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You will want to contact the Office of Admissions and ask how they evaluate students within each school. However, from what I was told, they evaluate students based on certain standards for Rice overall and then evaluate them in the context of a given school (in your case, Wiess School of Natural Sciences). I would apply to the academic division in which you are most likely to major in... in your case, Wiess . However, if you get into Wiess and decide you would rather major in art history at the School of Humanities, you can switch. You don't have to declare a major until the end of your sophomore year.
I would avoid taking the back door approach. Instead, explain your circumstances on your application... describe the situation at home so they will know you were not slacking off. Also, spend most of your time on your essays... those play a big role in admissions. Out of the top 20 schools, I feel that Rice takes one of the more holistic approaches to the admissions process. Good luck!
FYI... if you are premed, you can major in whatever you want, even English, history, or art.
BTW, environmental studies and theology are not easier majors than other humanities/science majors. For environmental studies, you still have to take general chemistry, biology, and sometimes even orgo. I really want to major in environmental studies/science, and Rice's program is quite weak in this area (limited course offerings).
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