Offical Class of 2018 RD Stats

Colleges and Universities A-Z Rice University
1

<p>Since decisions came out today, I decided to make a stats thread because for some reason there isn't one. Best wishes to everyone!</p>

<p>Choose One:
Decision: Accepted
Decision: Deferred
Decision: Rejected</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II (place score in parentheses):
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parentheses):
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load:
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community Service:
Summer Activities:
Essays:
Teacher Recommendations:
Counselor Rec:
Additional Rec:
Interview:
Other</p>

<p>State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant):
School Type:
Ethnicity:
Gender:
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):
Reflection</p>

<p>Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
Where else you are applying or have already applied:
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: </p>

2

<p>Decision: Accepted (applied to econ)</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2220
ACT (breakdown): 35 (36 R, 35 S, 35 R, 34 M)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): U.S. History 710, Math II 760
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 4/412 (top 1%)
AP (place score in parentheses):
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: 2 Ceramics, AP Calc BC, AP Spanish V, AP English 12, AP Stats, Orchestra
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar w/ Distinction, Bronze Presidential Volunteering</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Speech and Debate (Debate Captain), Orchestra (President, All-State), Track & Field (Varsity), NHS (Board Member)… more, can’t think of them now.
Job/Work Experience: Camp counselor @ local museum
Volunteer/Community Service: 220+ hours through the museum and Key Club
Summer Activities: Job, Volunteering, Summer Arabic Scholar for NSLIY
Essays: Pretty good? My picture for The Box was salmon sashimi O.O
Teacher Recommendations: Pretty good, never saw them, but both teachers liked me
Counselor Rec: Same as above
Additional Rec:
Interview: None
Other</p>

<p>State (if domestic applicant): New Mexico
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: F
Income Bracket: $100,000~
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Really can’t think of any…
Reflection</p>

<p>Strengths: Studied abroad in Oman!
Weaknesses: SAT Subject Tests
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: No idea!
Where else you are applying or have already applied:
Accepted: USC (full-tuition Trustee Scholar), UT Austin (BHP), ASU (Barrett), Rice
Waiting: UPenn, Harvard
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: The Box wasn’t as important as I thought it was…</p>

3

<p>Since decisions came out today, I decided to make a stats thread because for some reason there isn’t one. Best wishes to everyone!</p>

<p>Decision: Rejected</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2180 (didn’t send)
ACT (breakdown): 35
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 730 bio m, 750 math II
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 7/460
AP (place score in parentheses): None
IB (place score in parentheses): Physics SL (6)
Senior Year Course Load: IB math HL, IB bio HL, IB english HL, IB history HL, IB japanese SL, IB Theory of knowledge, accounting
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): two time scholar athlete award, outstanding math award, graphic design contest winner
Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): mock trial (president, varsity captain), science national honor society (president), national honor society (secretary), teen library council, school/ club volleyball team
Job/Work Experience: internship at science university over summer before senior year, 300 hours
Volunteer/Community Service: volunteer at science museum over 120 hours, volunteer at library and food bank
Summer Activities: engineering camp at oregon state university and internship program
Essays: best one out of all of my other ones
Teacher Recommendations: should have been good, i was one of his favorite students
Counselor Rec: good
Additional Rec: i have no idea, probably good
Interview: none
Other</p>

<p>State (if domestic applicant): oregon
Country (if international applicant): usa
School Type: public
Ethnicity: asian
Gender: female
Income Bracket: >100,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none
Reflection</p>

<p>Strengths:
Weaknesses: not enough science/engineering extracurriculars, sat subject scores, i didn’t do anything extraordinary like everyone else seems to have done
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: applicant pool size, no hook (i guess women/minorities going into engineering no longer counts)
Where else you are applying or have already applied:
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: start a charity or invent something!</p>

4

<p>Decision: Accepted (Engineering)</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2320 (770 Math, 750 Reading, 800 Writing - 11 Essay)
ACT: N/A
SAT II: Math II, Physics, US History (all 800s)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.98 (got a B in english last semester d:); 4.00 at time of submitting application.
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A (private school)
AP (place score in parenthesis): World History, Comp Sci, US History, English Language, English Lit, Calc BC (all 5’s)
IB (place score in parenthesis): none
Senior Year Course Load:
AP Physics C (Mech, E&M)
America in the World since 1945 (1st sem)
Economics (2nd sem)
English IV (Honors)
Linear Algebra (Honors; 1st sem)
Partial Differential Equations (Honors; 2nd sem)
Differential Equations (Honors; 1st sem)
Multivariable Calculus (Honors; 2nd sem)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): not sure; check chance thread</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Orchestra (4 years; Lead Violist - 2 years), Quiz Bowl (team captain - 4 years), UIL Literary Criticism, XC/Track as a freshman
Job/Work Experience: Texas Quiz Bowl Alliance - part-time moderator, curriculum coordinator for summer camp
Volunteer/Community service:
Summer Activities: competed in the National All-Star Academic Tournament 3 times (quiz bowl). Summer job as the TQBA summer camp curriculum coordinator (created study materials for students)</p>

