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hello and welcome to part two of our
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application advice series today's
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session will focus on what we look for
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in your application through the lens of
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the committee
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this is a three-part series beginning
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with part one a guide through your
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application followed by our session
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today part two what we look for in your
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application for international audiences
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and part three will be a case study
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my name is Dylan dusher and I'm an
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associate director of admission at Rice
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I read and recruit internationally in
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Eastern Europe
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after today's presentation if you have
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questions please let us know while much
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of our admission information is located
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on our website you may also email us at
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admission rice.edu
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today's session focuses on what we look
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for in an application and what is
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important to us when making an admission
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decision
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we will review the application
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components and go over the evaluation
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process at rice with a special focus on
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contextual review including for
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international applicants
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this session includes insights into how
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our selection chairs at Rice review the
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application
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as a territory manager I work with
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members of the selection committee
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throughout the application process
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selection chairs are our most seasoned
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and experienced admission officers who
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are entrusted with the responsibility to
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admit students to the university
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our selection chairs have a deep
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understanding of various International
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Education systems and scope of
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extracurricular opportunities in the
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context of various Global cultures
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they also possess a keen sense of the
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experience and preparation needed to be
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successful at one of the seven
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undergraduate schools at rice and the
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professional experience to lead
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committee discussions with admission
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officers to determine who will be
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invited to join the rice community
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at Rice we use a contextual review
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process that is centered on evaluating
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each student in the context of their
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opportunities and lived experiences
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we review and consider every part of the
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application that you submit or was
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submitted on your behalf we realize that
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the application is only a short synopsis
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of who you are as a person what you have
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accomplished and what you hope to pursue
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for this reason it is so important that
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you are thoughtful about how you prepare
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your application and ensure that it
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conveys the truest sense of you
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in a contextual review we look Beyond
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just the quantifiable parts of your
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application such as test scores and
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academic results and dig deeper to
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understand many facets of who you are
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through your extracurricular activities
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and life experiences achievements essays
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and interest in rice
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every component of your application
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plays a role in helping us gain a deeper
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understanding of who you are
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we evaluate each international student
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within the context of their school and
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personal environment and consider what
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opportunities they have had access to as
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well as the challenges they may have
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faced we also value the breadth of
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socioeconomic cultural Geographic racial
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or ethnic educational and other
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perspectives that each student brings to
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the table
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nearly every application to college and
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certainly every application reviewed
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through a contextual review process is
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aiming to answer three essential
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questions who are you what do you want
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to do and why will rice or the school
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that you are applying to help you to
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achieve your goals these questions are
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Broad and get at the heart of what we
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are most wanting to understand about you
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at no point are you simplified to just a
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number or list of activities
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instead we want you to understand who
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you are and what motivates you what
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sparks your curiosity and why and
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importantly why you feel our institution
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can help you achieve your dreams
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one of the key benefits of contextual
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review process is that it allows us to
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understand each student on an individual
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basis Beyond just numbers and grades
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your educational environment and
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background is unique to you and
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therefore different from everyone else
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through holistic evaluation we consider
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every component of your application to
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help us learn more about you
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we aim to know what elements of your
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community background and interests have
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shaped you to be the person you are
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today
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we also care to know about the ways you
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engage in the world around you do you
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inspire others to make a difference or
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are you the person who maybe avoids the
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Limelight but works tirelessly in the
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background to get things done we also
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want to know what about the culture or
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environment you grew up in and how has
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that shaped you in the person you are
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today
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as an example in the rice supplement our
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third question gives you a direct
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opportunity to address an aspect of
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yourself that will help us understand
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your lived experiences knowing this
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information will help us gauge how you
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will interact with the rice Community by
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virtue of being yourself you are already
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different from everyone else
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remember through your application we
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only know what you share with us so be
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sure to provide us with as much relevant
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information as you feel comfortable
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disclosing we look for consistency
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across your application and any context
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you provide will form the foundation for
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us to understand you and your
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accomplishments better
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on this side and the next are the
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questions in the rice supplement we will
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be going into each one in depth during
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this Workshop
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one of your primary goals in pursuing a
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college education is to expand your
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academic learning and build on your
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understanding of the world we are
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looking for academically curious
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students who are not only content to
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Simply learn facts but instead prefer to
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debate ideas we prepare our students for
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the real world through our flexible yet
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comprehensive curriculum with multiple
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opportunities for research and
