<p>I am trying to make a hard decision here. I want to major in biology and am looking for the best college to get a great biological education. I am concerned with still having a life and my sanity while i'm in college so i am seriously trying to avoid committing to a school that will have me chained to my book and starbucks for four years. Can anyone help me out here? I would appreciate it.</p>
<p>i dunno.. im sure many people will disagree with me, but i say go for princeton. the name value there cannot just be thrown away! its PRINCETON! lol~ but i guess if not princeton, go to rice. i'd definitely take rice over cornell.... rice is great for people who want to go to into fields in science~ and it's much harder to get into than cornell. =]</p>
<p>Rice is harder to get into than Cornell for Texans. If you are from out of Texas, Rice is actually slightly easier.</p>
<p>I would choose Princeton; I have two friends who are Bio/Pre-med students there and they are loving it. </p>
<p>Since I have been on both campuses for an extensive period of time, I can be certain that Princeton's campus is also much better; though both universities boast beautiful architectures, Princeton wins because their campus is so enormous, yet the students are still close-knit. You might also find that Princeton offers more resourcses: just last Friday, my friend attended a lecture by the "founder" of the cause of AIDs, and the Tanner Lectures on Human Values are being held at Princeton this week!</p>
<p>Unless there is something very specific that Rice has, which Princeton cannot offer, I would go with Princeton.</p>
<p>I would say Princeton, simply for the reason of the national name.</p>
<p>Princeton; They really emphasize undergraduate research (I believe they require that every undergrad present a thesis on a research topic that she has conducted at the school). As the above posters mentioned, Princeton also has more resources to offer and higher national, and international, prestige.</p>
<p>I say Rice. Its smaller and better... but I have a predjusice against the 'holier than thou' Ivy's</p>
<p>This is off topic, but does anyone know the admission %'s for in-state Rice vs. out of state?</p>
<p>I would say Rice because of the unique undergraduate experience. you will get a great education in the biosciences and at the same time have a social life, there is parties, etc. Also, Rice also conducts alot of research in many fields, especially in the science field with physics research in boss-einstein condensation, superfluids, etc. and so many other things...go into the websites of the proffesors and u will see it all there. in the bioengeneering department under proffesor Anthonios Mikos there is a girl working on stem cell research with him being published in Nature, one of the best if not the best bioscience journal in the world.</p>
<p>I will say that Rice is undergraduate focused (and I'm assuming Princeton wouldn't be, although I don't actually know that, so if I'm wrong please forgive me.) Meaning that you're not competing with grad students for research positions, lab time, or professor attention. Especially if you want to do bio research I'd say look hard at Rice. I wanted to do research this summer, but as a freshman had a hard time when it came to looking for anything (no experience, not a huge background in classes, etc). I just asked one of the college associates and immediately had two different offers for research placement this summer at Rice. No questions asked.</p>
<p>I've never looked too closely at Princeton I must admit, but if you want to do research I'd say come to Rice then go to an Ivy for grad school. If you don't then go on the stronger bio department and campus life. Visit both and see which fits you better.</p>
<p>yea i agree with this dude...the research opporitnuities in the science department are like thrown at you from what i hear from rice students. this is very helpful which will get you into a very good grad school.</p>
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I will say that Rice is undergraduate focused (and I'm assuming Princeton wouldn't be, although I don't actually know that, so if I'm wrong please forgive me.)
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<p>You have been forgiven, since Princeton is well-known for focusing on their undergraduates. </p>
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I would say Rice because of the unique undergraduate experience. you will get a great education in the biosciences and at the same time have a social life, there is parties, etc. Also
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<p>That is not really unique to Rice.</p>
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Also, Rice also conducts alot of research in many fields, especially in the science field with physics research in boss-einstein condensation, superfluids, etc. and so many other things...go into the websites of the proffesors and u will see it all there.
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<p>One could probably say the same for Princeton.</p>
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yea i agree with this dude...the research opporitnuities in the science department are like thrown at you from what i hear from rice students. this is very helpful which will get you into a very good grad school.