<p>Essays (rating 1-10, details): Reused my Stanford essay again, and wrote some other stuff. Probably 6-7/10.
Other
State (if domestic applicant): TX
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: Asian - Filipino
Gender: M
Income Bracket: would rather not post
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: academics, test scores, dedication to extracurriculars
Weaknesses: didn’t demonstrate too much interest IMO
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: my strengths
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted to UT (ECE + Engineering Honors + Plan II), Texas A&M (Brown Scholar + University Honors), UCLA, Georgia Tech, and UCSD. Deferred from Stanford. Currently waiting on Berkeley.
General Comments: This is probably the most surprising of my acceptances to date, but I’ll take it!</p>

5

<p>Decision:Wait listed</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):N/A
ACT: 34 (E 35 M34 R34 S34)
SAT II (if submitted):730 Physics 750 Math II
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):3.95
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School doesn’t rank
AP (place score in parenthesis):No AP courses taken
IB (place score in parenthesis): IB predicted 40/42
Senior Year Course Load: Physics, Chemistry, Biology IB II HL; Mathematics, English Language, French B IB II SL
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Award from Government of India for academic excellence
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Founder of 1 club, Varsity tennis, tabla, Equestrian Club,MUN,quiz team, and some others I don’t remember
Job/Work Experience:None
Volunteer/Community service:120 hours approx
Essays: The Commonapp essay was about my move to India and how it changed me as a person; my essay about one extracurricular activity was about my experiences in the equestrian club; the picture I attached was a picture of my pet Yellow Labrador; in the community essay, I wrote about my sense of belonging in an Indian community that has only 21000 belonging to it.
Teacher Recommendation: Should be good
Counselor Rec: Should be average because she doesn’t know me too personally
Additional Rec:None
Interview: None
Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Biochemistry
State (if domestic applicant):N/A
Country (if international applicant): US citizen applying from India
School Type: small private
Ethnicity: Asian, Indian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Enough to not require financial aid
Hooks (URM, first generation college, research, etc.): Absolutely zilch
Reflection
Strengths: scores, grades, maybe essays
Weaknesses: race, applying from abroad, strength of the applicant pool
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I was waitlisted possibly because of being Asian and not standing out among the hundreds of other Asian applicants who have better applications than me.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Johns Hopkins, WUSTL (wait listed) and UNC Chapel Hill
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Being Asian makes everything harder with respect to college admissions. </p>

6

<p>Decision: Accepted (Engineering)</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2360; 760 M, 800 CR, 800 W, 12 Essay
ACT: 36
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Math II, Chem, US Hist (all 800)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): school doesn’t rank
AP (place score in parentheses): World Hist (5), US Hist (5), Chem (5)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc BC, AP Physics C, AP US Govt, AP Comparative Govt, AP Lit, Latin IV, science research class
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NMF, AP Scholar, National Latin Exam 3-year gold</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): cross country (co-captain), founded a school club and leadership in several others
Job/Work Experience: summer research at WashU Med School, minor jobs
Volunteer/Community Service: hospital volunteer, lots of hours through school clubs, week-long service trip
Summer Activities: research at WashU
Essays: very unique Common App essay, Rice-specific essays were among my best
Teacher Recommendations: didn’t see, but believe at least one was great
Counselor Rec: probably fairly standard
Additional Rec: outstanding one from summer research mentor
Interview: yes, with a local alum; went fairly well but nothing phenomenal</p>

<p>Other:
State: MO
School Type: private
Ethnicity: white
Gender: F
Income Bracket: high
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): female in engineering</p>

<p>Reflection:
Strengths: scores, grades, research experience, have shown a lot of interest in Rice
Weaknesses: no standout ECs or huge awards
Why you think you were accepted: strengths
Where else you are applying or have already applied: accepted UChicago, Michigan, USC (Presidential), WashU; waiting on Vanderbilt, Stanford</p>

<p>General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: I was holding out hope for a merit scholarship but it looks like no luck there. I’m still waiting on Rice/Baylor finalist status. Hopefully attending is still a possibility since Rice has been my dream school for a long time!</p>

