absolutely adore Rice. "
Why do you adore Rice ?
Rice works really hard at building a sense of community. It starts with their orientation week, which is run by students for students. Their residential college system is modeled on Harvard & Yale to establish a supportive community of learners for 4 years. Students are known for working hard & playing hard, but it’s not known as a place where competition is cutthroat. Unlike a lot of campuses, politics are low key, reducing a source of stress that otherwise exists on a lot of campuses.
My suggestion is that you get on the phone or zoom to talk with some current students. They are the best ones to answer your questions. Admissions will facilitate this for you. Ask them to connect with students who have a specific background if that matters (major, home location, female/male, etc), which they’ll do as best they can. Rice is a special place, but you have some other great choices as well. Have the same conversations with students from your second choice and/or 3rd choice if you decide you need to do a comparison. Rice wouldn’t have accepted you if they didn’t think you’d be a good fit. Do your due diligence to assure yourself that they’re right or not.
Best of luck.