<p>Well, these are the 3 top schools I'm applying for. I guess I'll say a bit about myself. I'm from Mcallen, Texas and I love math, art, and science. I'm Hispanic (AA is crap I feel, but it does have influence) and my stats are</p>
<p>National Hispanic Scholar
PSAT: 2010 (760 Math, 660 Reading, 590 Writing)
SAT: 760 Math, 650 Reading
SAT II's: Math II 780, Chem 750, History 630 ... No time to study for it =(
Class Rank: 13/454
Unweighted Average: 89
Weighted (AP/IB): 101
AP Scores (Sophmore year): Chem 5, Comp Sci 4 [ my comp science teacher DIDN'T EVEN KNOW JAVA!!!! We had to cram it in the last month ]
IB Score: Bio 6 (Bad lab reports lol)</p>
<p>EC's</p>
<p>Academic Competition (U.I.L. in Texas) for Mathematics, Computer Science, Team Chemistry, Science. First in district from Computer Science Team. Team Chem District Champ, without a partner might I add.</p>
<p>Martial Arts: Tae Kwon Do, Kung Fu, Aikido, and Capoeira (toughie..)</p>
<p>Music: Violin as a hobby.</p>
<p>National Honor Society with about 20+ tutoring hours a month. </p>
<p>Visual Art: I draw a lot in my freetime. Should I send a sample?</p>
<p>Art Club Treasurer</p>
<p>National Hispanic Institute </p>
<p>International Club Member (We learn different languages, currently on German. I speak a bit of Latin and Japanese)</p>
<p>As you can see, English is not my strength; mainly because I've honestly never had an English teacher that was worth having until this year (and my grades sure show it =P ). Only reason I have decent stats are because of Math and Science, which come naturally to me, and once again never really had a great teacher.</p>
<p>Right now I'm going for an IB Diploma and have</p>
<p>Math Methods HL
Physics HL
English HL
History HL
Spanish SL
Biology SL
Art SL
Theory of Knowledge</p>
<p>as my IB classes</p>
<p>my Senior courseload is</p>
<p>Constitution Team, Physics, Math, English, History, Economics (1/2sem), P.E. (1/2sem), Spanish, Theory of Knowledge, Art.</p>
<p>for my courses with 90+ in all except for English and Spanish (B). By the end of this year, I will have taken every science course available, basically 2 years of Chem, Bio, and Physics with 1 year of anatomy. Also, I will have completed math to the equivalent of Calculus BC.</p>
<p>I've been studying martial arts for several years now and love it. Same with Violin and Visual Arts. Art I feel is really important because it develops creativity and make life fun, so I kinda try to study it as much as I can.</p>
<p>I'm certain there are others with higher SAT scores, class ranks, etc, but I tried to distinguish myself in my Rice application by getting my letters of recommendation from my Math and English Teacher. Basically, my Math teacher emphasized my strengths, while my English teacher helped with dedication and perseverance (I started with a 70 this year, got it up to an 80 at the moment). Then I included the dedication aspect in my essay, which if you have the patience to read will be in the following post.</p>
<p>I'm also pretty skilled with computers/technology. I know C++, Java2, and build computers as a side job. Oh and my photoshop skills are (were) decent, 1st in state for photo restoration (black and white and torn into 30 pieces. Badly scanned with stains, etc.)</p>
<p>My uncle was salutatorian at Princeton, so I have the legacy hook, but I doubt it will be substantial.</p>
<p>What do you think my chances are?</p>
<h2>Essay Break</h2>
<p>Corny ass essay, but I tried to be unique=).</p>
<p>Topic: A. The quality of Rices academic, cultural, and social life is heavily influenced by the unique life experiences and cultural traditions each student brings. What perspective do you feel you will contribute to life at Rice?</p>
<p>Chop Suey</p>
<p>Guten tag! Watashi wa Ricardo Barrera desu y soy del sur de Tejasthats German, Japanese, and Spanish respectively for Good day! I am Ricardo Barrera from South Texas. Science, Math, Art, and History, I love it all. My personal philosophy is to experience as much of the world as I can; one cannot help but contemplate the mysteries [and grandeur] of
life. (Albert Einstein) I take this to heart academically by learning as much as I can regardless of the subject or the difficulty. Just as diverse as my academic interests is my eclectic circle of friends who are Korean, Chinese, Japanese, German, Spanish, English, Italian, Portugese, Cuban, Scottish, Vietnamese, Mexican and much more. Although I live in a predominantly Hispanic area, my friends are from all over the world. I consider myself fortunate to have been exposed to many cultures because they enriched and spiced up my life, which reminds me of my other passions, cooking and food. Since I was six, I have been my fathers kitchen apprentice, and like many apprentices I started with the menial work of washing dishes. Still, cooking and food allowed my father and I to bond. I then used my interest in the culinary arts as a way to make new friends and connect with them. Whether at a birthday, holiday, or bar mitzvah, food is essentialif guests are expected to stay at a celebration for more than a few minutes.