7

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2000 (M 740 CR 630 W 630)
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Math 2 690 Physics 600
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0; 4.75W
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/323
AP (place score in parentheses): Calc AB (5) Computer Science (5) English Lang. and Comp. (4) Government and Politics (4) World History (3)
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: Spanish AP, English Lit. and Comp AP, Calc BC AP, AOOD, Comp Sci 4, Math Lab Assistant
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with Distinction, Honor Roll, Reservoir Scholar</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Colorguard for 4 years (Capt. 2), Class Treasurer for 4 years, NHS, Spanish NHS (Webmaster), Peer Mediator
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community Service: Blood Drive, School Guide, Teacher assistant, a lot of stuff through NHS
Summer Activities:
Essays: I thought they were really good especially my perspective essay. I used that one for other applications
Teacher Recommendations: I’m sure they were good
Counselor Rec: Same as above
Additional Rec:
Interview: N/A
Other</p>

<p>State (if domestic applicant): MD
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: African American - Nigerian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: Essays, GPA, probably recommendations
Weaknesses: SAT scores
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Well rounded, URM with good grades, demostrated interest. I was invited and attended VISION too.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Accepted: MIT, UMD, University of Southern California, Rice, UPitt; Rejected: Stanford; Waiting for Carnegie Mellon and GWU
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Recieved Trustee scholarship for $86,000 over 4 years ($21,500/year)! But after my surprising acceptance into MIT, Rice has kind of moved down my list. Still waiting for my financial aid package from all my schools before I make a final decision. Congrats to all that made it into Rice!</p>

8

<p>Decision: Rejected</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2300
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 800, 770
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9ish
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 20% (school only gives quintiles)
AP (place score in parentheses): three 5’s
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: three APs, five Honors classes, one regular class
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Scholarship Finalist, Scholastic Writing Award </p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): School literary magazine (Editor-in-Chief), Horseback riding, Cross-country, Model United Nations, Girls’ Choir
Job/Work Experience: summer intern at animal hospital
Volunteer/Community Service: volunteer at local science museum
Summer Activities: see above
Essays: good
Recommendations: didn’t see any, but they should all be good
Interview: N/A</p>

<p>Other:</p>

<p>State (if domestic applicant): Midwest
Gender: Female
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none</p>

<p>Reflection:</p>

<p>Strengths: test scores, course load
Weaknesses: ECs too varied
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Rice is a very selective school. I think I was well-qualified, but they only have so much space. Also, ECs have more breadth than depth.
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: I’m pretty disappointed. I would really have liked to go to Rice. Oh well. </p>

9

<p>Decision: ** Accepted ** </p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 690M 640W 630CR Total: 1960
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Math II 770; US Hist 770; Biology 680
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.875
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 6/294
AP (place score in parentheses): Euro 3; Biology 3; Statistics 4; US Hist 5; Calc AB 5
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Psych, AP Gov, AP Chem, H Physics, AP Eng, and AP CompSci
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with distinction, Graduation Marshal, others I can’t remember
Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Latin Club (President), Peer Tutoring (Social Secratery), NHS (Secretary/treasurer), Beta Club, Student-Human Relations Commission
Job/Work Experience: None
Volunteer/Community Service: 300+ hours of volunteering
Summer Activities: Camp Cornerston (doctor shadowing)
Essays: I talked about my skills at adapting due to having to move so often
Teacher Recommendations: Both excellent
Counselor Rec: I don’t think she did it
Additional Rec:
Interview: N/A
Other</p>

<p>State (if domestic applicant): Best/North Carolina
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Black
Gender: M
Income Bracket: >$100,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, foreign born
Reflection</p>

<p>Strengths: Recommendations, GPA, essays, volunteer hours, extracurriculars,
Weaknesses: SAT I score and SAT II Biology
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I got lucky
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Accepted at Duke (likely letter), High Point University, and UNC-Chapel Hill
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: I should’ve submitted some of my things earlier. Visit campus! It really helps in making this decision easier.</p>

10

<p>Decision: Waitlisted (engineering)</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 35 (36 superscored)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Both over 750 but did not send
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.99
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 2% in class of 500%
AP (place score in parentheses): Two 5s in math/science
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: 3 APs, music, and various other classes. Fairly rigorous at my school since scheduling makes taking multiple APs and music very difficult.
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Nothing national, just pretty typical school/regional stuff</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Lots of music, NHS, volunteering, etc. Very typical. Several leadership positions, long term involvement in everything. Showed commitment and passion.
Job/Work Experience: Short-term summer jobs
Volunteer/Community Service: Quite a bit here and there, no huge long-term commitments though. Probably 150+ hours but I don’t really keep track.
Summer Activities: Music, volunteering, working. No internships or research or anything.
Essays: Common app 7/10 (good but not a standout). Rice short essays were pretty generic maybe 6/10. Rice long essay was sort of risky and pushed the topic a bit but I liked it 8/10.
Teacher Recommendations: Language arts teacher knew me for many years and liked me a lot 9/10. Science teacher liked me but it’s probably pretty generic since we weren’t that close 7/10.
Counselor Rec: 3/10 He didn’t know me and I read what he wrote about me in a local press release for an award and it was so horrible and generic and 100% of what he said could be found in my application.
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: N/A
Other</p>

