Yet Another Chance Thread...

Colleges and Universities A-Z Rice University
1

<p>As the decision deadline gets closer and closer, I'm become more and more anxious if I'll get in or not, so any help you could offer would be greatly appreciated! Thank you so much for reading this!</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 740 CR 770 M 790 W
Total: 2300/2400 (I only took it once if that makes a difference)
ACT: 35
SAT II: 800 Math II 790 Physics
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: Currently 5.0, but cumulative of 4.62 (all A's)
Rank: 3/451
AP: Euro (5), Calc AB (5), Stat (5), US Gov (5) Comp Gov (5), Lit (5), Physics (5)
Senior Year Course Load: WG Principles of Engineering, AP Psych, AP Art History, AP Chem, AP Lang, AP Latin Lit</p>

<p>Subjective
Activities:
Book Club, Mu Alpha Theta Recording Secretary (Math Honor Society), FIRST Robotics Team, Amnesty International Treasurer, Temple Senior Youth Organization, Latin Club Executive Board, National Honor Society, Artist’s Guild, Tae-Kwan-Do, Track Team, Cross Country</p>

<p>Awards:
Missouri Mathematics League (MOML) 2nd highest in school, American Scholastic Mathematics Association (ASMA) 3rd highest in school, Top Ten of Academic Class
Student to Student Award, Scholar Artist, Scholar Athlete, Gateway Young Achiever, National Merit Semifinalist, Renaissance Gold Card (straight As), Perfect Score- National Latin Exam, AP Scholar with Distinction </p>

<p>Volunteering:
Temple Volunteering, Purim Carnival- Helping run various activities during a religious holiday, Hanukah Hugs- Making presents for needy children , Tutoring- Academic Assistance Center, Tutoring- Separate, outside tutoring
Mu Alpha Theta Math Tutoring, Teaching martial arts, Summer Reading Club Volunteer, Library Volunteer: RFID Tagging- Helping create a computerized system for self check-out, National Honor Society Volunteering</p>

<p>Essays: They were decent. I thought a few parts in particular were a bit funny, but I'm not some amazing author or anything</p>

<p>Teachers Recs: Good, I think? The teachers liked me, but one wrote about how nice I was, which while I really appreciate, am unsure if that will penalize me or not.</p>

<p>Hooks: (Don't know if any of these are hooks), but:
-Woman engineer, Jewish, black belt, Missouri? (Would that harm or help me?)</p>

2

<p>lol?</p>

<p>10 char.</p>

3

<p>Is this a joke?</p>

<p>In case you’re serious: You’re definitely getting in. </p>

<p>Also, you should know by now whether or not you’ve advanced to National Merit Finalist status.</p>

4

<p>Really? Lol I hate you kids.</p>

5

<p>I’m really really sorry if I offended anybody- I truly am concerned. (I was just wait-listed from WashU, and I’m even from St. Louis.) I am a National Merit Finalist, but I looked up their admission statistics and they only have 12 people from Missouri in the 2011 class, which also made me nervous. </p>

<p>I didn’t get a likely letter, and only 3 people from my school have ever been accepted at Rice, one of which is a nationally ranked track and field athlete, so I thought that would also impact my application in that they probably aren’t a fan of my school. I also didn’t do an interview, which was recommended, and I only applied regular decision since I didn’t even know about Rice until the end of last year and found I really love it.</p>

<p>Sorry again- this really isn’t a joke, and thank you for the comments!</p>

6

<p>You probably know this but WashU is wait listing a ton of over qualified students. And as long as your essays are good, and even if they are not, you are most def in. But you never know lol.</p>

7

<p>Since you live in St. Louis, getting into Washu would actually be a lot harder for you.</p>

8

<p>xc2009chc - I don’t want to start an argument on this thread (that’s what the WashU board is for apparently hah) but ALL competetive schools waitlist or reject people who are more than qualified to go there. That’s why they’re so competetive. I would agree that living in St. Louis probably had more to do with the OP’s wait list status than being ‘overqualified’.</p>

