Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work

experiences. (150 word limit)

 
With the understanding that the choice of academic school you indicated is not
binding, explain why you are applying to that particular school of study. (150
word limit)
 
How did you first learn about Rice University, and what motivated you to apply?
(250 word limit)
 
In keeping with Rice’s long-standing tradition (known as “The Box”), please share
an image of something that appeals to you. See the Help Section for more
information.

All Other Schools:

The quality of Rice’s academic life and the Residential College System are
heavily influenced by the unique life experiences and cultural traditions each
student brings. What personal perspective would you contribute to life at Rice?
(500 word limit)
Read on for an in-depth analysis of how to write the 2017-2018 application
essays for Rice University.
 

Rice University Application Essay Prompts

All Applicants – Short Essay #1
Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular
activities or work experiences. (150 words max)
The most effective approach to this prompt is to consider an activity or
experience that holds the most significance and meaning to you personally, not
necessarily the one that looks most impressive and unusual. It can be anything
outside your coursework, even if it is not associated with a formal school club.
Additionally, because the maximum word count of 150 is exceptionally limiting, it
is ideal to focus on just one anecdote that best exemplifies why the activity you
choose has had such a strong impact on your personal development.
 
To narrow down a list of multiple extracurricular experiences that are equally
significant to you, you can rank them based on their correspondence to student
organizations at Rice or your level of accomplishment in the field. Though the
focus of the essay should definitely be on your direct experience, it is absolutely
imperative that you relate every essay back to your prospective contribution to
the Rice undergraduate community.
 
After all, you are trying to convince the admissions officers that you are the
critical addition that will motivate other students in their own course of study and
enrich the intellectual atmosphere of Rice. For instance, if you have been
lobbying with your high school administration to bring esteemed artists onto
campus as guest speakers, you may mention reaching out to artists on a much
larger scale through your leadership of the Rice Art Lab, deepening the
community’s appreciation for the arts through the Rice Public Art Program.
 
If one of your most salient extracurriculars is very distinct from the impression
given by the rest of your academic profile, feel free to write about it as it portrays
you as someone who defies conventional categorization. For example, if you are
applying to the School of Humanities, it is perfectly acceptable — and indeed
encouraged — to write this essay about a brief yet remarkable stint in a robotics
competition (provided the feat was indeed impressive).
 
Regardless of the particular topic you choose, be sure to show,
through concrete details and personal reflection, why it is so essential to who
you are. This isn’t the time to list accomplishments, but to reflect on how they
have changed your approach toward multiple aspects of your life.

All Applicants – Short Essay #2

With the understanding that the choice of academic
school you indicated is not binding, explain why you
are applying to that particular school of study. (150
words max)
It is particularly important to avoid giving the reader the impression that your
chosen major attracts you because of the associated monetary reward or
prestige — this will come across as shallow, and your passion for it will be
deemed unsustainable. Instead, consider the emotions that your intended field of
study evokes in you, as well as the specific dimensions of this subject that fit your
strengths and selfless (as in, not pertaining to your own enjoyment) ambitions.
 
Instead of mentioning the general advantages of a Rice education, such as the
high standard of academic performance and the accomplished faculty, you
 should discuss explicit offerings such as the Century Scholars Program,
which assigns participants a faculty mentor for guidance in undergraduate
research, and the names of professors whose mentorship you would seek
and why.
 
If you have visited the campus, writing about the content of a lecture that you sat
in on, or the reflections of current students in the same program can demonstrate
your fervent interest in the school. It would also provide a strong basis for your
belief that you and Rice’s environment are a match. Even if you have not had
such opportunities, it helps to highlight key words from Rice’s online resources
that have convinced you to apply.

For example:
 

 The School of Social Sciences emphasizes the professional development of

students through the Gateway Program. If you’re interested in research, there
are several social science institutes at Rice, such as the Shell Center for
Sustainability and the Houston Education Research Consortium, that focus on
understanding and solving specific social issues.

 In the Wiess School of Natural Sciences, academic programs (such as the

Department of Kinesiology) and research organizations (such as the Smalley-
Curl Institute, specializing in nanoscience) offer opportunities in unique niches of
science that lend themselves to important applications. Here, you will find out
that those unique niches include everything from heterogeneous cell systems to
plasmids in E.coli. This is the level of specificity that you should strive for.

All Applicants – Short Essay #3

How did you first learn about Rice University, and
what motivated you to apply? (250 words max)
The goal here is to strike a balance between discussing the academic
advantages of Rice, and the sociocultural elements of Rice’s campus that
dovetail with your personality and goals. You will especially want to avoid the
pitfall of common sentiments here — instead of citing the low student-to-faculty
ratio and small class sizes that the university’s website advertises (which is also
found at other schools), dig deeper beyond the first sub-page on Rice’s website
to find information that most candidates do not have.
 