<p>State (if domestic applicant): Midwest
Country (if international applicant): N/A
School Type: Large public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: F
Income Bracket: Upper middle class
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Somewhat unusual upbringing, but not in a disadvantaged way.</p>

<p>Reflection:
Strengths: Grades, test scores, passion for music
Weaknesses: No AP English, could have taken more APs, from Midwest, needed FA, Asian
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Everything is super competitive and my application is strong but probably doesn’t stand out at all in such a large applicant pool. If you are competitive and can afford it, APPLY EARLY. I wish I could’ve but I definitely couldn’t commit financially. I also listed 4 other strong schools (not ivy) on my application that I applied to and perhaps Rice didn’t think I would come if accepted, so they waitlisted me. It’s such a crapshoot but very disappointing either way.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Waitlisted at three other peer schools. Accepted w/ large scholarship at excellent state flagship.
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Admissions these days are a tossup unless you have some amazing hook or one of a kind essays. No one is a guarantee anywhere. Just do you best and make sure you have an excellent safety (academically and financially).</p>

11

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2290 (750 CR, 770M, 770W)
ACT (breakdown): None
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 790 USH, 770 Spanish, 750 Math II
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.69
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 14/425
AP (place score in parentheses): Psychology, Spanish, Stats (5); APUSH, Art History, Microecon (4)
IB (place score in parentheses): None
Senior Year Course Load: AP Euro, AP Lit, APES, AP Physics B, 4 Dual Enrollment Classes
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Hispanic Scholar, AP Scholar with Distinction</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Club Swim Team (3hrs/day), Varsity Swim Team (Co-Captain), Designed Website for an Orphanage in Colombia in which I help with fund-raising and activity coordinating, National Spanish Honor Society (Secretary)
Job/Work Experience:Two basic jobs that only require an average of an hour or two per week. Lifeguard Certified. Looking to get a job in that field
Volunteer/Community Service: Swim Meet Volunteer and the whole orphanage in Colombia thing
Summer Activities: None really
Essays: Common App - GREAT. Supplements - ok
Teacher Recommendations: Both above average to good
Counselor Rec: Generic probably
Additional Rec: None
Interview: Requested. Did not get</p>

<p>Other
State (if domestic applicant): FL
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Hispanic
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: $80000-90000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: Test Scores, URM, COMMON APP ESSAY!!!
Weaknesses: GPA
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think I was a solid applicant. Good test scores, good EC’s. Great essay. Good recs. Just a low GPA. Far too many B’s. I got in because I had a good application and a URM.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Accepted: Rice, Northwestern, Cornell (likely), WUSTL. Waiting on Yale and Duke
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: I thought I was dead because of my 3.69 GPA but its not impossible. I’ve gotten accepted to a whole bunch of good colleges with it (granted, I am a URM). Still, a low GPA isnt the end of the fight if you have everything else going for you. Unless Yale accepts me (or MAYBE Duke), RICE CLASS OF 2018. This has been my dream for the past year.</p>

12

<p>Decision: Accepted for Architecture</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2200 (750CR,720M,730W)
ACT (breakdown): 33 (35M,32S,33 everything else)
SAT II: US History 680, Math II 720
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 3/368
AP: US History 5, English 5
IB: none yet- taking all this year
Senior Year Course Load: BC Calc (also NJIT Calc I & II), English IB, Physics 2 IB, Spanish 5 IB, Studio Art IB, TOK, Econ IB,
Also Chinese I & II at local college
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Gold Award (Girl Scouts), Gold Key for Scholastic Regional Art Awards, Commended Merit Scholar, Drew University Arts of Respect Honorable Mention Art Award,
Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Art Club (Pres), TSA (VP), Debate (Co-captain), Girl Scouts, Cultural Arts Club, Academy of Science,
Community service club(leader), etc.
Job/Work Experience: Taekwondo instructor
Volunteer/Community Service: Girl Scout Gold Award (82 hrs), leader of granny manis (lead monthly trips to nursing home)
Summer Activities: NJIT Arch program, Pratt Pre-College for Fine Art, Cornell Summer Architecture,
Essays: About taekwobdo leadership development- decent
Teacher Recommendations: unsure. Not bad.
Counselor Rec: fairly good.
Additional Rec:
Interview: Went very well- went for 2 hours instead of 45 mins!
Other: Fairly good portfolio- not phenomenal but I have won some awards for my art and “majored” in fine art at Pratt for 4 weeks of intense art school training </p>

