Rice University Regular Decision Class of 2025

Did anyone get this email from Rice " We’re launching a business major at Rice"?

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Got it

I got that email!

I wouldn’t read anything into getting an email. I imagine it was sent to all applicants. Rice is publishing information about the new business major on all of its media channels.

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Does it mean anything if Rice actually mailed a package saying that I should apply.

What do you mean by package and when did you receive it? This year is unlike any other so all bets are off. Do we even know how many RD apps were received and how many spots remain after ED? There was an earlier post about increasing class size, but it was over time and not clear about next year. We can do math while we wait😊

I got the package like a week after I applied. It was basically just a standard package of “we can see you at rice”. I’m sure they send it to most people since I am not the most qualified applicant.

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Nothing you hear, see, or receive means anything unless it is an acceptance letter. Good luck though!

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The more people apply the lower their percentage of accepted can be. That’s what makes them exclusive.

WUSTL was pushing us hard with an app waiver simply for filling out FAFSA. Same with Chicago. Washington and Lee, Swarthmore…free apps.

For them, the more the merrier because admitting 10% is better than 12%.

It’s all marketing.

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what’s the upside as everyone has already applied? What action could I possibly take after reading the email. I agree it’s likely nothing and it’s also mighty rude and I hope they stop sending out recruitment emails after the enrollment period ends. This is stressful enough already.

If the recruitment emails are for the 2026 class then the admissions office needs a new analytics consultant.

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Don’t forget that they also are very into their yield…

Also, they do not want potential students to forget them and decide on another school before the decisions are out.

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I always wonder about the April 1st schools. Yes, Rice is our stretch of all stretches but she’s basically down to two. What if Rice came through? They’d be much smarter to get it done early…in my opinion. Does late equal exclusive? Perhaps - but I bet some get in but have already committed elsewhere, just tired of the stress.

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I totally agree. I have seen you in other groups. It seems our kids applied to some similar schools. What are you still waiting on?

I think many of my Ds are april 1, or very close to it. The waiting is hard, for sure. She is just trying to do her school stuff and not stress it too much. And I am just trying to be positive and give her some space. And, not to spend too much time on here;)
I was happy for a split second to get a promo email from rice, but yea, I know it’s all marketing.

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As Tom Petty says, the waiting is the hardest part. I know this time is very stressful, especially as many other schools start releasing decisions. Rice was the second to last school my daughter heard from, but the wait was worth it. When she opened her Rice portal and saw the good news, she jumped several feet in the air. I knew then what her choice would be. I hope you all get good news in a few weeks.

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I live in Massachusetts and listen to our local NPR radio station a lot. I keep hearing ads for Rice. So I think even though they have record application numbers they must want more applicants from Massachusetts. I don’t really get it.

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I hear the Rice ads on NPR in Houston, which is to be expected. Rice professors often appear as guests on some of the locally produced news segments. I didn’t know Rice is running the ads nationally. Rice may be trying to raise its national profile. It is not as well known in some parts of the country as its peer institutions.

Rice does have a large “Texas” student population so I suspect you are correct.

People that know college pedigree know Rice is elite - but it doesn’t have the national profile that peer institutions have - such as Duke, Vandy, Notre Dame etc. I find it comical in some ways that universities - like any business - stumble on the marketing end.

But it’s true - their visibility is less on an overall level. So I can see them getting the name out there.

I wonder if the advertising push might be connected to a smaller enrollment last year due to Covid? Is it a business decision to expand, perhaps in coordination with the new Business degree, and such? Or is it an effort to cast a wider net for highly sought after top-tier students?

I do agree that many of these schools struggle in self-promotion.