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Do I have a chance at getting into Rice?

HERE ARE MY STATS:

from New Orleans
size and location don't matter
major: undecided, looking maybe at Pre-Med, Biology, Biomedical engineering, Journalism, English. grr as I said, UNDECIDED

*
I am African-American, female
Not sure of school rank, prob in the top 10% of around 250 seniors
1420 SAT I (retaking November, hoping for a 1500+) 710V 710 M
No SAT II's yet (taking in October: Writing, Math IIC, and either US History or Literature, hoping for 700+ on all)
ACT: 29 (retaking in October)
GPA: well above a 4.0 weighted, not sure what it is unweighted (I need to look @ my transcript)
I will have 7 AP classes by the time I graduate
sophomore year- European History:
Junior year- US History- expecting a 5
English Language/ Composition: expecting a 5
Senior year: taking English Literature AP, Physics AP, Calculus BC AP, French Language AP

*I had a B in European, and A's in both US History and English Lang.

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Extra Curriculars/Awards

Member of speech and debate team for 3 years: awards in Declamation, Original Oratory; was the 2nd place City Champion in Original Oratory, went to nationals and was an octofinalist in the Catholic Forensic League Grand Nationals Tournament; I may be an officer this year

Member of Mu Alpha Theta 2 years: won several awards for Math Bowl (Ciphering) in Advanced Math/Trigonometry; 2nd place @ State for Math Bowl (Ciphering) in Advanced Math/Trigonometry

I was an editor for our school's literary magazine and had my work published in it; I will be joint Head Editor with one of my friends next year

I wrote for our school's newspaper junior year and I will be one of the editors senior year

Our school does academic awards. I received one for Geography freshman year, one for Algebra II sophomore year, and junior year I received one for Chemistry, English, Creative Writing, and Pre-Calculus

I was a member of the track team sophomore year and I plan on doing it again Senior year (I was too busy junior year); I lettered, went to regionals

I am also a member of National Honor Society

I won 2nd place @ our schools science fair, and went to regionals

I did Peer Counseling for some of junior year, I plan to do more senior year

I placed 1st (overall in the district) at our regional Literary Rally in Advanced Math I, and went to state

I volunteered in our school's bookstore sophomore year

Working on Community Service Hours

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That's about it. I would really appreciate some feedback. Thanks. Email me if you have ideas, or just post. Thanks.

By Jwtullis (Jwtullis) on Wednesday, June 23, 2004 - 01:00 am: Edit

Yeah, you definitely have a chance. Academically, you're doing great, and you have some nice ECs as well.

As someone who will be attending Rice in the fall, I feel qualified to say that I think Rice places somewhat more importance than similarly ranked schools on the subjective aspects of the application. By that, I mean they care about not only GPA, but class choice as well. Also, the essays and "box" on the app. offer a good opportunity to express your personality and individuality, so utilize those well.

What I'm saying is, if you can write expressive and meaningful essays and convey your passion for what you do through the application, then Rice will likely find interest in you. Your stats are all on par, so just make sure you really focus on the subjective stuff. Good luck.

By Wlrsqtr (Wlrsqtr) on Wednesday, June 23, 2004 - 01:31 am: Edit

I would say you are in

By Juniormom (Juniormom) on Wednesday, June 23, 2004 - 09:27 pm: Edit

Does it matter if you are truly undecided about a major at Rice? I have a son looking at service academies and Rice is on his list too. Any thoughts about being far from home...Houston is a long way away? Is there a lot to do on weekends if you don't get to go home often. I know many hail from Texas. Is there transportation to the airport from campus?

Many Thanks!

By Jwtullis (Jwtullis) on Thursday, June 24, 2004 - 12:18 pm: Edit

I can address a few of your concerns as an upcoming Rice freshman. As for your first question ("Does it matter if you are truly undecided about a major at Rice?"), I think Rice is one of those schools that truly VALUES these types of students. I sat in on an academic forum when I visited last time and several prominent professors were discussing how much they disliked the fact that nearly a quarter of Rice's students double major. They felt that doing so limited a student's ability to explore and discover new and interesting fields, so you can see how they might view those who are undecided about their major here.

Also like your son, I'll be quite a way from home as well. I live in Alabama currently and will most assuredly be flying to and from Houston every time. My personal feeling, though, is that being away from home will allow me to discover a lot about myself and the world. I, like many upcoming college students, I assume, could have gone to a school with many of my friends my high school, but I just felt that, had I made that choice, I would be basically the same person, after four more years with these people, as I am now.

As for weekend activities, I'm assuming that, because Rice is located about 6 or 7 miles from the center of downtown Houston (though you wouldn't know it when you're on campus, aside from the buildings rising above the horizon), there is plenty to do. And you don't even have to go into the downtown area for food, shopping, etc., as a small residential area (Rice Village) with various strip malls, restaurants, etc. lies only blocks from the campus.

