<p>Ok..so my freshmen year of high school is off to a good start...good grades...that is until my parents divorced. I guess nothing new in today's society...well, lets just say I went through a lot of messed-up-B.S-screw me over teachers-type stuff. Trust me, I have been through it all, there is nothing that the world can throw at me that I cant handle. First of all, I would like...no...LOVE to go to Rice University...:( but my SAT I score is Low...under 1100 but over 1050...my SAT II scores are high..all mid 650-750. I am in the top 30% of my school. I know that there might not be--well probably no chance for me to get in but this is the school of my dreams, if my parents had not divorced and my mom had not used all the money in court, then I would actually have a home and a decent place to study instead of sharing it drug addicted roommates..sounds impossble? Oh its possible! I would have to worry about food and safety...not school...sorry, it just was not on my mind...:(. For three years I have been the only source of income for my mom (not including child support) and I...worked everyday after school from 4 to 7 and all day Saturday and Sunday. I am still applying to Rice but it sounds very impossible for me. To tell you the truth, if I dont get accepted...Rice lost a very valuable and great student. In all, I dont regret anything that has happened to me in the past and I am not using my situation as an excuse...if it was up to me then I rather not have an excuse or situation. What I went through is horrible and I dont expect anybody to understand because it is just that bad...trust me.
If there is any chance...any hope...anything at all...let me know.</p>
<p>OK you aren't gonna get into Rice...Maybe. Some school's give exceptions if students can explain difficult life circumstances. But I'd give you about a 5% chance. You'd probably get into SMU, definitely TCU, and most likely UT. Why don't you look at these schools instead? Forget about Rice though, quit letting it haunt you.</p>
<p>It sounds like Rice would lose a valuable student. You have accomplished a lot personally, when you apply to Rice, I would recommend you use that to an advantage, especially if your counselor can give you a really excellent letter of recommendation, or you can have an interview with an alum and they'll see the potential and your independance, etc. There is definetly a chance.</p>
<p>alright..I understand and hopefully they would let me in. I am crazy when it comes to academics but I could not be on top of my game when all that stuff happened. I just hope that Rice didnt throw out my application..you know...the "one read" thingy.
As for using it to my advantage liek0806...I dont want the admission ppl to think that I am using that as an excuse..any tips there?</p>
<p>Hey blindc1rca...Rice is my dream college. I have looked into what Rice has to offer and it makes me MELT at what they have. I just cant let go of my dream, even though I have a 5% chance of getting in..there still is a chance <em>cross fingers</em>
Oh by the way liek0806, my counselor is a mean lady and I told her of my situation (all of it) and she said "oh well, that is not an excuse." My heart was broken when she said that...it hurts me to think of my past and I cry and scream in pain about it but...well, like I said...nobody understands.</p>
<p>im sorry to hear that wannabericeowlgirl, well in fact, i do understand exactly waht youre saying. i didnt have to go through all that, but my family has always had problems, and on top of that, relationship problems screwd me up big time last year. johns hopkins has always been my top school,and ive wanted to go there ever since iw anted to become a doctor, which is practically forever, but last year really really made me want to give up. i mean it was just alot of things for me, but i pulled through, and i seriously wanted to just apply to a school somehwere instate instead of tryin for hopkins. but a friend of mine all a sudden said i should try it, it didnt hurt, and so i did, and i worked hard for my sats, practiced a bunch, and worked hard, spent my whole summer at leats 5-6 hours a day at a lab and finally, i made some improvements and had a descent research paper and my sats and grades were alright enough. my point is, i do know what ur saying. also, i didnt mention (anywhere) in my application to hopkins about my problems-family, parents, shcool, relationships, just everything- the only thing that i said was that i sent them a note sayin that myf amily income will be reduced to half becuse my mom has quit her job becuase she was diagnosed with hepatitis. so for using it to ur advantage, im not all that supportive of that. and the reason why i sent in that note was because they asked for a reason why u thikn ur family income will go through a drastic change. overall, im just sayin that even tho it looks like its a slimmmmmmmm chance, try the best u can, do watever else u can do from now until the date they give out decisions to boost ur chances and dont give up on ur dream. goodluck to you. oh btw, i did got into hopkins ED, and im sooooooooooo glad i didnt give up on my dream school,a nd u shouldnt either.</p>
