For Rice, I had the pleasure to interview Ryann, who is the sweetest and an amazing person. She was kind enough to provide some college process assistance for anyone who's interested in applying to Rice! Thank you so much Ryann!
If you were to go back in time, what would you do more research on for college?
"I would have been more on top of my deadlines! I applied Early Decision, meaning my app had to be in by November 1st. I wasn’t even looking at deadlines until about a month or two before that! All of the online seminars I looked toward for college application info recommended 3-5 months of preparation for rec letters, essays, and anything else you might need. To say I was stressed was an understatement, but working on my essays down to the very minute the application was due might have been the push I needed!"
What was your reaction when you read your acceptance letter?
"Although I wanted to get accepted into Rice more than anything, the stakes were a bit higher than just that. I got word back from Rice mid-December, but by that time I still had not started on the major parts of my applications to other schools that were due within the next 2-3 months! Anywho, I stood in the kitchen with my mom in front of my laptop; I remember almost not wanting to open the decision update out of fear. But thankfully, all I had to do was read the first few words and see the electronic confetti all over my screen, and I super dramatically fell to the floor and started crying! Not only in pride and excitement that I had been accepted, but in immense relief that I no longer had to worry about my other apps!"
What advice would you give for students about stats and extracurriculars?
"I definitely would not consider myself to be a 'natural standardized test taker' by any means, and this meant devoting the first six weeks of my summer to online SAT prep (and doing it again in the fall). Do research on the 25th to 75th percentile of standardized test scores of admitted students of your school of interest, and make your 'goal score' the number in the exact middle of the two given to you. Having a score closer to the 25th percentile can be compensated with a high GPA, impressive extracurriculars or awards, etc., while a score closer to the 75th percentile means more lenience in other areas. As for extracurriculars, schools want to see diversity, commitment, and/or activities that serve more than just yourself. Being in only 7 academic clubs paints a different picture than someone in academic, social, and athletic clubs. Schools want students that are well-rounded! It’s a bonus if you’ve been in one of those activities for the majority of your life or if it requires community service of some kind!"
Was Rice your dream school since you were young or did it change?
"I actually didn’t know where I wanted to attend school until pretty late in the game; and to anyone going through that same scenario - it’s ok! I knew my uncle had attended Rice, but didn’t know it was all that impressive to get into it. After comparing and contrasting it to the schools that all of my peers are going to, it seemed like the best fit for me. This was due to the non-exclusive residential college system life, the seemingly family-like community, as well as the beautiful campus, it’s location in Houston, and a thousand other things. Tour as many campuses as possible, but if you’re like me and wait until the last minute, give yourself an online tour of all of your eligible schools! Each university has loads of information on their website, and Youtube is where I went to get a true grip on what each university was like."
What is one advice you would give to students when writing essays?
"Give yourself time!!! This is something I did not have, so this essay became my lifeblood for a solid three to four week period before it was due. I’m lucky enough to be in my gap year while writing this paper, but I was still working full time. I’m not sure what I would have done if I had to worry about studying and homework on top of that. Personally, I had no life changing experience or activity that I’m passionate about that I found to be good writing material, so I turned to College Essay Guy. There’s many essay writing courses online, but this is the first I came across. It helped me in brainstorming ideas, structuring my essay, and gave little tips and tricks as to what the admissions office is going to want to see (i.e. show vulnerability somewhere in your essay, don’t write what everyone else is writing about, etc.). It was AWESOME and helped me write one of the best essays of my life. Would recommend the course to anybody!"