Rice Class of 2016 RD Results!

deserto
Sun, 25 Mar 2012 19:22:35 +0000

Decision: Waitlisted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): superscored: 2310 (800 CR, 730 M, 780 W); single sitting: 2280 (800 CR, 730 M, 750 W)
ACT: Did not take
SAT II: 780 on U.S. History and 740 on Literature
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): ~3.75
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School does not rank
AP (place score in parenthesis): 5 on U.S. History, 4 on European History, 5 on Human Geo.
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: Relatively rigorous - not the hardest possible, but still more challenging than normal (2 honors)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar, NMS Commended

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): quiz bowl team (captain); baseball (captain); Council (Public Relations officer); XC running; debate (won several awards); Fantasy Baseball Club (founding member)
Job/Work Experience: 5-10 hrs/week at local bookstore since fall of 11th grade
Volunteer/Community service: minimal tutoring
Summer Activities: playing baseball and playing and studying for quiz bowl
Essays: Common App one was strong, I felt (7-8 on a scale of 1-10); I thought my Rice supplements were also good, although I could have better articulated why I was interested in Rice and what I’d have contributed to the university community
Teacher Recommendation: both probably decent; 1 most likely better than the other; they could have highlighted my intellectual passion and curiosity or my introversion or both; it’s hard to know
Counselor Rec: maybe not spectacular, but should have been good
Additional Rec: -
Interview: my interviewer, a 2010 Rice grad, was from South Korea and did not speak English all that well, thus much of the interview was kind of awkward; it took him a while to process a lot of the things I said; he did say, at the end, that he would speak positively of me in his report

Other
State (if domestic applicant): NH
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: medium-sized, competitive public hs
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Gender: M
Income Bracket: $200,000+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none, really

Reflection
Strengths: Stdized test scores, ecs, essays
Weaknesses: GPA, possibly class rigor and ecs, possibly recs?
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: there’s no denying that Rice is very competitive admissions-wise. I should feel fortunate to have been wait listed when so many other qualified applicants were rejected; however, I was really, fervently hoping I’d be admitted
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: accepted: UVM, Centre, Kenyon; waitlisted: Carleton; rejected: Swarthmore
General Comments: I accepted my spot on the waitlist. I will continue to express interest in Rice and maybe, just maybe will be admitted eventually. Rice is a remarkable school, and I envy those of you who were admitted.