Is Rice a safe option?

Colleges & Universities A-Z Rice University
1

<p>Hi! I've been researching Rice lately...and it seems like a very attractive school to me. I was just wondering, since I'm a bit low on match schools right now, if I could get into Rice fairly smoothly. Thanks!</p>

<p>Profile</p>

<p>Asian American from public school in MD, county school system ranked top 10 in country (my school is near the top in the area)</p>

<p>Academics</p>

<p>GPA: 4.0 UW, 4.87 W
Rank: 1 of 354, shared with 0</p>

<p>SAT: 770 M, 710 CR, 700 W (A bit frustrated)
ACT: (Haven't taken it yet but I got a 35 on a practice, so I have hopes!)</p>

<p>Extracurriculars</p>

<p>:::Leadership in the community:::</p>

<p>Teen Representative - Elected teen member on the district council. Serves as a liaison for high school students during Board meetings concerning issues in the community. Creates and hosts volunteer services, leads community events, and promotes other ideas on the welfare of the encompassing neighborhoods. Recognized in local paper.</p>

<p>Amnesty International - One of the founders and appointed Treasurer.</p>

<p>:::Fine Arts:::</p>

<p>Gifted and Talented Art Program – Art class on Saturdays provided by the Board of Education for thirty students across the county. Applying applicants between the grades 7 through 11 must have portfolios critiqued by a board of evaluators. All work is displayed at the county Department of Education at the end of the year.</p>

<p>National Art Honor Society – Founder and President.</p>

<p>Piano – Over eight years of study with a National Guild member certificate in the Collegiate Preparatory B class, and an A on the High School Recognition test.</p>

<p>:::Science and Engineering:::</p>

<p>NASA National Space Club Scholars Program – A program that selects twenty-five students across the state and gives them the opportunity to use the facilities of NASA to pursue engineering interests. Mentoring in the Applied Engineering and Technology Directorate (Optics Branch) and studying the design for the new James Webb Space Telescope’s image-based wavefront sensing.</p>

<p>Johns Hopkins Hospital Internship – Serving at the hospital to pursue interests in biomedical sciences.</p>

<p>Rensselaer Medal – Given to two thousand of the top students across the nation for achievements in mathematics and science. Comes with $60,000 scholarship to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.</p>

<p>Johns Hopkins Robotics team – Captain. Constructed and programmed a Boe-Bot which uses infrared sensors to maneuver a course and distinguish specific targets on the ground. Mentioned in the newspaper.</p>

<p>Washington Post Top Achievers - Named as a top achiever among various high schools in the state.</p>

<p>:::Other Significant Hobbies:::</p>

<p>Soccer - Played 7 years of recreational league, 3 years of intramural, 1 year of indoor, and 2 years of pick-up on Saturdays. Planned to play varsity but can't due to a schedule conflict with mentoring at Johns Hopkins.</p>

<p>Ping Pong Club – Played for school club as a hobby.</p>

<p>:::Community Service/Work:::</p>

<p>-Organized and led community events in my neighborhood, such as the Spring Fun Trot, Multicultural Day, Earth Appreciation Day, Breakfast with Santa, and Halloween Bash.</p>

<p>-Volunteered at a local kindergarten, teaching young children Spanish for Spanish National Honor Society. Made projects to give to the children as learning tools, such as hand puppets.</p>

<p>-Tutored at school for both regular courses and Spanish on behalf of National Honor Society and Spanish National Honor Society.</p>

<p>Essays</p>

<p>Feedback so far on my essays has been pretty good. A couple people were wow'd by my personal essay, some said it was pretty good, and a few said it had some grammatical mistakes, but was a great essay in the making.</p>

<p>Recommendations</p>

<p>At least one of the two will be stellar. My outside recommendation will be strong, and directly correspond with my leadership in the community. A question though: does Rice allow 10th grade teacher recs? </p>

<p>So there we go...I'm open to comments and suggestions. By the way, what was ID? Was that an earlier admission process than Early Action?</p>

2

<p>You look like a match. (That doesn't mean you'll get in; just that you're competitive). Your CR is on the low side, so see if you can nail the ACT.
I'd expect you to get in.</p>

3

<p>Rice considers itself a peer school to schools like Harvard, Stanford and Yale, and shouldn't be considered a safe match for anyone. So, no, I don't think you can get in "smoothly." That said, your stats fall within the range of accepted students, and assuming you put time into your application and let your personality show through, I think you've got as good a shot as anyone. </p>

<p>I also noticed that you didn't list any SAT Subject Tests. Rice requires two, so make sure you take those.</p>

<p>ID was an admissions decision that was non-binding but allowed you to hear early. The application deadline was Dec 1, and you heard back at the beginning of February. Unfortunately, it won't be an option next year.</p>

4

<p>From glancing at your stats, it looks like you're competitive. However, keep in mind, Rice has an acceptance rate in the low 20%s and the vast majority of people turned down aren't drastically under-qualified (or even under-qualified at all really). So whenever I see people in this forum say something along the lines of "you should definitely get in," I'm a little bit skeptical, regardless of the individual's stats.<br>
I'd say apply to Rice if you like the school, but have a safety that you're comfortable with.</p>

5

<p>Just curious why you're turning down the scholarship to RPI?</p>

6

<p>Oh...well I'm not turning it down. I'm definitely considering it. But, I'm not sure if I plan to major in biology or engineering yet (or bioengineering haha). It's a safety school for me (I think 80-90% of Rensselaer Medalists are accepted) but I certainly want to extend my reach towards other schools all the same.</p>

7

<p>Of the 8000 or so applications that Rice will receive for about 700 spots, at least 3000 will have qualifications very similar to yours. It might be a match to slight reach. Your SAT's are near the middle of the pack for accepted applicants. Rice is not a safety for anyone.</p>

8

<p>i think you are a definite match...i only had a 1780 in my SAT's and a 28 on my ACT....but of course those aren't the only factors that are involved...but i believe you have a really good chance of getting in...and if you do, you should go!</p>

<p>if you have any other questions, feel free to ask me.</p>

9

<p>Dear dragon2owl,
I am applying to Rice and like many things about the school, but I am a CA girl who loves the mountains and am a little hesitant about Houston. Where are you from, and what do you see as the most significant pros and cons of Rice? Thanks!</p>

10

<p>Hey justchecking,
Right now you are "hijacking" RememberMe1990's thread. You should start a new thread asking your question, or if you have a question for a specific person, PM them.</p>