Advice for your Admission Interview

#applying

We asked our current Rice senior interviewers to give advice to high school students planning on doing admission interviews. See what they had to say so you can ace your next interview!

Grace smiles for a headshot in the cloisters of Lovett Hall.
Grace C., Baker '22
Grace poses outside for a headshot with a soft smile in front of a tree with bright green leaves.

Before going into the interview, make sure to research Rice and know why you want to go to school here. Also be sure to let your personality shine through, we're excited to get to know you in the interview!

Grace C., Baker '22
Sport Management and Health Sciences

Valencia poses for a headshot, with a confident smile and her arms crossed in front of her.
Valencia S., Sid Richardson '22
Valencia smiles for a picture while covered in colorful dust from Holi.

Be yourself! Schools want well-rounded human beings rather than academic robots.

Valencia S., Sid Richardson '22
Political Science and History

Lila looks over her shoulder with a soft smile for her headshot.
Lila G., Will Rice '22

Relax! We are just here to get to know you and we want you to be yourself. With that in mind, try to reflect on what you did in high school, why you did it, and what was most important to you.

Lila G., Will Rice '22
Political Science and Latin American Studies

Isabel smiles as she sits on a porch in front of a red door with gold accents.
Isabel S., McMurtry '22
Isabel smiles for a headshot on Rice's campus in front of the academic quad.

My advice is to think deeply about what's important to you about your high school experience, what you hope to do in the future, and what you want most out of your college experience before your interview. While you definitely don't need to know exactly what your future will look like (that's some of the fun of college!), this will make talking about your own interests and motivation much more natural and give your interviewer greater insight into your personal values and drive.

Isabel S., McMurtry '22
Chemical Engineering

Learn more about interviews by heading over to the Rice admission website.

(Last updated on 12/6/23. Please note, this post was published prior to the 2024-2025 admission cycle. For updated admission policies, please visit our website.)

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