Is College Essay Guy's guide helpful for writing the Rice University essays?

College Essay Guy’s guides are a popular starting point for many applicants because they break down the Rice prompts and give solid ideas for structure, brainstorming, and what admissions readers might be looking for. The guides are especially helpful if you’re feeling stuck and need to get your thoughts organized, since they walk you through each prompt with potential strategies and examples.

However, because these resources are so widely used, there’s a risk that if you follow their structures too closely, your essay could sound generic—especially to admissions officers who read thousands of similar submissions. Rice values authenticity, intellectual curiosity, and a genuine fit for the campus culture, so it’s important your writing feels personal. If you use a guide like College Essay Guy's, treat it like a brainstorming tool rather than a paint-by-numbers process.

For example, if his advice for the "Why Rice?" prompt is to pick out a few specific classes, professors, and traditions, absolutely do the research, but try to tie those details back to personal anecdotes or goals that are unique to you. One applicant, for instance, connected Rice's Culture of Care statement to her experience starting a peer support program at her high school, and then talked about how that mindset would shape her involvement at Rice. That kind of detail shows both knowledge of the school and genuine self-reflection.

It’s completely fine to use guides for their tips on content and organization, but focus on filling in the details with your own personality, voice, and experiences. Ask yourself after each draft: "Does this sound like something only I could write?" If it does, you’re on the right track. If it feels too much like a template, dive deeper or think of a defining moment or story to anchor your essay.

Many successful Rice applicants start with tools like College Essay Guy but iterate until their writing feels truly representative of themselves. It’s definitely possible to stand out, even if you use a popular resource—as long as you use it as a foundation, not a blueprint.