Lastly, there is transportation to and from the airport. Rice operates a shuttle system (though on what schedule I don't know) that carries students back and forth. Also, a light rail system was recently completed in Houston, and it runs through a park right across the street from Rice, so there will always be reliable transportation to the downtown area and back.

I hope this information helps. Just let me know if I can provide anything more, and I'll be happy to do so. Rice would be an excellent choice for your son.

By Juniormom (Juniormom) on Friday, June 25, 2004 - 12:39 pm: Edit

Thank you so much for the information it is all very helpful! We are planning a visit this fall and it will probably be one of our last college visits and the farthest away. Can you speak to a good candidate for Rice? My son has very high grades and scores and is involved in many exc activities but not the leader in many of them. Is is very easy to please, likes to try new things, and on the quiet side. he's looking for an non greek school too. Thanks again you've been very helpful! JM

By Jwtullis (Jwtullis) on Friday, June 25, 2004 - 02:32 pm: Edit

Do you mean you want me to speak to your son? If so, I'd be happy to.

From what you've said about him, I think Rice would be great for him as well. The non-Greek thing is one of the characteristics that drew me to the school also. As for the extracurricular activities, your son should at least make sure that he has sustained involvement in those he participates in, if he doesn't have leadership positions, as this will show the committee that he is willing to invest time and effort into an organization or cause.

My other recommendation for your son would be to work very hard on the essay, short answer questions, and the "box," as Rice seems to value the subjective aspects of the application more so than similar schools. I think they really look for academic passion and "fit" in their prospective students, and might be willing to overlook the lack of leadership positions if it is clearly evident that your son cares deeply about what he does.

Hope this helps, and good luck.

By Juniormom (Juniormom) on Friday, June 25, 2004 - 03:43 pm: Edit

Actually, I meant what would a perspective good candidate would look like at Rice. But it is very nice to offer... He has been involved in many long term extracurricular activities such as Mock Trials, Mondel UN (he is the treasurer this year), Drama Club, Band, NHS, he fences but isn't competing yet. He is often described as a quiet leader and I didn't know if since Rice is a smaller school than others he is looking at if you see more extraverts getting accepted. He also works as a camp counselor in the summer, one year as a vol. and this year paid. What is the "box", we haven't seen the application yet. We just have the viewbook that was sent earlier in the year. Thanks again!

By Juniormom (Juniormom) on Friday, June 25, 2004 - 03:45 pm: Edit

Typing too quickly...poor grammer sorry ;-)

By Chidimma (Chidimma) on Friday, June 25, 2004 - 04:12 pm: Edit

jwtullis, since you're helping juniormom with her son, would you tell me MY chances at getting into Rice? Since this is MY post.... (look above)

By Wobudong (Wobudong) on Friday, June 25, 2004 - 04:52 pm: Edit

Chidimma: You have an excellent chance for admission, URM or not. If your SAT 2s are in the 700's you might even be a candidate for some merit money. Check out the information on the Barbara Jordan Scholars on the Rice web site.

By Jwtullis (Jwtullis) on Friday, June 25, 2004 - 08:07 pm: Edit

Chidimma: I actually wrote a message to you earlier in the post, but I think Wobudong is right. You do have a great shot at admission. To be honest, I got merit money with a 34 ACT and 770/670/650 SAT IIs, so, as I have said, I definitely think Rice places greater value on subjective appeal than most schools. Looking at your interest in writing and related activities, I assume you'll do well on the essay, which will even raise your chances of getting.

Really, for you, everything looks great, and the fact that you're working on getting more community service hours helps your cause even more. Good luck to you.

Juniormom: Assuming the application is the same this coming year as it has been in the past, the box is a small, blank square where the student is instructed to do something creative, basically. Write, draw, whatever. It's an additional opportunity for the student to express something of him/herself beyond the objective stats (test scores, GPA, etc.). There's no wrong use of the space, although some things may strike the comm. as more creative or interesting than others.

Also, you mentioned your son is more a quiet leader. Coincidentally, I consider myself to be the same. In fact, my English teacher even mentioned that she thought I had a "quiet strength" that perhaps wasn't as outwardly evident as that of others. Needless to say, it didn't hinder me, and possibly even helped. I also think that many people at Rice are similar. When I visited this past April, I got the overwhelming sense that people were truly being themselves. Most people didn't seem too concerned with what others thought of them, and that really felt different than what I'd expected a collegiate environment to feel like.

Again, let me know if I can help out in any way--anyone. Good luck to you all.

By Juniormom (Juniormom) on Friday, June 25, 2004 - 08:18 pm: Edit

Thanks for the feedback, we hadn't even thought about merit money, Rice seems like such a tough school to get in but his stats are high and all SAT II's are between 760 and 800. Rice sounds like a place he would be happy. We will plan a visit soon! Many thanks again! Juniormom

By Chidimma (Chidimma) on Friday, June 25, 2004 - 10:06 pm: Edit

thanks so much!