<p>I have heard that Rice has a 90% acceptance rate for their pre-med students who have applied for admission to medical schools. I am trying to find if the rate is high because they weed out students who they think will not get admission. If that is not the case, what are the factors that contribute to Rice's record on this?</p>
<p>Also, what kinds of opportunities does Rice offer for pre-med students beyond regular classwork during the regular academic year and during summer ? Do they actively try place you with someone, or do they give contact information and have you follow up with people on your own ? Can a student who gets an opportunity like this stay on the Rice campus during the summer session, even if he/she is not enrolled in a summer class ?</p>
<p>Rice has two biology related majors - Cell Biology and BioChemistry, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Which of these is better at preparing students for the MCAT ? What if a student is really interested in medicine, but not really interested in a biology major ? Also, I hear that certain majors can be GPA killers.</p>
<p>I’m an ED accepted student, so I haven’t actually started my first semester at Rice, but I do have a few answers. I do know that there is a required GPA students have to maintain while a “pre-med” student. This could be considered “weeding out”, but that’s open for interpretation. You can major in anything and still be a “pre-med” student. It is recommended that you still take the upper level biology classes even if you aren’t a biology major.</p>
<p>First of all, Rice does not require a specific major for pre-meds. I’m a pre-med Sociology major, which is actually encouraged, because it will help me stand out from the “stereotypical” pre-meds out there. However, some common pre-med majors are: Health Sciences/Kinesiology, Biosciences, Biochemistry, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Bioengineering (not as common), and more. Relevant minors include: Global Health Technologies, PJHC (Poverty, Justice, & Human Capabilities), Policy Studies (Health Economics), etc. There is really no “pre-med track” here which is excellent because it keeps pre-meds realistic and encourages them to pursue whatever angle they truly love. Personally I’m a Sociology major and a PJHC minor and it’s absolutely fantastic. There are no requirements to get into pre-med classes (other than necessary pre reqs) and Rice has an excellent pre-med academic advisor.</p>
<p>There are TONS of extracurricular opportunities available for pre-meds. Google the Texas Medical Center, which is right across the street from Rice, and your mind will pretty much be blown. There are like 7 or 8 major hospitals where you can volunteer/do research/shadow/intern. There are a huge number of nonprofits/clinics in the Texas Med Center area, and around Houston in general, which offer great research and volunteer experience. Because Houston is such a big city, there’s no shortage of opportunities, and Rice makes it really easy to take advantage of these opportunities.</p>
<p>First off, if you search “premed” in the Rice thread, you will find TONS OF THREADS on this topic. I’m not trying to be rude, but premed at Rice has been talked to death on this forum.</p>
<p>I’m currently a premed student at Rice, and I have met with the pre-med advisor. As far as I know of, there is no GPA cutoff to be a premed at Rice; you can have a 2.8 and still apply to med school. Rice does not screen its applicants.</p>
<p>In terms of your major, major in what you are interested most. Med schools want diversity; they don’t want all bio and chem major students. There is no set major required for medical school; you can major in art history, take the required premed classes, and go to medical school. Now, if you are very interested in bio, major in it. But if you are doing it for pre-med only, major in something else… the Biochemistry/Cell Biology major here is very tough (as it is at any top university). Find a major you enjoy and then pursue it; getting good grades will be easier. </p>
<p>Also, I would keep your options open… everyone these days wants to be a doctor, but there are so many rewarding careers out there.</p>
<p>There are plenty of volunteering/medical exposure opportunities at Rice, as the previous poster has stated. Although Rice does not have a med school, we happen to be next to the world’s largest medical center, Texas Medical Center, with a dozen or so hospitals and two prominent medical schools (including Baylor Med School). I’ve heard that people from around the world come here for treatment; I would say its almost equal to the Mayo Clinic or Cleveland Clinic. However, taking advantage of these opportunities requires initiative on your part; Rice does not feed these opportunities to you. But, that’s a good thing to learn, because the good things in life are not easy to obtain and are not fed to you.</p>
<p>^^^ do you guys use the composite letter. Emory implemented it, but they haven’t started refusing pre-med students composite letters.</p>
<p>Does Rice publish charts which show that kids with a certain gpa/mcat score from rice and their acceptance rates to medical schools? If Rice does, the information can help the op.</p>
<p>Wait, Ive been having a really hard time on the rice website figuring out the medical oppurtunities there. Do you just enter into pre med but major in whatever (such as art like one of you said) and not learn anything about medicine???</p>
<p>@ gonzamar049: Here’s some FAQs on Rice’s pre-health program- [Frequently</a> Asked Questions : Rice University](<a href=“Undergraduate Resources | Rice University”>Undergraduate Resources | Rice University). There’s also a link to the Health Professions Advising in the link I provided; hopefully these pages answer some of your questions.</p>