<p>The box on the signature sheet is by far my favorite part of the Rice application (you're allowed to put anything you want in it).
Anyone (like past Rice applicants) want to share what creative ideas you thought of?</p>
<p>DD put a scrap of fabric. Can't remember what DS put.... maybe a picture of Agassi? something about tennis?</p>
<p>All I'm going to say is that you can put whatever you want, but please do not put anything involving Rice (the food) or an acceptance letter from Rice or anything clever (stupid) like that. The admissions office has seen it and does not think it's cool.</p>
<p>Seriously, just put something that appeals to you. You don't have to explain it or worry about how it will come off to the admissions people. I put a shrunk-down version of my high school's newspaper (I was EIC) that you could flip through. My friend put Proof By Rotation, which is a math proof that's definitely less than kosher.</p>
<p>Really, anything goes, except for acceptance letters from Rice, grains of rice, and writing outside of the box "this is where I like to think."</p>
<p>That said, there was once someone who drew Rodin's Thinker sitting on the edge of the box, and it was pretty cool.</p>
<p>putting a picture is a popular choice. Last year on my app I put a picture of me in front of a Starbucks inside the Forbidden City in China.</p>
<p>Starbucks in Forbidden City? wow That's awesome and depressing.</p>
<p>Don't worry John. Starbucks closed its store there after it generated too much controversy. <a href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2003788095_webstarbucks13.html%5B/url%5D">http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2003788095_webstarbucks13.html</a></p>
<p>what?! wow, I had no idea that the Starbucks closed down! Im definitely saving that picture..</p>
<p>requiquisimo. if you don't mind, do e-mail me that picture. Apparantly, I didn't see it while I was there. I think I'm going to make it my desktop background.</p>
<p>For all of the kids applying this year, what are you all putting in The Box?</p>
<p>i haven't decided yet. but i heard about a kid last year who put a picture of pancakes, lol. i'm not sure im brave enough to do that.</p>
<p>Brave, LiveInLove? The Box is the least consequential part of the application. I thought putting a random picture was normal. Mine was a picture of Ruscha's "Oof."</p>
<p>When I applied 30 years ago, I was very much into swimming. Many days I left school at 2:30 and swam until 6:30PM every day (high school workout and club workout back-to-back). I put a swimming icon in the box that I drew myself (no cut and paste back then). It was the basic solid circle for a head with a bent stick arm above it. Turns out it represented me pretty well because I joined the swim team as a walk-on and participated in just about every intramural sport there was from racquetball to Beer-Bike.</p>
<p>beer-bike?</p>
<p>You don't know about Beer-Bike?!</p>
<p>Here: Rice</a> University - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</p>
<p>Hey guys, why does Rice have "the box"? Is it to make sure that robots aren't sending in tons of applications that are automatically generated to waste the admissions office's time, is it to see the creativity of students, or is it a part of the stuff admissions office looks at to either accept/decline you, or what?</p>
<p>all of the above
it's definitley in reality one of the trivial parts of the application, but it could make the app more personal and memorable. besides, isn't it just cool?</p>
<p>It's cool, although a bit scary. </p>
<p>I really do wonder how much it counts for. Is it possible to screw up? Aside from the obvious don'ts (gluing rice into the box or just leaving it blank) can you think of anything you could put in it that would be bad?</p>
<p>of course anything obscene would be bad. and although some people put totally random crap, I would advise you put something and be able to give a reason why you put it.</p>
<p>I believe it serves two purposes. One is to give the admission staff something to remember an applicant by and also to give an insight into who you really are and what you find most interesting in life.</p>