<p>Having said that, Phoenix121, I think you have a great chance at getting in! I wouldn’t sweat it at all if I were you :)</p>

9

<p>Wow, I’m impressed. I made it into Rice, and although I participate in just as many activities as you do, my SAT score (2170) and unweighted GPA (3.93) are nowhere close to yours, even though I’m valedictorian of my class. I feel honored that I made it in, but sometimes I think I was one of those borderline people that barely made it, AND I applied for Early Decision.</p>

<p>You should have a very good chance of making it, in my opinion. But it’s up to the committee to accept you. Good luck!</p>

10

<p>Your stats are similar to mine and I got in ED so I think you’re fine.</p>

11

<p>You are in. Congratulations.</p>

<p>Rice would be a fool not to accept you. At the very least, waitlisting might occur, but I doubt it.</p>

<p>WashU has this unfortunate syndrome of waitlisting applicants who they know are clearly qualified to get in, but whom they think will not attend WashU because they have Ivy stats and probably will pick a higher-ranked institution over them. </p>

<p>Don’t worry about it. I got into both and I firmly think Rice is better than WashU, not only in general but also especially for engineering.</p>

<p>Since you are female and aspire to be an engineer, that definitely will serve to your advantage. Not many college applicants out there who both are females and want to be engineers.</p>

12

<p>i noe this is random but wut’s 10char? everybody keeps sayin it and its driving me crayz that i don’t know what it means.</p>

13

<p>I’m going to copy most of what I wrote on a previous thread:</p>

<p>I think you’ll get in, but I can’t ever say for sure. It’s not you, it’s the college you’re asking me to chance you at.</p>

<p>Rice is a difficult school to “chance” because, like any other excellent non-Ivy school (Notre Dame, Emory, Johns Hopkins, Washington University in St. Louis, Northwestern, UChicago, Vanderbilt, etc.), Rice’s admissions decisions are quirky, & to some extent, based upon what they need to “round-out” their class profile. That is, if they admit Patricia, a female, French-speaking oboe player who loves horseback riding and wants to pursue economics, they don’t need another “Patricia.” </p>

<p>A good read for putting these chances into perspective is “The Gatekeepers.” It’s from an admission’s counselor’s POV about admissions at Wesleyan University, a rather prestigious university in the Northeast. Some of his and other counselors decisions were made on trivial concerns (e.g. once, the narrator comments if he had read the application earlier in the day, he/she might’ve been accepted, but he rejected them anyway). </p>

<p>In the end, all the stars have to align for admission into great schools. As previously stated, I think you’ll get in and Rice would lose out if they didn’t accept you, and I wish you the best of luck (and my son, who’d freak out if he got in!)</p>

14

<p>Thank you for the encouragement everybody, but I’m also extremely concerned, as I don’t remember getting an e-mail telling me to apply for financial aid, which looked quite encouraging and generic. While I signed up to apply for financial aid on the Common App website, my family decided not to, so it’s not as though it would have made a difference. But, by not even receiving this generic letter, does that mean I’m flat-out rejected? I am aware that they’re need-blind, but the fact that I wasn’t sent one at all seriously worries me.</p>

<p>Also, I didn’t do an interview there. While optional, I know they recommend it. Will this negatively influence my application?</p>

15

<p>Nope. Relax and enjoy your time before decisions come out; there is nothing anyone can tell you now that will make any difference in Rice’s decision to approve, waitlist, or deny your application. (And if you get deferred, hang tight. With the economy the way it is right now, students who have committed may end up backing out of their decision due to finances - thus increasing movement off the waitlist.) :)</p>

16

<p>Wow, that’s amazing… If you were an URM, I can really see you getting in anywhere…</p>

17

<p>Unfortunately, no such luck there, which is yet another reason I’m worried. Thank you so much, though!</p>