Hey everyone, I'm currently working on my Rice University supplemental essays and I'm struggling to find good examples or tips for what the admissions team might be looking for. Does anyone have any advice or resources they could share? It would be really helpful!
Hello! You can indeed find a couple of examples of strong Rice essays, as well as breakdowns of what exactly they did well, and anything that could have been even better, on CollegeVine's blog: https://blog.collegevine.com/rice-university-essay-examples. Their blog also contains a breakdown of how to tackle the current Rice supplemental essays: https://blog.collegevine.com/how-to-write-the-rice-university-essays.
If you want help polishing your particular response, you can also consider utilizing CollegeVine's Free Peer Essay Review Tool, or submitting your essay for a paid review by an expert college admissions advisor through CollegeVine's marketplace. Sometimes, getting a more objective set of eyes on your essay from someone who doesn't already know you can give you a better sense of how it'll come across to admissions officers, which can help you see what still needs polishing.
Finally, keep in mind that Rice values intellectual curiosity and genuine interest in your chosen field, as well as individuality, so try to illustrate these qualities in your essays by being authentic, providing specific details, and avoiding cliches: the admissions team wants to get to know the real you and what makes you unique. Good luck with your writing!
CollegeVine’s Q&A seeks to offer informed perspectives on commonly asked admissions questions. Every answer is refined and validated by our team of admissions experts to ensure it resonates with trusted knowledge in the field.