should i consider rice a safety?

astronaut135 · August 20, 2009, 3:01pm

Hey everyone! I’m a Asian female from the Midwest who will be a senior in the fall. I’m going to apply to Rice and I would like to know if it is too risky to have it be my safety school. All responses will be greatly appreciated!! :)

Here are my stats:

SAT I: 2330
ACT: 35
GPA: 5.48 weighted (on 5.0 scale)
Class Rank: top 2% out of ~450 students
SAT II: Math II - 800, Chemistry - 800, World History - 750, Chinese - 800, US History - 740, Biology - 740
APs: Chem - 5, World History - 5, Calc BC - 5, Stats - 5, US History - 5, Biology - 5

Senior Year Course Load:
~AP Economics
~AP Literature
~AP Psychology
~AP Physics C
~AP Spanish Language
~Multivariable Calculus H
~also working on an AP Art Studio portfolio

Extracurricular Activities:

~4 years varsity swimming:
2009 Captain, 2008 All-Academic, 2008 Most Improved, 4th place at Sectionals 2008, alternate for State 2008
also invited to and attended a regional sports leadership conference in fall 2008

~4 years school literature magazine:
junior year Discussion Leader, senior Editor

~National Honor Society, Cum Laude Society, Quill and Scroll Society

~4 years Debate Team: varsity member

~3 years Math Team:
2008 and 2009 state qualifier, various Illinois Math League awards

~Student Mentoring Club:
junior Public Relations Officer

~Lab research on diabetes at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine for the entire summer 2009

~Art:
Won $1000 scholarship to take a 6-week art class at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago
North Suburban Conference Art Show Blue Ribbon Winner
Artwork framed and displayed at various local shows

~Attended the National Young Leaders Conference 2008 in Washington DC

Volunteering:

~Hospital volunteer
~Church pianist
~various volunteer projects at local food pantries, rec centers, fundraisers
~total 200+ hours

Work Experience:
~worked as swim instructor, cashier & concessions at local park district pool

If Rice should be one of my target schools, are there any suggestions for which schools I should look at for safety?

Thanks! :)

reid2575 · August 20, 2009, 4:37pm

Do you consider Stanford and Columbia safeties as well?

You’re a slight reach, maybe a match - you’re a competitive applicant - but asking if Rice is a good safety makes you sound very arrogant.

zweebopp · August 20, 2009, 4:44pm

Ouch! I know this sounds crazy, given your stats, but you haven’t described the type of school you’d like to attend. I thought something for science, but you have a smattering of Art activities that tells me that, deep down, you’d rather be an artist. You’re asking what schools to consider, how about a school that also has an amazing art program? Cooper Union is probably harder to get into than HYPM anyway. College (and Life) is more about finding your passion, not just having amazing stats.

jrchan · August 20, 2009, 4:51pm

Hmm…I have very similar stats to yours (less ECs in school but more out of school, almost identical workload and testing scores), although my GPA is not as competitive as yours :/

I don’t consider Rice to be a safety or even a guaranteed match for me…in fact, it’s one of my top 3 universities that I’d absolutely love to go to if accepted.

Based on what I’ve seen from other people, Rice definitely isn’t a “reach” school for you…but your chances are still pretty decent :)

Colleges00701 · August 20, 2009, 5:13pm

no top 20 school should be considered a saftey

astronaut135 · August 20, 2009, 5:17pm

Thanks for responding! It’s good to have an idea of where I stand among the applicant pool.
Yeah I thought Rice would be pretty iffy as a safety school, so I’m looking at UMich and such right now.
zweebopp - I want to go to a mid-size school where I can explore alot of options. You are right about the art thing…lol. It’s def something I don’t want to give up in college, but I do want to try out some new things…maybe in the sciences or engineering field.
And reid2575 - I’m just asking if Rice is a good safety because I honestly don’t know which caliber school to look at for a safety option. It was an honest question and I’m looking for an honest answer. I’m the first in my family to apply to an American university, and I while I do want to go somewhere with a great reputation, I don’t want to end up not be accepted anywhere. I never meant to come across as “arrogant”. Ok?

