@Inspirefly You should definitely watch it! One more day closer everybody!
@acebrigade same here lolol
Hey Guys! I can’t still get over the fact that I have been rejected by Vanderbilt so, i wanted to join this discussion because i feel like the endless wait for Rice to release decisions will be somewhat less nerve-racking with all of you ready to support one other no matter what. I am an international applicant with a way below average SAT (1980) & SAT II’s in Bio (720), Chem (780) and Math I (720). I am doing my A’levels right now and I am projected to finish with 4 A*s. I also have a perfect GPA (10/10) but i feel that i am absolutely doomed to failure after this Vanderbilt rejection 
I really love reading your comments so, i will feel blessed if you happen to have any advice for me 
@dpasa86 well, I’ve been waitlisted as an international (pretty much same as rejection) admissions is so fucking random that we can only guess. it depends on how you portrayed yourself in the application. but which country are you from? that actually has a huge impact
@dpasa86 I’m an international applicant too, and my ACT is 29
@dpasa86 I’m an international applicant too, and my ACT is 29 but my high school grades are good and I think my essays are pretty good too. College decisions are very unpredictable and from what I’ve heard Rice looks more into essays and the student’s demonstrated interest. Your grades are good enough for Rice and I’m sure if you have really worked on your essays, you might just get into Rice! Dont let one rejection bring you down
@Bluebrry I am from Cyprus which is an island in the eastern Mediterranean. I have put so much time & effort into the essays to create something unique and unheard-of (like all of you ) but the admissions process seems to be so random that what they are looking for still remains a mystery i think… It’s hard to predict 
@dpasa86 yeah… it’s too random nowadays. but, hey, good luck.
i’m also an international applicant and i’ve been waitlisted everywhere with ACT 34, 3 SAT IIs 800, and 6 AP 5s…
A lot of people around me applying for the same schools do have higher ACT scores, so i didn’t think i’d get in everywhere obviously, but i never thought I wouldn’t get in anywhere…but it’s starting to look really bleak…
@dpasa86 @djb2610 @jpa0115 @Bluebrry - Where are you guys from? Do you think that competing with US Students presents a disadvantage? Why not stay in your own country? Future?
@djb2610 Being rejected degrades the confidence that i have in myself. But you are right. We must not let any negative remark bring us down. I have really put a great deal of thought and creativity into these essays to craft something truely unique & representative of my personality. We will never now how good our essays were until the official release of the decisions though! Good luck to all
@dpasa86 i just hope they release the decisions this friday. I cant wait any longer :’(
@jpa0115 It could have been really nice if these top US schools evaluated my “worth” based on my A’levels rather than SAT. I have a bunch of 120/120 and 60/60 in my a’level units but these schools simply don’t care. I am waiting to hear from Rice, Cornell, Columbia, Penn, Tufts & Rochester which are all kind of dream schools for me especially Columbia My heart can’t deal with another rejection (which is kind of inevitable)
Acceptances are far from being random. They are based on the concept of a well rounded class as opposed to a well rounded student. Universities compete with each other for the cream of the crop. With a 29 ACT score your chances of admittance to a top 20 University are not very good unless you have something else to offer. If they have never accepted anyone from your home country and you are the only one applying your chances all of a sudden become pretty good.
well international students aren’t really competing with US students…It’s more like we’re competing with students from our respective countries/region for a limited number of spots, and a lot of us offer the same qualities/credentials/strengths somewhat, so i think thats where it gets “more” competitive and back to @nonetaken 's discussion about a well-rounded overall class and what not…
@dpasa86 Aren’t A-levels considered in the same way GPAs are? They do consider them, in addition to SATs, but if other students from the same education system have higher SATs, then they probably can’t overlook that when they make decisions?
but yeah what do i know…
International students actually have several stages of competition. Firstly, with people from their own country. Then other international applicants, and lastly, the applicants from the USA, because a college although won’t admit it, they still prefer US applicants over internationals for a variety of reasons, one being that we, on an average, may need more financial aid. Although some colleges claim to be need-blind, we all know that it holds some amount of weight while decisions are made.
@blazedragon - I tend to agree with you to a certain extent. I know for a fact that the need-blind “claim” is not a claim but a reality. I can vouch for it personally. However, I don’t know if it applies to International students.
The website says that the decision will be out by April 1st, but does anyone know of a more exact date?
I read last years thread from the day the decisions were released and they didn’t recieve an email prior to release, so I think that we won’t either. I think we are expecting them this Friday the 25th, but it’s just a guess! @Pokerworld
Personally, I like it when the decisions just come out of the blue so I have no time to build up anxiety. But this time i’m even anxiously waiting for the email because i’m expecting it to come.