From: psanch@ruf.rice.edu (Patricia Sanchez)
To: sdujari@juno.com
Subject: Re: a few questions
Date: Sun, 13 Jul 1997 18:50:47 -0500 (CDT)
Dear Sonia,
I hope you find the following answers to your questions helpful. Many of them require more in-depth detail, but I think this will get you started on your search. I hope you will continue to email us at admi@rice.edu. I unfortunately will no longer be available after July 31st. I will be attending grad. school this fall.
Enjoy the rest of your summer!
>>1. What is campus life like here?
We are not a "suitcase" campus at all. On weekends, you will see a myriad of activities from Division I athletics to performances at our conservatory to intramural sports games to drama productions. It is difficult to capture "campus life" on an email, so I would recommend you give us a call at 1-800-527-OWLS, visit our campus, or attend one of our Rice presentations in your area.
>>2. What sets this college apart from the rest of the pack?
Probably what sets Rice apart the most from other institutions is its value in education, size, and residential college system. We do not have a Greek system here, so students really enjoy being placed in a "college" (dorm) where they will meet many different students---with different majors, backgrounds, interests, etc. I highly suggest you look further at our literature regarding our living arrangement.
>>3. What is your policy on affirmative action for non-Asian minorities?
Rice can no longer practice affirmative action because of the 1996 Hopwood vs. UT Law School case filed in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals (that covers Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi). So we no longer have an affirmative action policy in admission.
>>4. There is much criteria that it takes to get into a top-notch college. Could you put the following criteria in order from most important to least important?
>>SAT/other standardized test scores
>>grades/GPA
>>difficulty level of classes taken
>>participation in sports
>>leadership positions/ extracurricular activities
Rice does not have a rank order of importance on certain criteria. Because of our selective admission process (7,000 applicants for 670 spots), we look at everything a student has to offer to see if he or she is a match with the University. Overall, academics weighs more heavily than personal qualities. I must add that each division at Rice (engineering, science, humanities, etc.) stresses different factors in its decisions.
--Pat
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Patricia Sanchez
Assistant Director of Admission
Rice University
6100 Main Street, MS-17
Houston, TX 77005
1-800-527-OWLS or 713-527-4036, x2874
fax: 713-285-5952
email: psanch@rice.edu
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To: Jaime
Dear Jaime,
Thank you for your interest in Rice. As the Coordinator for Minority Recruitment and a Rice alum, I will try to address some of your questions:
1) What sets Rice apart? What is campus life like?
Rice combines the best aspects of a small college and a large research university. You will find yourself in excellent company here, with top-notch professors, teaching in state of the art facilities, and students who represent some of the most talented and creative minds in the nation. We have over 50 majors in disciplines such as architecture, engineering, humanities, natural sciences, music, and social sciences. Outside of class, students have outstanding opportunities in research, internships, sports, music, theatre, and clubs that are social, political and cultural in their focus. Almost every degree here is offered to the PhD level. Rice has been identified by Time Magazine, Money Magazine, and U.S. News and World Reports as one of the best values in education. 82% of students receive some form of financial assistance.
All of this takes place in the heart of Houston, Texas, the fourth largest city in the nation and home of the two-time world champion Houston Rockets (basketball). Houston is an international showcase, having the third largest number of consulates in the nation. Our top industries are medicine (we have the largest medical center in nation), oil and gas, banking, the space program (NASA) and computing. Although Rice is centrally located in Houston, our campus is a 300 acre oasis in the middle of the city. We have beautiful green open spaces, majestic buildings, and over 4,000 live trees on campus. It is often joked that we have more trees than students (which is true-- we have only 2700 undergraduates and 1400 graduate students, a total population of only 4100 students).
Hopefully that will give you an idea of what makes Rice special and what you can expect to find here.
2) What is the criteria for gaining admission?
The most important admission criteria for Rice is the difficulty of a student's course selection and their grades. The other things considered for admission are test scores (on the SAT-I or ACT, plus three SAT-II subject exams), extracurricular activities (including sport, music, community services, leadership, summer programs, part time jobs, etc.), essay questions, recommendations from your high school counselor and teachers. An interview is not required, but is recommended. In a selective process, it is difficult to assign an exact order of importance. We will be looking at your application relative to others who have applied, and pick those students who are the best match to Rice academically, personally and socially. In doing this, we will also try to create a well-rounded class of students from many different backgrounds and life experiences.
3) What is your policy on affirmative action for non-Asian minorites?
Rice is very interested in attracting students from a variety of cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Affirmative action, however, has been suspended in Texas as a result of a court case against the University of Texas system. While race can no longer be a factor in a student's admission to Texas (and also Mississippi and Louisiana) schools, we can still be sensitive to what students share about their background and life experiences when evaluating them for admission.
That should cover the questions you asked in your email. However, there is so much more to learn about Rice. If you would like to receive some literature, please send me your address via email or phone us at (800) 527-6957 or (713) 527-4036. If you have additional questions or concerns, please let me know.
Have a great summer, and we look forward to hearing from you in the future.
Sincerely,
Tamara Siler
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Tamara L. Siler
Assistant Director of Admission
Coordinator of Minority Recruitment
William Marsh Rice University
___________________________________
silert@ruf.rice.edu
1-800-527-OWLS
Fax (713) 285-5952
"SUPPORT THE FINE ARTS"
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