Any Advice Appreciated: University of Pennsylvania vs. Rice University

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hello everybody! I'm posting this thread because I have a huge decision to make within a week and literally keep swinging back and forth. I've been accepted to other schools besides these two, but I've narrowed it down for these to be my best fit overall and financially.</p>

<p>A little bit about me...
I want to major in something such as biochem, but also have the ability to partake in areas of philosophy, psychology, etc. as if you couldn't guess by my intended major, I plan on going "pre-med" all the way--I want to be a doctor in the future involved with sports, i.e. Orthopedics. I love playing sports and being social with my friends and new people. I'm originally from a small town of 8,000 people and a high school of 500. </p>

<p>I visited both schools and enjoyed certain aspects about both.
Academics: Penn seemed better.
Research Opportunities: Rice, but not sure by how much.
Student Life: I'm not sure on this one as the Residential system intrigues me, but also scares me, and at Penn I know I could fit in with some effort.
Housing: For freshman, the housing at Rice seems indefinitely better.
Weather: I'm from Colorado so the Pennsylvania weather doesn't seem to different, but I enjoy warm weather as well, I LOVE Cali.
Sports: I'm not sure which one has better sports or chances for clubs and IM sports.
Prestige: Penn being an Ivy, but I'm trying to ignore that aspect.
Size: I don't know how much id like a smaller university, but coming from a small high school I'm not sure exactly what "small" is to me.
Financial: For the first year financial aid here are the offers.
Rice: Total for first year would be 2,500 in Federal Work Study (could easily make in summer as well), and then 120 dollars for EFC. So basically 57,401 out of 57,521 is covered.
Penn: Total for first year would be 3,300 is FWS, and then 3,320 EFC. This comes out to be like 62,000 out of 65,000.</p>

<p>I would appreciate any advice as I'm having trouble making a gut decision. Thanks!</p>

2

<p>For what it’s worth, my impression is that the research opportunities at Penn will be comparable to those at Rice. While Rice has the amazing Texas Medical Center at its front door, Penn has one of the world’s most comprehensive biomedical research complexes that is on the same campus and directly affiliated with a top undergraduate school. In addition to Penn’s top-ranked medical, nursing, veterinary (which does a lot of research related and applicable to human medicine), and dental schools, not to mention Penn’s highly ranked bioengineering and nanotechnology programs, on or adjacent to Penn’s campus are the world-renowned Wistar Institute, the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, the Philadelphia Veterans Medical Center, the Monell Chemical Senses Center and other biomedical research institutions in the University City Science Center, and the world-leading Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The result of all of this clinical and research activity is that Penn is perennially one of the top 5 recipients of National Institutes of Health (NIH) research funding in the country.</p>

<p>And perhaps most relevant for you, Penn goes to great lengths to involve undergraduates in all of this research in a meaningful way. For example, Penn’s Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships (CURF) maintains a comprehensive directory of open research positions available to undergraduates. So the way is well paved for Penn undergrads to involve themselves in an amazing array of biomedical and health care research opportunities.</p>

<p>Beyond that, you’ve obviously done your homework on these two schools, and so your gut is well informed. :wink: Ultimately, this really is a matter of personal preference, and nobody else can make that call for you. In terms of your interests, you’ll do well at either of these two phenomenal schools.</p>

<p>If you’re looking for something to break the tie, however, one thing that you might consider is the breadth and depth of types of courses available to you at Penn versus Rice. While I have no doubt that Rice offers more than enough variety of academic offerings to satisfy anyone in four years, Penn does offer a much greater diversity in that regard. Penn’s College of Arts and Sciences, alone, is 50% larger than all of Rice’s undergraduate component, and so offers a greater depth and variety of courses in most fields. But beyond that, Penn’s “One University” policy encourages undergrads to take courses not only in the other undergraduate schools (Wharton, Nursing, and School of Engineering and Applied Science), but also in most of Penn’s graduate schools (including the Annenberg School for Communication, the School of Design, the Graduate School of Education, the School of Social Policy and Practice, and even the Law School!). So in addition to your liberal arts courses, you could take courses in a wide variety of fields that just aren’t available to undergrads at Rice (or any other top school, for that matter). If this is something that interests you, it might help you make the decision.</p>

<p>But even if you just toss a coin, you really can’t go wrong here. They’re both fantastic schools, and you can’t lose either way. Congratulations, and good luck!</p>

3

<p>What’s your ‘love of California’ got to do with the equation here? I don’t think anyone in Houston would say that the gulf region weather is similar to Southern California. And in no way is the weather in Pennsylvania similar to the weather in Colorado. Colorado is among the states with the fewest number of rainy days annually.</p>

<p>Listen compadre, these are both excellent universities. So academically it’s a wash. Pick one and look forward to exciting days ahead.</p>

4

<p>Thank you both for your responses! I appreciate the time!</p>