How will a bad HS GPA hurt me? should i bother applying to rice?

<p>GPA: 4.0/5.0 weighted, 3.3/4.0 UW (2 C's, bunch of B's) >_< i think this alone kills me, along with my rank, my school is full of ****
rank: bad, i'm gonna say 75/500
school size: medium to large
Asian male, in state (cali)
prospective major: engineering (most likely EE or computer eng.), should i apply undecided instead b/c of my low GPA?</p>

<p>Course load: sophmore (ap euro, ap stats, chem h, eng h, chinese2), junior (ap eng lang, ap us, physics IB, pre calc H, chinese3; self studied for calc and physics AP tests, though i don't think the ad coms will notice that), senior (ap calc bc, ap chem, ap eng lit, ap psych, ap gov)</p>

<p>SAT I: 2160 (800M/710W/650CR)
SAT II: 8002c, projected: 750 for physics and chem</p>

<p>EC's:
school newspaper sports editor
president of an engineering oriented club at school
helping hands (tutoring kids who need help at school, esp in math/science)
Tutoring K-9th grade kids, 4 hours/week
100 hrs at local hospital (volunteering)</p>

<p>thx</p>

<p>Hmmm... this is a tough one. Your stats look decent, minus the GPA. I have no idea if two C's and "a bunch of B's" will kill your chance. I guess there's no way to know for sure unless you apply, right? Rice examines your application holistically, so it's important that you 1. show personality (through your supplemental essay, etc.); 2. write excellent essays (have a few people edit your essays... English teachers are the best); 3. show lots of interest (interviews, campus visits, contact with students/alumni). </p>

<p>Since you can easily switch between schools, the school you put down on your application (Humanities, Engineering, etc) is not at all final and doesn't really matter. But if your low grades are in math/science, it might not be the best idea to apply to the School of Engineering. On the other hand, if your science and math grades are high, with those high SAT IIs, you should definitely apply for engineering.</p>

<p>Question: You said you are "in-state (cali)". Are you in-state, or from California? If you're out-of-state, your chances will increase. Anyway, best of luck. If you have any further questions, feel free to ask.</p>

<p>bump!!!!!!!!!!!!!</p>

<p>I had a not-so-great HS GPA, and I got into Rice. Go for it. There's no reason not to apply.</p>