OldCard · August 20, 2009, 7:47pm

You are comparable to, and may be competing with Century Scholars, and they only take so many so I wouldn’t consider Rice a safety. Also, if you are asking about safeties, you obviously have some that you will think are reaches that you many not get into. If you apply to the Top 20 you might get into 10 or 12, if everything else you present is as high or better than your scores.

Neon_Green · August 20, 2009, 8:00pm

i think you have a super-awesome excellent shot at getting in. :)

the most important thing about rice, (at least i think) is showing interest. it’s a small school, so visiting/talking to reps/replying to their postcards would give you a big boost. just a thought.

reid2575 · August 21, 2009, 1:58am

I understand your situation - I’m the first in my family to apply to ANY university so I know that the college search can be daunting. I hope I didn’t make you feel attacked; unfortunately we just see a lot of ■■■■■■, etc. and it’s hard to tell who really wants advice and who is just looking to stir up trouble.

Safeties = schools that you KNOW you’ll get into. They’re usually your state’s public schools. If a school is a top 20 (or a Top Uni on CC) then it won’t be a safety. Due to your interests in art, some smaller LACs might be good safeties for you to consider… I haven’t researched other colleges in awhile so I can’t give any specific examples.

I know you’re applying to both Stanford and Rice, so you may want to also look at Pomona. It’s a wonderful LAC with strong sciences as well. Not a safety!! Just a suggestion on your search.

westsidewolf1989 · August 21, 2009, 2:47am

Not a safety, but I’d be quite surprised if you didn’t get in.

astronaut135 · August 21, 2009, 3:25pm

Thanks everyone for the responses, I really appreciate it!

college316 · August 22, 2009, 12:20am

Rice is a good target school for you. Try for merit aid. It’s not a safety because you never know what admissions officers will think on any given day.

Rtgrove123 · August 22, 2009, 12:47pm

Ya, I actually have identical stats to you…except I got a 2340 on the SAT. Our ECs are a little different- I dont know if you put down all your awards or not though. Look, Rice is in my opinion one of the top three best schools in the country for your undergrad (Princeton and Dartmouth are the other two). I would be borderline surprised if they rejected you; HOWEVER, I have seen applicants with a 35-2340 with adequate ECs flat out denied from Rice. So, dont get too cocky about getting in…I fall into that trap too, but just know that while I’d bet money you get in, they could and have denied applicants like you.

Best of luck,
Robbie

swarthmoredad · August 22, 2009, 6:21pm

You have very impressive statistics, but there’s more to think about. Your SAT scores are National Merit level. Rice has one of the highest percentages of any school for National Merit students (and is significantly cheaper than the competition.) Some students at Rice talk about how you find out ‘who the really smart students are.’

The admissions metrics at Rice are changing. Admission is even more competitive than several years ago. Rice had a record number of applicants for the class of 2013. The university web site is several years behind on their admissions statistics - try and get a copy of the 2009 statistics. Rice is diversifying their student body and attracting more international students.

Be very careful about considering any top school as a “safety”. Look at the admissions decisions on College Confidential back in March for highly ranked schools. Rice is looking for top applicants that want to come to the school, not hold a place in the class while they look for something better. Check Rice’s student/faculty ratio, average class size, overall cost, and metrics for career salaries and graduate school. Also keep in mind that you apply for a specific school and your application is reviewed in that context. There are only so many slots for biomedical engineering students or similar.

Acceptances were higher than expected even as Rice is slowly growing and there were only a few wait list admits. (Many schools are growing to offset endowment losses.)

Your class rank is in the top 2%. 2/3 of Rice students meet that threshold.

I would encourage you to visit Rice. The number and range of new facilities is quite impressive. Most importantly, Rice’s commitment to student advising and quality of life is best of the best.

There is prejudice in other areas of the country about Rice, but you should be skeptical about general opinions. It might be possible that Rice is actually better. Rice has an outstanding reputation and is financially strong.

A quick footnote - your college experience depends on many things that are hard to evaluate and predict. Your roommate, relationship with your parents, professors that are interesting and interested, cafeteria food, etc. may be challenging. The admissions process is only the start and may be easier than matriculation.

Hope this helps . . . .

should i consider rice a safety?

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