<p>State (if domestic applicant): NJ
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: public
Ethnicity: white
Gender: female
Income Bracket: upper middle class
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none?
Reflection: I honestly didn’t think I had a chance. I am so surprised I can’t even. </p>

<p>Strengths: Art, Interview, ECs
Weaknesses: SAT kinda average,
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: still not sure! I guess the right combo of art and scores and ECs!
Where else you are applying or have already applied:
Accepted: Syracuse & Calpoly?
Waiting: Cornell, USC, Cooper Union
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:
I think the interview really helped my application since I never visited the school and helped me learn more about it. I think since rice also values your character it helped in that way too. </p>

13

<p>Decision: Waitlisted (engineering)</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2330 ( Cr:730 800 800)
ACT:
SAT II: Math II 800 Chem 790 Physics 800
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): not provided at school, estimated 3.9-4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): not provided at school, estimated top 5% or 10%
AP (place score in parenthesis):not provided at school
IB (place score in parenthesis):confused:
Senior Year Course Load: Chinese National Curriculum Physics
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
Aside from a few national/regional Debate/MUN, Nope
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): MUN (Director General of Club, Dais head in regional level conference); Debate (Captain, Co-founder of Club, Harvard Debate Council China program, NFL member); Mechatronics Lab work; Student Government Outreach Officer;
Job/Work Experience: NUS Internship, website construction for Social and Mobile Commerce Lab
Volunteer/Community service: Translator at AEOtour college fair for UCs
Summer Activities:, Exchange trip to US, Australia, Switzerland;Business Camp ( Best group of consultants, best presentation)
Essays (rating 1-10, details):8, people who looked at it says it’s awesome. PS about my exchange trip to Switzerland and contrast between life in the Alps and life in Shanghai, and conveys that small things in life should be appreciated. I did some serious research about Rice and wrote pretty solid why college essays. Contribution one about my quirkiness (combining Debate/MUN/Business with CS and gaming maniac, think of that). The Box is one of the pictures I took while in Switzerland, goes with my PS.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1:1
Teacher Rec #2:1
Counselor Rec:1 ( teachers are not devoting time and barely know anything about the US system)
Additional Rec:
The professor I worked with in NUS
Interview:
Other
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant): China
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender:Male
Income Bracket:120000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):
Nope
Reflection
Strengths: ECs, international exposure, clear major track
Weaknesses:no major awards/ recognition, applying from China
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:No idea… Too many applicants from China, couldn’t take everyone?
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
REA Stanford rejected; Northwestern, Wustl, Case Western Reserve waitlisted; HMC and UCLA rejected; UIUC and UCI accepted
General Comments: Ah I loved Rice!</p>

14

<p>**Decision: Accepted - School of Architecture! </p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2230 (770 reading, 770 writing, 690 math)
ACT (breakdown): 32 (didn’t send) (36E, 35R, 29M, 27S)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 740 Math II and 740 US History
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.95
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1-2/114
AP (place score in parentheses): AP: Euro (5), World (4, self-study), Lang (4), Chem (3), USH (5)
IB (place score in parentheses): nope
Senior Year Course Load: AP: Lit, US/Comp Gov, Psych, Physics B, Calculus AB / Drawing II
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): what. I guess once I had a photo exhibited at the W Hotel in Chicago which was neat-ish</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Varsity Swim Team (4yrs, captain), Best Buddies (VP), NHS (president), Photography Club (Founder and president), Engineering Fair (regional, 2nd place).
Job/Work Experience: Interned at an arch firm for a week ha
Volunteer/Community Service: Camp Promise, working with people with disabilities 24/7 for a week in the summer. 600+ community service hours
Summer Activities: traveling, said volunteering, taking the dumb class requirements online
Essays: Common App essay was about photography and I thought it was pretty good! All my supplements were decently written as well and I thing came off as sincere. 9/10 overall.
Teacher Recommendations: Didn’t read, but clearly perf
Counselor Rec: I was friends with my counselor before she worked for my school, so amazing
Additional Rec: nein
Interview: somehow avoided
Other: didn’t really show much interest outside of essays</p>

<p>State (if domestic applicant): FL
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: small private christian, rarely sends to top 25 and definitely never Rice
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: too much for FA
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): uhhhh
Reflection: I have no idea how I got in! Gah!</p>

