Chance me-Top 11% GPA can get in?

Topgun2010 · 10-13-2009, 12:30 PM

Asian Male in TX
Date of Expected Graduation: 05.2010
1. Very competitive senior high school (Top 100 USNEWS), GPA is 4.5 (out of 5.0), top 11% out of 700 students- upward trend GPA since 11th grade, can get better GPA 12th grade.
2. Had taken 7 APs (all 4s) by the end of junior year (got AP Scholar with Distinction) and take 6 APs senior year (for sure to get National AP Scholar after senior year).
3. SAT score 2130; SATII: Biology 730, U.S History 740.
Will retake SAT and SATII in November and December to get better score.
4. 200+ community service hours- library and hospital.
5. Got research internship (paid) and published first author review with PI.
6. Qualifier for regional level science fair- 1st place for west regional and took part in Siemens Competition in October 2009, will get result on October 23rd.
7. Qualifier for National level debate once (NCFL) - Public Forum.
8. Qualifier for state level debate twice (TFA) - Policy Debate.
9. Qualifier for regional level debate twice (UIL) – Informative.
10. Vice-president (12th grad) of Academic Decathlon.
11. Treasurer of debate team (12th grade)-debate team ranked #1 in Nation out of 2,700 high schools by the NFL.
12. TA for AP Calculus AB.
13. Can get very strong recommendation from my research PI.
14. Can write very good essay (my writing score is 11 out of 12).

Please help me!!!

Topgun2010 · 10-15-2009, 12:28 PM

Anybody? Please give me some suggestions!!! This is my home state.

anxiousmom · 10-15-2009, 07:05 PM

Chances are just meaningless; either you get accepted or you don't. I don't know and neither does anyone else know whether you'll get in or not - but I strongly suggest you apply! Good luck to you and I hope you are an Owl in 2010.

swarthmoredad · 10-15-2009, 10:34 PM

You have a good resume for application to Rice. Be confident that you are qualified to attend many universities, There will be excellent choices for you.

I don't think anyone can easily answer one of your implied challenges. The reference to the NFL ranking indicates you are attending Bellaire HS, which helps explain the top 10% challenge. There are some excellent high schools in the Houston area - St. John's, Clear Lake, Bellaire, etc. that have large numbers of top students applying to Rice. Rice can accept only so many students from any one of these schools. Going to Bellaire and getting accepted to Rice would be a wonderful accomplishment. You should be able to find out how many Bellaire students were accepted by Rice in recent years at the high school college counseling office. When the acceptances are broken down further by school (engineering, humanities, etc.), gender, and ethnicity, it will be a small number. That number is a good indication of your chances for admission.

Class rank is clearly important at Rice. The admissions statistics in recent years indicate a preference for students ranked in the top 5% of their classes.

There are also several macrotrends in Rice admissions. Rice is increasing their class sizes but also increasing the number of international students. I have the sense that the admissions office was slightly surprised by the number of acceptances by international students this year.

One other recommendation is to talk with your family about cost of attendance for private vs. public schools. Rice is ~2x the cost of popular choices UT-Austin or Texas A&M. You will need to evaluate the advantages of Rice vs. other schools. Each family reaches their own decision on value and education quality.

Soulside Journey · 10-22-2009, 10:38 PM

Hey Topgun, I was almost in exactly your shoes when I applied. I had a 4.4/5.0 weighted GPA that was upward-trending, 2210 SAT/33 ACT and good subject test scores, was in the top 11% of my class, and went to a very competitive high school (supposedly ranked in the top 10 public high schools in the nation). And I got in. You have an advantage over me when it comes to ECs, too (I definitely didn't do any competitions on the regional or state level, much less the national level). So you easily stand a chance. It's pretty much going to depend on how much they like your essays, so do well on them!

Topgun2010 · 10-24-2009, 09:31 AM

Thanks! Soilside Journey,
I'm so happy to get all these information from a Rice student (class of 2013)!
Are you from TX? It's way way harder to get in from TX. What's your major(might be double majors)?
Rice got very strong science(Biology) department? I took my piano lessons at Rice Music School for 2 years, I like Rice a lot and the tuition fee much cheaper than other schools(like Emory, USC...)-this is real a big deal for any family...

Soulside Journey · 10-31-2009, 10:53 PM

I'm not from Texas; I'm from Florida. And my current major is electrical engineering (and if I decided to stick with it, I'm definitely not double majoring!).

r-crispie · 11-04-2009, 03:56 AM

Rice admission stats historically were progressive with class rank, highest for valedictorian, salutatorian, 1%, 5%, 10%,... I would say that TopGun appears to have good application potential but that is still, say, a 20-30% chance.

The music lessons at Rice might be a slight plus, as an existing connection, and an indication of long standing interest.

RML · 11-13-2009, 08:06 AM

I wonder which program is the OP applying for?