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collaboration
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we therefore genuinely want to know
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about your academic interests and the
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way you hope to make an impact in the
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world your application should help us to
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understand what it is you want to do
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some students will know exactly what
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they want to major in and have been
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pursuing that interest over time others
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are still exploring their possibilities
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and want to use their time in college to
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discover new fields and opportunities
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in either instance we want to know what
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sparks your intellectual curiosity and
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why
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in the rice supplement you will be asked
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which school of study you are interested
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in and the top three Majors you hope to
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pursue
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we will also ask you why you wish to
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study the academic areas you selected
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please keep in mind the choice of school
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you make as an applicant does not limit
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the courses you can take at Rice if
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admitted to Rice you may change your
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mind as to your school of study or major
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at any time though this should be given
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thoughtful consideration
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ultimately we're looking to understand
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your intellectual curiosity and drive
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well the first question addresses
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important academic and intellectual
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interests as admission officers we also
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want to hear about why you are
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interested in studying at this
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University we want to know what about
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rice appeals to you
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we hope that you can convey what makes
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rice special to you so that we can
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clearly understand your interest in rice
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maybe there's a unique class or Club at
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race that you're eager to join or an
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interaction with a race student that got
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you excited about our campus the breadth
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of virtual and in-person offerings are
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available for you to learn more about us
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and articulate what makes rice a good
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match for your interests whether they
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are academic social or otherwise
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we hope that you will have spent time
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exploring the breadth of Rice's
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offerings and Community through our
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website prior to applying in addition to
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visiting our welcoming campus
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International students are also able to
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attend our virtual International
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Information sessions watch our and
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on-demand workshops regarding the
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application process and requirements
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tour the campus virtually and reach out
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to your signed admission officer
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well the first two questions who you are
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and what you want to do are important
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questions your application should answer
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there is a third question that you may
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want to consider addressing what unique
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perspectives will you bring to the rice
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community
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one of Rice's core values is community
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we're looking for students who will
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engage with and contribute to the
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vibrant and diverse student experience
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on campus
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your lived experiences shape the way you
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view and interact with the world around
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you your application allows us to see
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your impact in your own environment but
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it also helps us to understand how you
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see yourself in hours
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Bryce's process for evaluating
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applications is called committee based
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evaluation or CBE
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through the CBE process every
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application is discussed and evaluated
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by a team of admission officers each
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application is given an initial review
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and may move forward for subsequent
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reviews by additional committees
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the first review is with a team of two
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officers one officer is your
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international territory manager who
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focuses on the academic components of
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the application such as the transcript
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School profile and the letters of
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recommendation while the other officer
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focuses on the personal components such
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as biographical information activities
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and engagements essays and the interview
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we intentionally make sure the territory
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manager is leading the review of the
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application because they are tasked with
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bringing knowledge about your specific
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geographic region to the review and
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understand the nuances with respect to
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the educational experience in that
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region
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during each stage of the review process
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we are looking for reasons to admit you
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at the conclusion of the initial CBE
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review the team will make a
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determination whether the files should
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move on for further for further
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consideration of your candidacy for
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admission
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at every stage of the process there is a
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minimum of two admission officers
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reviewing your file and each evaluation
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includes a dialogue and Analysis about
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your strengths as an applicant the two
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admission officers jointly review
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different components across the
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application as a whole while discussing
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the merits and weaknesses
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we hope you weave with the following
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takeaways from our session today
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you are uniquely you and we value that
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in our application process you don't
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have to try and be someone you're not
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because you think it will impress us in
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your application focus on quality over
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quantity this is your opportunity to
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showcase your many talents and
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experiences in short your application
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should make sense and it should be a
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true depiction of Who You Are
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explain the Genesis of your interests
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how did you come to be interested in
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that field or activity what motivated
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you to explore your academic and
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non-academic Pursuits there is no such
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thing as a perfect application and
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there's also no such thing as a perfect
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student or formula for a perfect rice
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student
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truly we just want to get to know you as
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you are
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that brings us brings us the end of our
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presentation we hope that this
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information has helped develop your
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understanding on how we evaluate
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International applications here at Rice
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just be yourself keep calm and remember
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you've got this
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at this point or after the presentation
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please feel free to send us questions to
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admission race.edu and we will get back
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to you as soon as we can
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thank you for joining us for the
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presentation today we hope to see your
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application soon please check out the
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following slides for opportunities to
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engage and connect with us
