How to get into Rice

They say everything’s bigger in Texas, and that certainly applies to Rice. With its outsized emphasis on STEM and massive financial aid, there’s nothing small about this Southern-charmed school. So, join Rice alum Shravya as she shares how you can get into Rice University: from the grades and test scores you’ll need to tips on your essays and extracurriculars.

Want to know your chances of getting into Rice? Find out here: https://cv.watch/38IAFbb

Check out our Blog posts:
How to Get Into Rice: Admissions Stats + Tips — https://cv.watch/3NmOVVS
How to Write the Rice University Essays 2021-2022 — https://cv.watch/38xDLyZ
What is Rice University Known For? — https://cv.watch/3wYe7LZ

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We’ve also posted an abridged transcript below.
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… Hi, I’m Shravya and welcome back to CollegeVine. Today, we’ll be talking about how you can maximize your chances of getting into Rice.

Before we dive into application strategies, let’s look at some statistics. The acceptance rate for Rice’s Class of 2025 was just over nine percent. The average SAT score was between 1460 and 1570, and the average ACT score ranged between 34 and 36. Rice doesn’t publish the average high school GPA of admitted students, but we do know that 92% of students were in the top 10% of their class, and 98% graduated in the top quarter.

Your own chances will depend on more than just stats. But ideally your grades and test scores will fall within these ranges. That will tell admissions officers that you’re academically prepared for Rice and will give you a greater chance of getting in.

... Well, once you pass that threshold, the main part of your application that will differentiate you from other applicants is your extracurricular resume.

... We at CollegeVine have devised a pretty simple way of crafting a solid extracurricular profile. For elite schools like Rice, the most important thing you will need is a spike. A spike is basically an area in which you have some meaningful achievements and to which you have dedicated a significant amount of your time.

So, say you helped at a free health clinic, interned for an animal hospital, and won the state science fair for your research in marine biology. This spike in health-related activities would definitely help you stand out against other applicants and also make your application more memorable. For Rice, you’ll want your spike to include at least one high-level extracurricular like winning a state or national-level competition and then a collection of other related activities or classes.

So now you have your academics and extracurriculars all sorted out. Well, now it’s time for everyone’s favorite part of applications — the essays! You will want to make sure these convey your personality in a profound way. They should help admissions officers understand who you are, what you value, and how you would enrich Rice’s campus. Your goal here is to build a connection with your admissions officers, so that they like you and remember you.

In particular, Rice values out-of-the-box thinking, which you’ll want to keep in mind when you submit a picture for Rice’s ‘Box’ supplemental. Your essays should function as a package deal, with each essay introducing a new aspect of your personality and interests….

Once you’ve got your essays out of the way, the last part of the application is your letters of recommendation. Rice requires two letters from teachers and one from your counselor, so make sure to request them well before the deadline. Try to pick teachers who know you well. Ideally, they can speak about your academic and personal growth over several semesters.

And that’s it for your application! Before you get your results, though, there might be one last thing you have to do for the admissions committee: an alumni interview!

Don’t worry — not everyone has to do an interview. But if you are offered one, you should definitely take it. An alumni interview is a great chance to showcase your personality, show Rice how passionate you are about attending, and directly ask an alum some questions about the school.

And that’s it! I hope that this video has taught you just about everything you need to know about applying to Rice. If you are wondering about your own chances of admission to this Texan university with ‘unconventional wisdom,’ be sure to check out our Chancing Engine linked below. And for all your other admissions-related needs, you can find lots of helpful resources like blogs, livestreams, and more on Collegevine.com.

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