Official Rice/Baylor Thread!

<p>Even before finding out about Rice/Baylor, Rice was high on my list. The school's programs, especially in the sciences, are as good as if not better than those at many "ivy calibur" universities, the professors' and admnistration's focus on UNDERGRADUATE education is remarkable, the campus location is perfect, and the cost is massively lower than almost all other comparable schools. Obviously, I will praise Rice as its the place I will be for the next 4 years, but take the time to learn about the school and you will agree with me. In terms of Rice/Baylor, it's difficult to find a better combined medical program in the country. Combining one of the best undergrad institutions with one of the best medical schools in the country, having loose GPA requirements, foregoing the MCAT, and creating a COMMUNITY of driven, medically-inspired students that will stay together for 8 years is a package that I think can't be beat. The community aspect in particular is important, as some programs are nothing more than the "guarantee" of a spot in a med school, whereas Rice/Baylor seems to foster a sense of camraderie among its members. As the other Rice/Baylor students, I was considering other schools and programs as well, like Northwestern HPME and Case PPSP. I have the utmost confidence that deciding to accept Rice/Baylor is the best decision I ever made.</p>

<p>Yeah, wow, those have been some long posts. Guess we really like Rice! :-)</p>

<p>^_^ Yeah.</p>

<p>Have you guys received the housing questionnaire yet?</p>

<p>Not yet! But I'm all the way in CT, so it might be taking a while...</p>

<p>I haven't gotten mine either. I'm a bit concerned cuz huitzopochtli said he got his a few weeks ago and that the deadline is June 6! Then again, on the set of forms that included the health form, it said the roomate stuff would come in the mail in late May.</p>

<p>You guys get the housing questionnaire yet? I still haven't...</p>

<p>I FINALLY recieved my packet today!</p>

<p>Don't worry if you haven't gotten your questionnaire yet! I called the student director of orientation @ Rice and she told me that they sent out the packets by alphabetical order, and some of the packets went out as late as last Friday. Also, she told me that although the deadline to turn the housing stuff in is June 6, they really want it ASAP.</p>

<p>I received in on Thursday too. The person I called said basically the same thing. Anyone have preferences on which college they get?</p>

<p>I'd love to be in Wiess college. Any college is cool, as long as it's not Lovett.</p>

<p>Do you guys have any colleges that you DON'T want to get into?</p>

<p>First, congrats to all you guys that got into the program. I've heard it's mucho tough to get into. I am currently a high school junior, and this program is one of my top choices, if not my top choice. What would you guys, in particular, suggest for me to do. Here are just some stuff that I have done/going to be doing and some of my stats:</p>

<p>SATs: Took 'em today. Overall, though, I'm expecting ~2200 after next year’s retake.</p>

<p>SAT IIs: Chemistry 760, US History (taking next year) expecting: ~730 (I have some more (Bio, Math IIc), but Rice requires 2 if new SAT is taken). I’m just thinking that it’ll really show I’m well rounded if I have a good score in math, reading, writing (SAT I) and science and history (SAT IIs)</p>

<p>GPA: 3.71 (we don't rank, and this will go up to about a 3.8 by time of applications), but we are one of the top schools in NJ</p>

<p>APs: 11th- Chemistry, Biology (Took both exams and expecting 5s on both)
12th- Physics C, Latin, Psychology, Human Geography, Calculus BC</p>

<p>**Also please note, my school goes by block scheduling, so taking AP classes are extremely hard to take in multiples/year. In fact, in my class, one other and I are tied for taking 7 APs. The rest of the people are taking 6 or less.</p>

<p>Recommendations: My councilors and one teacher will be amazing, for a fact.
I’m not sure who I am to ask the other recommendation to, but it will probably end up being good, if all goes well. </p>

<p>Some Extra Curricular Activities:
-100+ Hours Community Service at the Cleveland Clinic
-Part of my town's rescue squad (EMT)
-Treasurer of Mu Alpha Theta (Math Honors Society) @ school
-President of Latin Honors Society @ school
-Captain of Science Olympiad @ school
-Taking 3 College Courses (in math, psychology, and the fine arts) this summer
-Captain of Chemistry Olympics @ school
-President/Founder of Striving for a Healthier World @ school (my friend, as senior, may be taking this to Cornell, so we may have an alliance next year!)
-Attended NYLF on Medicine
-Did summer research work in microbiology/public health in a Harvard-allied hospital in India on bioaerosols in working environments
-JV (and V next year) tennis player for 3 years (had to skip this year because of an injury)
-Will (hopefully, if everything goes right) attend NJITs Science and Technology Enrichment Program in the fall.</p>

<p>So do you guys think I have a chance? I know a lot of you have much better SATs than me, but I’m hoping it may still be possible. Thanks for your input and good luck to you!</p>

<p>the thing is ramjag, we aren't admission officers. we don't have any definite reason why we got in or any secrets on how to get in. it's probable that the only thing we have in common is that we show a definite interest in medicine. i guess my stats (those that probably weighed in the most) would probably be most helpful:</p>

<p>1540 SAT, 800math2c, 790 chem, 770 ushist, 750 writing
3.9 gpa unweighted, 4.7 unweighted, my school doesn't rank
Siemens Westinghouse Western Regional Finalist
MUN founder and secretary general
i was on Troy's Science Olympiad team, silver in Health Science at nationals
200+ hours at local hospital
great recs and my interviews were really smooth. </p>

<p>to me, you seem like a great candidate and i wish you the best of luck.</p>

<p>Thanks a lot BestBuy; I think I can get a sense on what I need to aim for with some of your stats. Good luck next year!</p>

<p>Also guys, what's the interview like? I'd imagine it's not a normal, undergraduate meeting but pretty intense if its for getting into the med. school...thanks.</p>

<p>I'd love to be in Weiss as well. I stayed there during Owl Weekend, and since the dorm is fairly new, the rooms are awesome! Otherwise, any college except Lovett would do...</p>

<p>whats so bad with lovett....</p>

<p>My only guess is that people don't like that Lovett is "high rise". If I remember correctly, the building looks more like an apartment than a residential college?</p>

<p>I've heard that Lovett is a big drinking/partying college, but people are nice, and no one will force you to do something that you don't want to do. Lovett really isn't that bad.</p>

<p>Nothing's seriously wrong with Lovett - I'm just talking preferences. =)</p>

<p>Laptop vs. Desktop. What do you guys think? As a side, does any part of Rice besides the library have wireless internet access?</p>

<p>laptop cause u can take it back home and stuff. u can do work like in the commons or out on the lawn with a laptop. definitely.</p>