Hi, I’m applying to the school of social sciences and I want to major in economics. What kind of EC do you need for econ?? Most of my ec are entrepreneurial experiences and leadership involvement. My math is pretty good too. I’m not sure which aspects to talk about to show that I would fit into the Rice community.
Rice doesn’t have an economics major, but we do have an economics minor.
That being said, entrepreneurial experience and leadership are great ways to show that you’re passionate about social sciences! Focus on extracurriculars that really show what you’re interested in and what drives you. More than trying to fit into the Rice community, try to focus on what makes you someone who’s going to make a difference in your area of interest.
Wait, Rice does have an econ major. Actually two, if you count both regular economics and mathematical economic analysis. I don’t think there’s an econ minor though, but there is a business one (which is quite different from econ besides generally involving a similar field of endeavor with money).
https://economics.rice.edu/undergraduate-program/degrees-offered
https://futureowls.rice.edu/futureowls/Majors_Minors_Programs.asp
Anyways, Srabookworm’s suggestions for ECs are pretty sound though. I also want to add that a lot of students here have done something above and beyond while in high school. That is, something more than just participate in a bunch of clubs and/or activities, such as starting new organizations or running a business in addition to school. I’m not trying to downplay joining your high school clubs, but you really want to be able to emphasize that you’ve made a lasting impact in your essays.
I was just accepted to the school of soc sciences (for policy studies, not econ) but I had pretty avg scores for Rice (33 ACT, 750 SAT II Lit) and think that my interview and essays played a major role in my admission. In various supplements I alluded to how my preferred major fits so well for me. The social policy analysis major was created by Rice so it wasn’t too hard to emphasize that I could only find the education I’m looking for in one place, but I would still emphasize the parts of Rice’s econ department that are unique to your interests and strengths.
My interview went great (almost 2 hrs) and allowed me to describe my ECs in detail. In all honesty my activities don’t actually tie in with my interests very seamlessly. Besides one club that centers on social justice, my application is filled with things like violin and hiking, not aligning with my intended major. My advice is not to necessarily tailor your ECs to econ (although it sounds like you have some great experiences) but to instead show how the variety of things that you do have culminated in the strong student and person that you are. For me, that meant showing how the process of learning the violin has taught me to be a quick learner, how a 3 week hiking trip pushed me to a new mental understanding of myself. Don’t try and manufacture the “perfect” application; Rice appreciates honesty and a few quirks, so definitely show your focused strengths in econ but don’t be afraid to go outside ‘The Box’ (lol I hate myself) and take a risk to show different facets of yourself.
@ChiGuy123 Oops, my apologies – I was thinking of business, not economics. Thank you for the correction, and sorry again about the mistake!