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[quote]
There are many problems to be dealt with, and it is unfortunate that the preponderance of them are not Rice's fault; the prestige-driven mindset of most students, in addition to the further entrenchment of Ivy-League schools as the 'gold standard of education and prestige' will continue to exert a negative effect on schools like Rice.
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I just don't see that there is a "problem"! Rice is a great school and fits a special niche - great student/faculty ratio, lots of opportunities, reasonable price. They have plenty of applicants, and fill their class each year. So what's the problem? I don't believe there is one. Not every college can be a "top 5 college". There is a hierarchy in the rankings - so what? And, for what it's worth, Stanford is 40% Californians - not a big contrast to Rice's 50% Texans. Texas is as big as a country, and has a large enough population that 50% is a reasonable amount of instate students to have enrolled.</p>