<p>Strengths: Essays! ECs and leadership! Maybe architecture portfolio…? I have no idea
Weaknesses: Math SAT score (690 so close), no high school history, no demonstrated interest
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IS GOING ON! I was completely betting on getting rejected from Rice’s architecture program. It’s so small! Maybe not enough people applied and they just had to take me as a last resort haha. But I do believe my essays did help carry me through, and my portfolio might have been enough too.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Only acceptances, to 7 in a row so far: UChicago, WUSTL, Notre Dame, UVa, UF, Drexel. 9 more decisions coming in this week but I’m obviously pretty satisfied with what I have haha.
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN <em>insert Ellie Goulding music</em> But seriously, I applied to 16 schools (reach heavy, too) not expecting to get in anywhere, but evidently something in my application has worked and I have yet to taste rejection! The only school I would really pick over Rice is Cornell, and then WUSTL is kind of floating around right now too. This is all so crazy. I am kind of feeling deep survivor’s guilt at this point, like why is my 2230 cutting it when 2400/800s on three SAT II’s aren’t? To all future applicants: follow yo’ hearts, do what yo’ want, and everything is gonna be okay (and admissions officers will think you’re quirky or something) </p>

15

<p>waitlisted</p>

<p>Stats:[ul]
[<em>]SAT: 2280; 740 math, 740 writing, 800 reading
[</em>]SAT II: 780 bio; 750 lit, 730 math, 690 french (no listening)
[<em>]ACT: didn’t take
[</em>]GPA: 4.0 unweighted 4.31 weighted
[<em>]Rank: 1/161
[</em>]Other Tests (AP, IB): no IB; 5s on all AP exams (bio, euro, english lang, french, psychology
[<em>] senior year course load: APUSH, AP calc AB, AP physics B, AP art history, AP english lit, contemporary problems (mandatory religion course), straight As (no A-s)
[</em>] major awards: National Merit Finalist, AP Scholar with Distinction
[/ul]</p>

<p>Subjective[ul]
[<em>]Essays: submitted modified versions of essays I used for other colleges
[</em>]Extracurriculars/Jobs: soccer, varsity ultimate frisbee, tutoring, NHS, certified lifeguard, camp counselor, Girl Scout
[<em>]Awards: National Merit Finalist, Junior Academic Award, Villanova University Book Award, AP Scholar with Distinction
[</em>]Hook (recruited athlete, legacy, Nobel Prize, internationally recognized figure): National Merit Finalist
[/ul]</p>

<p>Personal[ul]
[<em>]Location: Seattle, WA
[</em>]High School Type: all-girls Catholic preparatory school
[<em>]Ethnicity: Caucasian
[</em>]Gender: F
[li]First-gen student? Family history?: not anything very exciting[/li][/ul]</p>

<p>Advice? Commiserations? Feel like bragging? Other colleges you’re applying to/received decisions from?:[ul]
[<em>]Deferred REA from Yale, waiting to hear
[</em>]Applied (and have yet to hear from) Duke, U Penn, Stanford, Brown [<em>]Accepted University of Washington (still waiting to hear from honors program), [</em>]Accepted Boston University (honors college, presidential scholarship)
[/ul]
I can’t help but wonder if part of the reason I didn’t get in was that I wasn’t really excited about Rice. I think that probably showed through in my interview and essays. Kind of glad I was wait listed. After all, being gay in TX would be tough…</p>

<p>Good luck to everyone waiting to hear, and congratulations to those accepted!</p>

16

<p>Decision: Accepted (Applied Mathematics)</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): Didn’t take
ACT (breakdown): 35 overall 36 on English, Science, and Reading. 32 on Math
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Didn’t take
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): Not really sure since my school doesn’t do 4 point scale for seniors. 101.6 weighted though on 100 point scale
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2/320
AP (place score in parentheses): Chemistry (3) Biology (3)
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics, AP Gov/Econ, AP Calculus, AP English, and some band classes
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Spanish Exam Gold Certification, All-State Band, and National Merit Commended</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Marching Band (section leader), Symphonic Band (1st chair), Youth Orchestra (principal chair), jazz band, Spanish Club (treasurer one year and president another), National Honor Society, Key Club, Quiz Bowl
Job/Work Experience: I had a summer job and that’s about it
Volunteer/Community Service: I gave free clarinet lessons to several members of my section, but other than that not too much. Most of it was through NHS and Key Club.
Summer Activities: I had a job last summer. Other than that, nothing else.
Essays: Pretty good. One was about my struggle to make All-State (tried out past three years and didn’t make it until senior year). Another was about how I wanted to make the world a better place. Another was about my reasons for giving clarinet lessons for free.
Teacher Recommendations: Pretty good I’m assuming. Both teachers love me.
Counselor Rec: She said she gave a fantastic rec.
Additional Rec:
Interview: Tried to get one but couldn’t.
Other</p>

