VarshaRice
VarshaRice,
Rice
B.S., Computer Science
Student leader and mentor from Seattle, passionate about all things STEM - especially coding and problem-solving!
Features Included
4
Essays
8
Schools
17
Scores
14
Advice
1
ECs
0
Sports

Background

Hometown Seattle, Washington
GenderFemale
EthnicityAsian
Class of2021
First Gen College StudentNo

Results, Essays, and Advice

Accepted
Waitlisted or Withdrew
Denied
  • Rice University (Houston, TX)
  • Baylor University (Waco, TX)
  • University of Oklahoma (Norman, OK)
  • University of Houston  (Houston, TX)
  • Emory University (Atlanta, GA)
  • Washington University in St. Louis (St. Louis, MO)
  • University of Washington (Seattle, WA)
Tap/click a school logo above to view essays and advice specific to that school.

Rice University (Houston, TX)

Applied for a B.S. in Computer Science

Accepted and Enrolled Legacy: No

School Specific Essays

Personal Statement
572 Words
Interest in other academic subject
“APUSH? More like APUSH me off a cliff!” my seniors would often groan. Hearing that, I didn’t have high expectations for my junior year AP US History class. My middle school history classes in India were lecture based and focused on the recollection of facts. Not having much background in American history didn’t help either. Things quickly changed once the school year began. My teacher, Mr. Ivy, did a great job of engaging the class in discussions, drawing...
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Supplemental Essay: “Why us” school essay
253 Words
“I’m attending Rice!” my good friend Jennifer Yeh told me in 2015 – and that was how I first learned about Rice. Junior year marked the start of my college search. After attending information sessions, researching online, and talking to seniors, my top criteria for an undergrad college emerged. To me, challenging academics, research opportunities, collaborative community, a medium-sized school, and a diverse urban setting were critical. At Rice’s information session, I learned about Rice’s 90% medical school acceptance rate...
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Supplemental Essay: Diversity statement
510 Words
“Oh gosh, we’re going to fall off, gosh! What are those berries? Oh gosh, gosh!” I exclaimed. The elephant we were riding made her way steadily down the uneven hill through the lush forests of Kerala, India. I was worried I would fall off, but still curious about the lusciously red berries I had just seen. My dad joked, “Those must be goshgosh berries!”. Now, anytime I get excited about learning new things, my family laughingly says, ‘Varsha’s...
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Supplemental Essay: “Why us” school essay
144 Words
I breathed a sigh of relief as I held the 3D prosthetic model in my hands, the joint moving smoother than I imagined. Weeks of effort by our team - from days of modeling and tinkering to several failed 3D model prints had finally paid off. Computer science classes showed me I love to build, and my internship at Microsoft reaffirmed that. The 3D prosthesis project, however, was special - motivated by the story of a friend who had devastatingly...
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School Specific Advice

How I chose schools to apply to
153 Words
Originally, I had a list of nearly 20 schools I was applying to. As you can see, I didn't apply to all of these - the reason being I applied to Rice ED (early decision)! The schools I chose are well known for supporting students interested...
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How to increase chances at my school
75 Words
Rice definitely wants to see a genuine interest in their school - they have a few more supplementary essays than other schools...
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List of schools I interviewed with and my interview experience
52 Words
I interviewed with a recent grad from Rice. She was very nice but basically just asked...
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What I like about my school’s location and culture
224 Words
Rice is located in the great city of Houston, Texas - which is actually considered the most diverse city in the USA! It's a big city too, and it'sjust overall a great place to explore with many experiences waiting to happen. They have an amazing museum district right near the Rice Campus! Rice was also just named as the #1 school for most race/class interaction and #2...
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My favorite course thus far, and why
161 Words
General Chemistry is hard at any school because it needs to prepare you for upper level, more difficult chemistry classes (like organic!). Though my lecture class was a bit large - about 40-50 students showed up to class - my professor insisted that we speak up in class...
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How I would rate the diversity of the student body
128 Words
Very Diverse! Rice is known for its diversity and is definitely a majority-minority school (compared to many Ivy Leagues, a few of which have only recently reached this status which is defined by white students making up less...
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Most popular extracurricular activities at my college
182 Words
Residential college culture is very strong at Rice - our colleges are like our family, with between 80-120 students per year, or 300-500 overall, in each college. With our orientation week you get to meet many students and create this strong bond through living at/being a part of the same residential college your 4...
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Research, job or internship opportunities available to students at my school
166 Words
Rice DEFINITELY has connections and it is something I am VERY thankful for! There are email lists for specific majors and interests on which professors and advisors send out potential research opportunities. There is also a website known as Handshake on which professional events happening on campus for students...
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What are opportunities unique to my school
115 Words
Orientation week! While not necessarily an 'opportunity', I am so thankful for o-week at Rice because of how it inspired me to apply for leadership at my residential college (I've been the Class of 2021 representative...
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More Essays

These essays haven't been tagged by school. Click school logos above to see tagged essays.

General Admissions Advice

Recommended summer activities during high school and college
98 Words
Colleges love it when you use your summers productively! Don't do everything in the summer, but do something that interests you/can help your college profile. Whether that be...
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Whether I took out loans or applied for scholarships, and my advice
49 Words
I didn't apply to any scholarships originally, but I wish I did since I knew...
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My advice about getting recommenders
249 Words
Definitely ask them well in advance. I asked most of my recommenders the spring before senior year, so they had plenty of time to work on it. If your recommenders offer to let you take a look at your recommendation (many of mine did) 100% take that offer!! While you can't outright ask them to take out or add something you think will benefit your profile, you can suggest things. If you have a particularly...
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Whether I used a private admissions counselor, and advice I received
230 Words
I in fact used a private admissions counselor for applying specifically to BS/MD schools but he also gave me advice on applying to normal schools. As you can see on my profile, I did end up applying early decision to Rice and am going there. However, before being accepted by Rice I applied to several BS/MD programs as they tend to have early due dates. He...
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What I’d change about my application process
71 Words
I worked the summer before (an internship at Microsoft) but I wish I had spent some more time during that summer...
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High School Performance

Unweighted GPA
4.00
 
Rank
Top 1%
 
College Classes In High School
Academic Performance in High School Steady

Test Scores

Highest ACT
35
 
ACT Score Details
 
Other ACT Scores
ACT Prep
Highest SAT
1590
 
SAT Score Details
 
Other SAT Scores
SAT Prep
PSAT Scores

AP / IB Classes and Scores

Details13 classes and scores

Sports

Extracurriculars

ActivitiesTutoring/Mentoring
Elaborate on Extracurriculars or Work

Experience & Awards

Volunteer Experiences
Awards Received

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