Hi y’all! I am currently a freshman at UT Austin and want to transfer to Rice because of its smaller community. I have done some searching the transfer process to Rice and have seen the it has been difficult to join Rice as a transfer. I was wondering if anyone who has successful transferred or anyone with knowledge of transferring could give advice or and tips on how to be accepted as a transfer student. I hope to be able to join the Rice class of 2025 next year as a sophomore. Thanks 
It’s been awhile since I transferred, and transfer admissions has gotten more difficult each year, but one thing that I think Rice admissions tends to look out for year after year are multi-dimensional applicants. That is, they want to see that you’ve taken opportunities to expand your horizons or have dedicated yourself in something that is unrelated to your field of study. This could be an academic commitment or just a personal experience, and doesn’t have to be super eye-popping at face value. Some examples would be working in the service industry, running a business, taking care of a family member, living abroad, etc. It would then be up to you on how to contort that in a way to show how it has made an impact in your life academically, socially, mentally, and so forth. I would also think that showing a lot of interest would help. So, any way you can incorporate your knowledge of Rice’s history, traditions, campus features, etc., would help as well.
Admissions tend to focus on the high school profile (e.g., standardized test scores, high school transcripts) for first year transfers, since they’ll have less than a year’s worth of college experience in your application when you apply. But, definitely keep up your performance in college, as you never know what they look at. Plus, it’ll obviously help you in the future if you try to transfer again your second year or with whatever your endeavors may be after graduating.