Rice University Precollege Genome Engineering: Changing the Future of Medicine

Everything is pre-recorded, so there are no live classes or Zoom calls and you work through the lectures, simulations and module assignments whenever it suits you. The only fixed point is your session's end date, because Rice sets no deadlines for individual assignments but everything, the capstone included, has to be in by then.

Your mentor is your human contact. Questions go through the Canvas inbox and the course discussion board, and the mentor reviews your assignments and gives feedback on your capstone before you finalize it. Rice says mentors are most active during daytime hours in U.S. time zones, which is worth knowing if you live somewhere very different. After the session ends you keep view-only access to the materials for one month.

Dr. Gang Bao designed the course. He chairs Rice's Department of Bioengineering, where he holds the Foyt Family Professorship and directs the Nanomedicine Center for Nucleoprotein Machines, and he's a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science among several other bodies. His teaching reaches you through the recorded lectures.

Day to day you work with a mentor, and Rice confirms mentors are real people, not AI. The mentors it lists for this course are Daniel, a Rice PhD student in bioengineering and National Science Foundation graduate research fellow, Buhle, a Rice postdoctoral fellow developing delivery systems for gene editing, and Samiksha, a pre-med student with a biochemistry degree. Rice doesn't say how mentors are assigned or how many students each one supports.

If you finish, you get a Certificate of Completion from Rice University and a 1- to 2-minute capstone video setting out a CRISPR/Cas9 strategy for treating beta-thalassemia, a hereditary blood disorder. To earn the certificate you need a satisfactory result on at least 70% of the assignments plus every part of the capstone by your end date, and Rice gives no refund if you fall short. Work is marked Complete or Incomplete, with no letter grades.

Be clear about what the certificate isn't. Rice issues no college credit, grades or transcript, says the course gives no preferential treatment in its own admissions, and suggests listing it on applications as an extracurricular or experiential activity, not as coursework. Rice also says you can include the capstone video in college or internship applications as a portfolio piece.

The course costs $1,795, and Rice says there are no other fees. The price is the same whichever session length you pick, since every option has the same content, assignments and mentor support. You'll need your own computer or tablet and a reliable internet connection, which the fee doesn't cover.

Payment is due the day before your session starts, but your place isn't confirmed until Rice receives it, so Rice recommends paying as soon as you're accepted. Cancel at least seven calendar days before the start and you get everything back. From six days before, the fee is non-refundable and there are no partial refunds.

Rice offers need-based scholarships to students who show financial need and high potential, although it doesn't publish amounts. You request one on the confirmation page after submitting your application.

Applications go through Rice's online application, which saves your progress if you can't finish in one sitting.

1. 1

   Check you qualify

   You need to be at least 13 and in high school or within a year of graduating, since Rice doesn't take college students or adults.

2. 2

   Choose a session

   Each has its own application deadline, which for the sessions currently listed falls one week before the start.

3. 3

   Write your personal statement

   Beyond basic contact details for you and a parent or guardian, the application asks why you want to take the course, in writing, video, photos or another medium, and Rice calls this the most important part. It must be in English, and no transcripts or recommendation letters are needed.

4. 4

   Ask for aid if you need it

   Click "Apply for a need-based scholarship" on the confirmation page once you've submitted.

5. 5

   Wait for a decision

   Rice emails one within a week, sometimes a few days longer at busy times, so applying on the deadline itself leaves little margin.

6. 6

   Pay and get access

   Your place is confirmed once you pay, and the Canvas course invitation arrives at least two days before the start.