Type of high school: Public, non-competitive, Title I, medium/large population
Other special factors: First-gen, URM
Intended Major(s)
Mathematics
GPA, Rank, and Test Scores
Unweighted HS GPA: 3.8
Weighted HS GPA: 4.85
Class Rank: 9/467 (GPA/Rank set to change soon)
ACT/SAT Scores: 1450 (school’s average is an 890)
Awards
VASE (art show) regional medalist - 11th
Academic All-District, Football - 11th
School district’s Academic Achievement Award - 9th, 10th, 11th
Extracurriculars
Head Varsity Baseball Manager - 10th, 11th, will continue 12th
Football Equipment Manager - Spring of 10th, 11th, will continue 12th
City’s Youth council - Rising 12th
(planning on doing more ECs)
Essays/LORs/Other
AP Precalc/Calculus AB teacher (strong LOR, known for 4 years)
One of my coaches (strong, known for 3 years)
Counselor (toss-up on strength)
From what I researched so far, Rice wouldn’t cost much and I could fill the cost easier (about 5k last time I checked, not counting personal expenses). UT Austin’s net price calculators are less in-depth, so not as accurate, but I’d have a good chance to fill the cost. Based off of the info, I qualify for full tuition at UT Austin and Rice. Haven’t put much consideration into the other three, but will take further research if necessary.
My main observation is to me the other colleges on your list are not necessarily much like Rice and Trinity. I do think Trinity is a good choice for a person who likes Rice, assuming it would actually be affordable. But there are other colleges I would normally recommend checking out to someone interested in Rice and interested in Math–just not necessarily in Texas.
So, let us know if you would be interested in suggestions along those lines.
Fill out the NPCs on the private schools. I don’t see why you couldn’t get into all, including Rice. It’s the only one you might not - but if a school is not affordable, then getting in doesn’t matter.
UT should be a safety for Math and you should apply for the Honors programs (deadline Oct15 for best odds).
Depending on your family income (75k and under?), check out Questbridge, which is like an ED app to 12 top colleges for lower income/first gen students with a full ride+.
Run the NPC on any college that meets need and see if you can participate in fly-ins: You’re a very strong applicant for Rice but also for a lot of other top colleges.
Your TRIO/Upward Bound adviser may have info on fly ins.
If Rice is your favorite definitely apply ED but other colleges below may end up cheaper (no loans) than UT, so apply broadly.
Apply to as many fly-ins as you can
This one has a 7/1 deadline:
Congratulations on your strong performance in high school!
This is SUPER impressive. What was the breakdown between math and English?
As a rising senior, any ECs that are added at this point are unlikely to make any admissions impact.
I’m strongly recommending you look into @MYOS1634’s suggestion of QuestBridge. Are you open to schools outside of Texas?
Additionally, I’m having a hard time picturing what you want out of your college experience based on the colleges on your current list. The questions below might help you think about what you want from college:
What size classes do you do best in?
What size school do you prefer?
How do you feel about Greek life (fraternities/sororities)?
How do you feel about significant enthusiasm for intercollegiate sports?
Are there areas of the country that you prefer (or prefer to avoid)?
Type of climate that you prefer (or prefer to avoid)?
Are there particular interests (outside of your potential major) that you would like to pursue?
Are there any other factors (like religion or politics) that will play a role in your college choice?
What are your post-college goals? A career (e.g. as an actuary) or grad school, or something else?
Application tip: explain what the district’s academic award means (what was the admissions criteria? how many awardees? How many students in the district?)