<p>State (if domestic applicant): Mississippi
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: $150,000+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Does being a female from Mississippi pursing a mathematics degree count? Because that’s really the only hook I’ve got. </p>

<p>Reflection</p>

<p>Strengths: I showed a lot of passion for certain areas, particularly music. I also thought the content of my essays was really good. I’ve got a good ACT score and a pretty good GPA though I did pick up a few Bs. I guess
Weaknesses: A few Bs, two in AP Chem and one in freshman English (I had a final grade of an A in both classes though). I was limited in my involvement outside of band because of how time consuming it is, and my essay writing wasn’t that great.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Magic? Haha I’m not really sure.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Georgia Tech (accepted), Trinity (accepted), Vanderbilt, Emory and some state schools.
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: I shouldn’t have doubted myself when my friends told me I would get accepted. My advice: if you want to go to a school apply there because you never really know your chances until you get that letter.</p>

17

<p>Decision: Accepted!!! (For molecular biology)</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): didn’t send
ACT (breakdown): 35 (36 in English, 35 in everything else, 10 essay)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): didn’t send
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 96 average, but school only sends weighted
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 12% but not sent
AP (place score in parentheses): English Lang (4), Human Geo (5), Calc AB (5), Physics B (3), Biology, Macro Econ, Government, Psych, English Lit
IB (place score in parentheses): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: AP Biology, AP English, AP Econ, AP Gov, AP English Lit, Multivariable calculus, linear algebra, PALS, lit mag, dance 2
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): No major awards, but I have received awards every year for Spanish, I was a NM Commended Scholar, AP Scholar</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Theater (stage manager, assistant costumer), Amigos de las Americas (board member, assistant training director), mentoring group at my school (vice president), rollerderby (photographer), NHS, another volunteering group at my school, peer math tutors, peer english tutors, model UN, animal shelter (cat volunteer), PALS
Job/Work Experience: none until this January
Volunteer/Community Service: everything in the extracurriculars but theater, the mentoring group, and model UN
Summer Activities: Amigos de las Americas, summer classes
Essays: Common app was pretty good according to my English teacher/college counselor, my supplements were mixed in my opinion. I thought the long one was good, the others eh.
Teacher Recommendations: Good I think?
Counselor Rec: Apparently amazing
Additional Rec: Sadly I couldn’t send an outside one to Rice because my outside rec was hella good.
Interview: It was okay. It just confirmed everything on my commonapp.</p>

<p>Other
State (if domestic applicant): Texas
Country (if international applicant): US
School Type: Magnet, extremely rigorous and nationally recognized
Ethnicity: white
Gender: female
Income Bracket: ~50,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: grades, ACT, ECs
Weaknesses: essays, interview
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Honestly I was surprised! I think my essay was unique - I wrote my commonapp about living in the Dominican Republic, and my long supplemental essay about growing up around roller derby.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Accepted to Smith, Scripps, Carleton, Tulane + DHS, UT Austin, UT Dallas, University of Minnesota (for biology, very hard to get into), University of Alabama, Southwestern. Waitlisted at Northwestern. 0 Rejections!
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: I don’t even know how I got in.</p>

18

<p>Decision: Accepted (Chemical Engineering)</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2110
ACT: 36
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Math II& Korean w/ listening- 800, Chemistry- 770, Physics- 790
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): no rank
IB: 40/42
Senior Year Course Load: Maths HL, Chem HL, History HL, English Lit SL, Spanish ab initio, Physics SL
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): High Distinction in lots of Australasian competitions. eg. Chemistry/Maths</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Duke of Edinburgh Gold Awardee, Duke of Ed school club co-leader, Tae Kwon Do Second Dan Black Belt, 2nd part in NZ Guitar Ensemble community club, Kea Kids after-school program volunteering, St Dominics Talent Donation, and so on.
Job/Work Experience: None
Volunteer/Community Service: Kea Kids, St Dominics local primary school volunteering, CUE Haven Project
Essays: I thought they were decent, I liked my college specific supplement more than my comm app
Teacher Recommendations: probably good since they are my favourite teachers
Counselor Rec: most likely standard stuff
Additional Rec: none
Interview: none</p>

<p>Other:
State: N/A
School Type: private
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: M
Income Bracket: Low
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): nothing</p>

