<p>Maybe "better" is not the right word here, but: which school is better?</p>
<p>As far as I can tell, UChicago's Comp Sci is more math-and-theory than Rice's which for me is a good thing. However, it also seems like Rice's Comp Sci is more highly regarded overall (even though both are good programs.) As far as numbers (# people majoring in comp sci vs. # professors, job opportunities, etc.) it doesn't seem like the two are very far apart either.</p>
<p>It's less important how each is in Physics, since it's less likely that I'll be focusing on that, but it does seem like UChicago's physics program is much better than Rice's.</p>
<p>(If I haven't made it clear enough already, I'm deciding between the two schools)</p>
<p>I do not think that there is a simple answer to your question. At the undergraduate level, any distinctions in quality are likely to be minor. I would recommend going where you feel most comfortable.</p>
<p>Have you looked closely at the required courses for the two programs? How about potential AP credit? Ability to move into graduate level courses while still an undergraduate? How about research opportunities if that is important for you?</p>
<p>Those are the sorts of questions that my son asked when he was choosing between UChicago for computer science and math, and another university (Vanderbilt) which houses its computer science dept. in the engineering school.</p>
<p>In the end, he went with the school that seemed to offer more research opportunities at an earlier stage, gave him a lot of advanced standing due to AP (so he could focus more on cs and math), and allowed him to take graduate courses early on (VU). (It helped that they offered him a huge merit scholarship, but that was not the deciding factor, since he had a merit offer from UChicago also).</p>
<p>For some students, the concept of “personal fit” is paramount; for others, it is specific types of academic opportunities and how they ‘fit’ with immediate goals. My son went with the latter, but maybe your priorities are different.</p>
<p>I like Rice a lot, by the way. I’ll never know why my son didn’t apply there.</p>