Also refrain from repeating the benefits of the particular school and major you
wrote about in the previous essays; although they may well be unique
characteristics of Rice, this question asks for you to expound on how you
embody the spirit of Rice as a cultural community rather than the academic
benefits you may reap at the school.
 
While the social climate of any school is largely intangible and difficult to
determine from the outside, you can discuss student organizations that
particularly interest you, as well as aspects of the Rice community that are
implied by their admissions materials. For example, if promoting interdisciplinary
studies is a priority for you, referencing groups like the Houston Institute Club,
whose mission is to “explore the intersection of the humanities with the sciences
and technology,” could demonstrate how the culture of Rice satisfies that
personal principle.
 
It is particularly helpful to reach out to current Rice students to get an idea of
what their typical day and college culture are like. Questions to consider include:
What is the extent of intellectual debate on Rice’s campus? What kinds of
conversations do students have outside of the classroom?
 
To lend some cohesiveness to the essay, tie your answer to the first question
(how did you learn about Rice?) with that of the second (what motivated you to
apply?). What was it about your first impression of Rice that made you want to
attend the school?
 
The extra 100 words available in comparison to the previous 150-word limits lend
the illusion of “sufficient space” to write about many disparate elements of Rice.
However, 250 words, on an absolute scale, are very little. Allocate a modest 50
words to the introduction and conclusion each, and you are left with a mere 150
words for the content. Hence, it is vital that you focus on two critical factors that
inspired your application. This strategy also avoids giving your essay the
appearance of a list of praise for Rice.

All Applicants – Photo Response

In keeping with Rice’s long-standing tradition (known
as “The Box”), please share an image of something
that appeals to you. See the Help Section for more
information.
 The most challenging yet comforting aspect of this prompt is that you can’t
include a written explanation of the image you choose. Thus, you need to choose
a picture that speaks for itself, or one that relates to something alluded to in your
essays or Common/Coalition application.
 
While the latter approach can be useful if there is a vivid visual element to the
experience described in an essay or extracurricular explanation, you should only
take this route if there is a logical connection to the visual — otherwise it will feel
forced. Responding honestly is the best strategy here, especially considering that
the admissions committee is perfectly aware that this prompt is unorthodox.

Potentially effective options include:

 

 Cherished childhood toys: For example, if you are applying to the George R.

Brown School of Engineering, and robotics makes frequent appearances on your
extracurricular list, you may consider submitting a photo of your very first LEGO
set if it was what got you interested in building and engineering robots in the first
place.

 Inspirational scenery from your travels: If you devoted yourself to creative

writing and literature in high school, you may consider sending a photo of an
environment that you found creatively stimulating, or of a relevant quote
displayed in a piece of public art. Examples include cafes, gardens, a bench in a
park near your house, a corner in a nearby McDonald’s, etc.

 Photos of your role models: If you are particularly dedicated to political

activism, you may consider selecting a well-captured photograph of your role
model in protest.

 Other options include artistic portrayals of qualities you value in yourself or other
people, including resilience, compassion, ability to self-reflect, among others.

In terms of image selection, you may consider the implications of selecting a

black & white image versus a color photo, and how the use of color and light in
the image complements the subject. As in any essay, avoid clichés. Submitting a
picture of a rice bowl is unlikely to impress anyone, since that is a predictable
pun.

All Other Schools – Short Essay

The quality of Rice’s academic life and the Residential
College System are heavily influenced by the unique
life experiences and cultural traditions each student
brings. What personal perspective would you
contribute to life at Rice? (500 word limit)
A successful attempt at this longer essay requires a well-developed and nuanced
response. Because the prompt emphasizes “personal perspective,” you can think
of this as a parallel to the Common Application essay. Notably, the phrasing of
this prompt invites a more direct answer than the extensive narrative solicited by
the Common Application.
 
However, still remember to follow the “show, not tell” rule. It can be helpful to ask
family and friends for their impression of who you are as a thinker and individual.
What do they learn from interacting with you? What are the first five words they
would use to describe you? What is their most indelible memory of you?
 
Ideally, these subjects should complement the focus of your Common App
personal statement — if in that essay you wrote about your first solo in a jazz
performance, it would be best not to repeat references to your musical
development here.
 
In the sea of college applicants, it can be difficult to think of “unique” facets of
yourself, but the good news is that it is not necessary to identify one trait that is
unique in isolation. Rather, consider the combination of qualities you have to
offer, as this exact personality composite is unlikely to be found in another
applicant. Often, a personal story can provide strong evidence of your
composition of attributes. For example, a prospective economics major who
plays basketball may write about using game theory to predict the opponent’s
choice of game play.