<p>Reflection:
Strengths: ACT, SAT II and IB scores, perhaps my ECs were okay?
Weaknesses: nothing related to my field of interest for my EC
Why you think you were accepted: Test scores, and perhaps my supplement
Where else you are applying or have already applied: accepted UCSD, UCLA, U of Michigan, waiting for like 14 other unis that i applied to</p>

<p>General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Tough for an international student (I’m from New Zealand) but very happy about this acceptance. Seriously considering attending but the costs are a bit of a problem for me. Nonetheless, very happy</p>

19

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:

[ul][<em>] SAT I (breakdown):
[</em>] ACT: 35 (M36 R36 S36 E32) 10 Essay (Superscore 36 with E34 on 2nd try)
[<em>] SAT II: Math II 790, Physics 740
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[<em>] Weighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.73
[</em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Doesn’t Rank. Pseudo-rank top 1-2% of 950
[<em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): Euro Hist (5), Physics B (5), English Lang (5), Calc BC (5), US History (5), Biology (5), Spanish Lang (5)
[</em>] IB (place score in parenthesis):
[<em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP Stats, AP English Lit, AP Psych, AP Macro, AP Gov, AP Chem
[</em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Commended
[/ul]
Subjective:

[ul][<em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Varsity Football, intramural sports, volunteer clubs
[</em>] Job/Work Experience: None at time of application
[<em>] Volunteer/Community service: NHS, School Orgs for 200+ hours, tutoring
[</em>] Summer Activities: Football camp
[<em>] Essays: Good
[</em>] Teacher Recommendation: AP Calc Teacher, good. AP Lang Teacher, good.
[<em>] Counselor Rec: Good (but responsible for 100+ seniors, 400+ students)
[</em>] Additional Rec: None
[<em>] Interview: No
[/ul]Other

  • [</em>] State (if domestic applicant): IL
    [<em>] Country (if international applicant):
    [</em>] School Type: Public, 3500+ students
    [<em>] Ethnicity: White
    [</em>] Gender: Male
    [<em>] Income Bracket:
    [</em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None

Reflection

  • [<em>] Strengths: Stats (Curriculum, GPA, Test scores, AP scores)
    [</em>] Weaknesses: Leadership in ECs
    [<em>] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Stats
    [</em>] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted: University of Minnesota, University of Pittsburgh, University of Illinois, Miami University - Ohio, University of Virginia / Waitlisted: University of Chicago

General Comments:
Congratulations to all accepted! Best wishes to all others, too.
We did visit. We liked the school a lot, but based on EFC and expected FA, it might not work out.</p>

20

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:
ACT : 33 overall Eng 34, Math 29, Reading 35, Science 33, Writing 10
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.97
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 1% of a class of roughly 500
AP (place score in parentheses): English, WH, USH All 5s
IB (place score in parentheses): Will take most at end of year but Math was 5,
Senior Year Course Load: AP Human Geo, AP Calculus, English 4IB,Spanish 4IB, IB Photo, BIO 3IB, IB Psych, IB Theory of Knowledge
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): 5 Regional Poetry Awards, Senior Justice for State of Florida for Youth in Govt</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): NHS (officer), Nat Science HS (officer) Youth in Govt (Officer), LAX, Film Club (officer) Council Member for Local Film Festival,
Job/Work Experience: Intern at law office
Volunteer/Community Service: 200 + hrs Humane Society, 150+ hrs Film Festival, 5 yrs Salvation Army Bell Ringer,
Summer Activities: Camps, Travel, volunteer, college courses
Essays: Thought they were very ok overall
Teacher Recommendations: Did not see any of them but know the teachers that I selected and sure they were great.
Counselor Rec: Same as teacher recs
Interview: Did not have one
Other: I am also graduating from the law academy we have at our school and took several courses at Duke and GW for credit over the last couple of summers.</p>

<p>State (if domestic applicant): FL
School Type: Public IB High School
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: $150K+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First Gen
Reflection I felt like I didn’t have a chance here due to no interview granted and the competitiveness. This was my top choice for schools but still don’t know if I can go until we see if there are any scholarships awarded.</p>

<p>Strengths: I have a huge passion for learning and think that was reflected in my essays. Decent ACT scores, heavy course load, rigor of my high school, lots of extracurricular
Weaknesses: There are a lot of people way more talented with higher scores and better grades than me, feel like I am just rather average.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Really no idea
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Columbia, Barnard, Hofstra (accepted), FSU (accepted)
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: I received almost no communication from Rice even though I fell in love with the school while visiting after my parents made me go about a year ago. I asked for an interview and they had no one in the area to interview me. I did not expect to get in at all but am thrilled that I did and so happy for all the others that have been accepted and deeply humbled by all the other amazing candidates that did not get an acceptance.</p>