<p>Hey All,
I am currently looking at applying to Rice, but I've got me a couple of Q's...</p>
<p>1) How are the dorms? (layout)
2) Scholarships... Are many given, or is it more competitive?
3) I was told that I should apply as a music major, because of my stats in the music field... Will that affect me in scholarships and other areas?... (note: i DO NOT plan to study music.)</p>
<p>I'm a high school senior looking to apply to Rice this fall also.</p>
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<li>Don't know a lot, but I briefly toured one and it seemed a little bit cramped, but that might just be that one specific dorm building.</li>
<li>A Rice admissions rep told me that 15% of accepted Rice students get some form of merit scholarships. It may not sound like much, but nearly all top-tier colleges don't give any merit aid at all. Of course Rice has need based aid as well.</li>
<li>I thought the Shepherd School of Music was really, really competitive? It would probably be harder to get into Shepherd than the other undergrad schools (besides maybe architecture, but that's besides the point). And if you don't want to study music, you probably shouldn't apply there. </li>
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<p>Good luck. If you're a high school senior, come join the Rice 2005 thread</p>
<ol>
<li><p>There are currently nine residential colleges, each unique. You can learn more about them here: <a href="http://www.futureowls.rice.edu/futureowls/Residential_Colleges.asp%5B/url%5D">http://www.futureowls.rice.edu/futureowls/Residential_Colleges.asp</a></p></li>
<li><p>Rice is known for its relatively generous financial aid packages (compared to other similar private universities). Scholarships vary in amount and in who qualifies/earns them. I know I earned a couple that were good for a couple hundred each semester. But full or substantial scholarships are very rare.</p></li>
<li><p>If you don't plan to STUDY music, then DON'T apply to the Shepherd School of Music. You'll waste their time and yours. Besides, like the Architecture school, it's a more complicated application process than a regular undergraduate.</p></li>
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<p>You have to audition into the Shepherd School, and it is very, very competitive. Forget it.</p>
<p>I was just reading about the climate for the city of Houston. It sounds horrible. Is it really that bad? I mean humidity and heat wise of course.</p>
<p>The weather is often hot and sticky, and by far that's the worst aspect of the Houston area. But the city has a lot to make up for it -- if two million people make it their home, it can't be all bad.</p>
<p>The worst heat and humidity is May - August, conveniently those months when school isn't in session. September isn't horrible though it has its moments of discomfort. The weather is very temperate mid-October through March and, aside from the frequent rain, it's wonderful weather.</p>
<p>Approximately what percentage of undergrad students spend their summers at Rice?</p>
<p>I don't think Rice has much of a summer program- if any. However, a number of kids stay in Houston to work, especially if they have apartments.</p>
<p>Rice offers a small subset of classes during the summer in two sessions; each session is around 5 weeks long if I recall correctly.</p>
<p>That would be a complete change for me since Alaska gets down into the negative degrees for months at a time. It is really rather miserable. So Houston might be a change for the better.</p>
<p>The best time to be at Rice is, in my opinion, in the spring. The air is still cold but the sun is out for all in which to bask.</p>
<p>Hey there! Glad you're considering Rice. I'm a freshman at Rice right now - I've been here for about five weeks, and would be happy to answer your questions! </p>
<p>1) How are the dorms? As you might know, we have a residential college system in which each student is assigned to one of nine colleges, in which they will live/be affiliated with for all four years. The style of the colleges differs greatly - from suites with common rooms and bathrooms, to two suites connected by a bathroom, to just plain hall rooms with hall bathrooms. It all depends on the colleges. Some facilities are also newer than others, having just been built and rebuilt. But all in all, I haven't had any problems with the dorms! Most people are very satisfied with the space/facilities.</p>
<p>2) As far as I know, Rice is fairly generous with its scholarships. They offer everything from $10,000-12,000 a year to full rides - they also have a special program called Century Scholars in which they give students $$ to research with a professor. </p>
<p>3) I believe applying as a music major is an entirely different track...you have to be pretty sure you want to go into it. It requires an audition, an assignment to a teacher, etc. One of my friends is in the music program here (she plays the violin) - I can give you her email if you'd like. Not sure how it'll affect you in scholarships.</p>
<p>Anyway, feel free to ask more questions! I would love to answer them and tell you about my experience at Rice. I'm a pre-med cog sci major (not 100% sure about the major, but I'm liking it so far), too, if you have any questions pertaining to those areas.</p>
<p>Don't get me wrong, I love Rice but their dorms are the worst of any college I've seen as of yet</p>
<p>I have heard that all the residential colleges have different rooms and living situations. My son is a freshman in Martel and the room and suite he is in is great. The room is large, with 2 big windows and the suite with the common living area is perfect. As far as freshman rooms go its unbelievable.</p>
<p>In response to starry's comment, the dorms at Rice differ greatly from college to college, so don't judge all the rooms from one that you might have seen on a tour. Martel (as Jean Tasney mentioned) and Wiess and known for having incredibly rooms - all are suites have a spacious common room, bathroom, and huge panels of windows. Several of the other colleges (Jones, Brown) having spacious rooms as well, and most colleges are suite style (Lovett, Baker). I'm at Lovett, and I love the layout of the colleges - two rooms connected by a bathroom.</p>