Nunca te des por vencido, never give up is my familys cultural motto. That is virtue I live by. Mis abuelos, my grandfathers, taught me much about honesty and integrity, and that education is priceless. My grandfather Enrique Barrera, a schoolteacher and WWII veteran, lived in a small family farm as a young man. He had a burning desire to attend school and in order to do so he would wake up early, walk miles to school, and upon returning complete his chores till well after sunset. My maternal grandfather Jose Cavazos was also a WWII veteran. After the war, he moved to Nuevo Laredo, a border town adjacent to Laredo, Texas to care for his elderly father. He strived to give my mother and her four siblings an education in a U.S. private parochial school. My parents also inherited the same strong work ethic, which thankfully they instilled in me. Regardless of the subject, I give it my best. English was never my strong subject, but I persist in order to learn because I know that which is worth having does not come easily; math, which comes naturally to me, does not come naturally to all people. As a child, I never had much trouble in mathematics. On the other hand, my Korean friend, Dustin, did. He did not just complain and give up; every day he devoted a few hours to math alone in order to succeed. This influenced me to try harder in school. My love for mathematics flourished when I entered the fifth grade. My Chinese friend, Billy, and I began to compete to see who could finish a mathematics program more quickly, which nobody had done before. Because of our competition, several others tried as well and by the end of the year five students in my class succeeded in finishing the program at a ninth grade level. Dustin did exceptionally well and reached the eighth grade level. Just because one does not excel in an area does not mean one should abstain from trying; success is earned nunca te des por vencido.
I am more than just a grade and a student. My friends have given more depth to my identity. In the span of three days, I attended celebrations and social gatherings involving three completely different cultures. Early in November, Billys brother was having a birthday party and invited me to the celebration. I had never actually been inside his house and when I walked in with my less than clean shoes he asked me to take them off. I was surprised at first, but followed his request. I strongly recollect the meal, which was egg drop soup; eagerly, I consumed four bowls and my friend informed me that the soup was for luck and healthtoo bad I didnt win the lottery, but I did avoid the flu that winter. The following day I went to school and celebrated Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead. The sugar skulls we made angered me because I bit into one expecting a soft candy not a jawbreaker. The Bread of the Dead was much better though. The colorful and sweet dough made up for the disappointing candy that wasnt as sweet as I hoped it to be. Being Hispanic, I found it odd that my parents never celebrated Dia de los Muertos. The next day I headed over to Jasons bar mitzvah with Billy. The bar mitzvah celebratory meal had to be one of the liveliest events I had ever attended. Everyone was singing and dancing, while shouting Mazel Tov! A scrumptious looking feast of something named kosher food was served, however, I must admit it was not my favorite meal. Nevertheless, I ate out of respect saying Gracias as I left. Through the celebrations I have experienced, I have learned not just about other people, but also about myself.
From those around me, I receive strength, knowledge, and motivation, and they receive the same from me. My familys tradition of working hard often flows from me to others, which I am sure Rice students would benefit from. Academically, I never stop questioning and never give up. To learn is to take a never-ending journey. For one to truly be a scholar, one must study a multitude of subjects and ideas, and nunca te des por vencido. As for life, I believe it should be like Chop Sueya little bit of everything thrown together to make something new.</p>
<p>If you had the patience to read through the grueling essay, thanks!</p>