<p>I see nguyent...what did you make on your SATs? I studied hard for my SAT and improved by 110 points from my first practice test (studied from 5 different sources and finished all five of the different sources..didnt go to a SAT prep class thingy and I worked as well). From what I understand, I should not tell the Rice admission ppl of my situation? Then how would I explain the drop in my GPA? Oh gosh I hope I get in..I have been going to crazy about it that I actually have dreams about Rice..getting in and finishing it...hahaha I am going crazy :/</p>
<p>Your SAT score is a big problem for admission to Rice. I don't think you will get into UT since they can be pretty selective after they take all the 10% kids. You sound like a strong student with a lot of potential. Perhaps you should start somewhere and have the goal of transferring to Rice.</p>
<p>I was thinking about that but it is even more selective to transfer...I would still have the same SAT I score and stuff. Since I am applying for regular (everything got all messed up) I might have a better chance. I read somewhere that top colleges can take on risky students after they have all the top-notch students in <em>cross fingers.</em></p>
<p>what is your GPA?</p>
<p>My GPA is 3.6 or 3.7...i know i know but you know why too. Anyways, I took a lot of AP and Pre-AP classes and still went to work everyday. I gave it my all...not good enough I know but this are getting somewhat better and I can do way better in college.</p>
<p>Ok...just waiting for answers...I dont know what to feel anymore but I am a little happy that i still have a chance even though its slimmmmmmmmmmmmm. I've visited Rice many times and I've been in the admission's office many times..I know that they know who I am but they kept a straight face and was nice to me..they dont want to tell me that I dont have a chance and laugh in my face..they got to keep it professional and stuff. I can see in their face that they like the fact that I am very interested but they know that I dont have a chance...hopefully I can win they over with my essay (pray to God) and I am going to write a letter to them explaining everything...oh gosh! I hope I get in. Rice is the school of my dreams, it has all the clubs that I want to be in so bad, the teachers and people are wonderful, and I like that fact that it is academically tough..I love it!!</p>
<p>well, i didnt say that you SHOULDNT send anything, i just said that im not going to encourage you (or discourage you) from doing that. but yea its prob a good idea to send them explaining, but make sure ur not sounding as if ur blaming ur gpa/sat/ anything else on that, just explain to them that. i think that you might get in, well i hope u get in cause i know what u mean. ahah i never pray seriously, and i prayed to get into hopkins before the decisions come out. my sat was 1270, below average for hopkins (which is like 1370 or something). but i know that ur circumstances are worse than mine, im just hopin that you dont give up. well id say that TRY and if you dont get in, u know u've tried your best. as for me, i did tried my best, and tahts why i was nervous about admissions but i know i didnt let myself down. but if you dont get in, dont be discouraged, jsut know u dont have to go the TOP college to make something of yourself. well goodluck ^_^ itd be great if you get in, i'll be happy for you.
i dont think it was my sats that got me in tho, it was more like my research, which i SERIOUSLY busted my ass doing, i mean imagine spending ur wholeeeeeee frikkin summer in a lab all day, sometimes 7 days a week as if it was a real job and reading articles in my free time and workin on experments when im not free. so my hard work paid off, and i hope urs will too. GOOD LUCK!</p>
<p>You could write about your experience in your essay, after all it is a large part about who you are and colleges do want to get to know you. Don't worry about having it as an excuse, as long as you put an emphasis on all the work you did in HS and your job and your hopes for a better future and how it has made you a better person it should work in your favor. and your relatively good SATII scores will make the adcom look twice (in a good way)</p>
<p>is that gpa weighted, btw? screw your counselor and perhaps try to get an additional recommendation from someone like your boss or pastor or something. it still would be a long shot but don't give up. I wish you good luck and hope you get in! :)</p>
<p>Thank you so much nguyent and congrats to you about getting into john hopkins (best medical school in the nation)!! We are so much alike and I do understand about working everyday on a project (well, a lab for you) but I think you worked harder than I did. Its nice to know that hardwork does pay off :)</p>
<p>Thank you very much cantstandmenow...I know for sure how to start my essay now. I wrote one for Rice (have not turned it in yet because i think it stinks!!) but now I have a better understanding and so I think I am going to write a better essay..thanks very much!! P.S. that GPA is unweighted and I think my weighted GPA is 3.8 or 3.9 or something...counselors are not much help..wont tell me anything :/</p>
<p>Thank you to you both for your blessings.</p>
<p>haha ur very welcome, have a merry christmas ^_^</p>