<p>D rejected.
4.0 6 ap classes. Student government. Varsity sports. Lots of clubs,awards,volunteer hours,etc. like so many of you…she gave it everything she had.</p>
<p>We only had the money for one trip for college visits and we chose California as her first choice school was Stanford and third choice was USC. An extra trip to Houston just wasn’t in the budget. She has been accepted at BU as well as UW (still waiting to hear from USC). I agree with other posters…it is really hard to hear that you weren’t good enough…today’s kids work their butts off to get ready for college admissions…but you will make it an amazing college experience where ever you go! Best wishes to everyone, and a big congrats to those who have gotten in to the college they dreamed of!</p>
<p>Congrats to everybody who got in! To everybody who got wait listed, don’t despair just yet if Rice is your dream school. Like many have said there will most likely be a chance for you this year, just make sure you let the office know your interest in Rice along with any significant updates you may have every now and again. For those rejected, don’t despair either as it really is true that you can make the most out of any school and it all depends on YOUR ATTITUDE and COMMITMENT wherever you go that determines your success.</p>
<p>I am currently a freshman here at Rice and was one of you guys last year so if you want to ask me about anything Rice-related, I will do my best to answer. You can do it here or just send me a PM if you are interested and I will try to get back to you if I can!</p>
<p>runallday4, when I applied, I also was worried about not having won any ‘Super National Academic Galaxy Finalist Award’, not having published my own book, or anything of that nature. Do realize, though, that this is CC, and the people that post here usually aren’t representative of the entire applicant pool. Not everyone that applies and gets accepted has the same caliber of stats as some people do on here. Don’t fret too much about comparing yourself to other applicants- there’s so much more to your application than just awards, test scores, and grades. :)</p>
<p>I’m too lazy to post an entire “Accepted” post with all the formatting, but I have to chime in here-- clearly, the subjective really does matter to Rice. I did not expect to get in (basic stats: 3.9 UW gpa, 2300 SAT, best SAT subject tests bio 800 math 760 lit 750, 5 APs taken thus far with 5 more upcoming this year, 5s and 4s on all thus far, barely top 20%. Somewhat unusual but not at all spectacular ECs.) </p>
<p>For the essay, I wrote a sarcastic poem about how I’m too privileged to be able to contribute a meaningful perspective to Rice, and anything I wrote saying otherwise would be BS. I thought I’d screwed myself over-- I really didn’t know anything/care particularly about Rice then, and was just too angry about the entire contrived college app process to write anything genuine. </p>
<p>I got in, with an 18K renewable scholarship. I have no idea how-- apparently the admin people appreciate wry humor that isn’t even very well written.</p>
<p>1) It looks like for SAT/ACT they mostly just want you to be above a certain point, and once you’re there it seems like an increase helps you less and less.
ex. 2370 is only slightly better than 2190</p>
<p>2) ED seems to have a lot higher admit rate, at least on CC.</p>
<p>3) Essays are REALLY important</p>
<p>4) I want to say that some overqualified applicants were rejected because they didn’t think they would come to Rice anyways, but I’m not sure. I don’t want to say this definitively because I could be way off, however reading these stats, and anecdotes about val being rejected and #5 or 6 getting in makes this seem more likely.</p>
<p>@runallday - my S will be val and he was accepted :-). I do think though that his “hook” was participation in RSI. His application was very strong though even without that. He is also a National Merit Finalist and also a Questbridge Finalist and has performed well in various olympiad competitions, but hasn’t quite made it (yet) to the summer camps.</p>
<p>Essays were not the strength of my S’s application, they were good, but not outstanding. I do feel that the recommendations were probably outstanding however.</p>
A stronger SAT score is always better, but if you have a 2250 don’t retake just to make yourself look like a better applicant, as you can devote the resources you devoted to the retake elsewhere and get more results.</p>
<p>2) It has a somewhat higher admit rate, yes, but you have to account for the fact that yield will be at or just under 100%–that they are taking students who really want to go to Rice and will thus be great contributors to campus–and other things. The advantage is not that great, although there definitely is one.</p>
<p>3) Essays are hugely important, yeah. I would argue the most important part of the application. But again, they are only ONE part. Recs, ECs, stats, etc count too. Your essays don’t get you in, your app does. It’s a holistic process and you have treat it like one to give yourself the strongest chances. This means writing great essays but also picking your recommendations, describing your activities, etc all well too.</p>
<p>4) I strongly believe that this is not the case. I know countless people here at Rice who got likely letters to Ivies or who would have doubtlessly been coveted by HYPSM. I think the fact that people with perfect stats get rejected doesn’t say anything about yield protection (and if it does, it’s a very small factor), but rather, I would say that this observation speaks to the holistic nature of the process. A 36 doesn’t get you into Rice. A great app that shows who you are and what you can bring to Rice while still being academically successful does.</p>
<p>I agree with Fallen Angel’ thoughts. My son had 2260 and was not no.1 (he was cum laude) of a small class. He had no hooks…white upper middle class , etc. Based on naviance results Rice doesnt seem to “like his school”. The results looked more promising for son for columbia and yale than rice - lol! He applied for financial aid and didn’t get any (anywhere so far and not expecting any)
I think what has served him well is he is well rounded and has had leadership and passion in his ECs and his essays were strong. He received a trustee scholarship to Rice. As I posted before, I truly believes that an on campus interview, if offered, can only help. The admissions officer basically said to me that he so enjoyed his interview and he is a great fit for Rice. Obviously that means nothing concrete, but I think it can be a tipping factor. Those are my thoughts.</p>
<p>Rejected. Going to be valedictorian, good recs, AP Scholar with Distinction, Honor Roll, skipped a grade, 300+ hours of community service, year-round USA swimmer (16-20 hrs a week of practice), creative short answers, 4s and 5s on AP exams, 2150 SAT, CSF Lifer, Asian female from California.</p>
<p>I wonder what they were looking for this year? Many people with significantly higher qualifications got rejected as well. Ivy League decisions come out this Thursday…if I couldn’t get into Rice, what are my chances for those? [I really want Dartmouth]</p>
<p>@greengirl29: Rice has NCAA-D1 women’s swimming… did you consider trying to get recruited?
And don’t worry! All schools are different, but you seem quite well qualified. Good luck:)</p>
<p>@KimchiBoy: Yeah I got quite a lot. More than 25k for freshman year. How about you?</p>
<p>I got Trustee and a Departmental Scholarship! Also, I have to disagree with the FinAid office, I had to call them today- the person I spoke with was very helpful, patient, and receptive! I guess it depends on who helps you out.</p>
<p>at admit day the head of admissions said it was about 16%…the lowest they’ve ever had. The reason is because they’re no longer trying to expand, but at the same time way more people applied this year…Crazy huh?</p>