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<p>...and this does not happen at Princeton?</p>
<p>I am seeing a lot of anecdotal evidence. If you want to demonstrate that Rice is a better choice, you need to demonstrate that what Rice offers is not also offered by Princeton. Sure, Rice offers much, but who is to say that Princeton does not as well? Odds are, they can probably match and surpass what Rice offers.</p>
<p>Antarius' post hinted at one unique benefit of Rice: it is smaller. Other benefits? Rice students must stay in their residential college for four years, whereas Princeton students leave after their second year (this will change to the same four year system next year, I think). </p>
<p>It is going to be hard to top Princeton, especially since they boast departments that top rankings in multifarious disciplines.</p>
<p>Thanks to everyone who has posted. I do have to say, however, that i have spoken with the biology department heads at both Rice and Cornell and i've found that there are a lot more opportunities and even encouragement to do undergraduate research at Cornell. Granted however, i am from houston and i realize that there are substantial summer research opportunities in the medical center. But these opportunities would also be available to me in the summer despite where i chose to matriculate. I just wanted to throw that in there. But keep the advice/opinions coming.</p>
<p>princeton is full of eletist snobs...which is so not what rice is...so if you want that environment choose princeton. and i dont know all that about conrell but they have a reputation of being a depressing school where people kill themselves by jumping off a bridge that is located between the dorms and campus.</p>
<p>All of those things are true. Princeton and Rice are both great schools, but I think Rice is definitely in the upper hand. Princeton doesn't offer the same opportunities for research that Rice does. It can't possibly compete with the world-famous Texas Medical Center and Baylor College of Medicine. If you want a good social life, as you said you did, I think Rice would be a better fit for you.</p>
<p>Houston > Princeton, NJ. Houston is a heck of a lot more fun than sleepy Princeton, and offers way more in terms of engineering (NASA), medical (BCM, UT-Houston), architecture (Rice is awesome), business (Jones School at Rice is great), and even the liberal arts. I don't see how you could go wrong by choosing Rice for your undergraduate education. There are so many opportunities out there.</p>
<p>Also, I felt that Princeton was very much an exclusive "old boys club" in certain aspects with their "eating clubs" and whatnot. I'm not sure abou you, but I wouldn't like to go to a school where students are excluded because they're not "connected" to get into these fraternity-like clubs. All in all, I felt Princeton was more snobby and less open to non-conservative viewpoints than many other schools.</p>
<p>I highly doubt this is present at Rice. All the people I have met at Rice were awesome, interesting, and cool people, who were very open. I've seen diversity in dorms like multiple religions/ethnicities/sexual orientations/viewpoints that would blow people away. Rice is a fun amazing place to be, AND offers opportunities of a lifetime. I would highly highly recommend you to tour the campus and see for yourself what it's like before making this decision.</p>
<p>I am sure you will be happy wherever you go.</p>
<p>godltx: i beg to differ.... cornell truly is easier to get into than rice. i know someone (from texas) who got rejected from rice and so went to cornell. cornell really is easy to get into. i mean.. well... easier than rice and the other ivies.</p>
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princeton is full of eletist snobs..
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<p>That is an unsubstantiated generalization; I know many students at Princeton who are the most humble individuals I have ever met.</p>
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and i dont know all that about conrell but they have a reputation of being a depressing school where people kill themselves by jumping off a bridge that is located between the dorms and campus.
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<p>Cornell's suicide rate is lower than the national average. </p>
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Houston > Princeton, NJ. Houston is a heck of a lot more fun than sleepy Princeton
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<p>The town of Princeton is awesome; and if you are ever bored, you can always take the one hour train to New York.</p>
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Houston is a heck of a lot more fun than sleepy Princeton, and offers way more in terms of engineering (NASA), medical (BCM, UT-Houston), architecture (Rice is awesome), business (Jones School at Rice is great)
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<p>Given Princeton's proximity to New York, there are internships and research opportunities abound.</p>
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Also, I felt that Princeton was very much an exclusive "old boys club" in certain aspects with their "eating clubs" and whatnot. I'm not sure abou you, but I wouldn't like to go to a school where students are excluded because they're not "connected" to get into these fraternity-like clubs.
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<p>A lot of students I met do not care about the eating clubs. If you are eager to join one, there are several which are not very exclusive at all. </p>
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All in all, I felt Princeton was more snobby and less open to non-conservative viewpoints than many other schools.
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<p>I felt the exact opposite, but to each his own.</p>
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I highly doubt this is present at Rice.
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<p>There are always exceptions to the generalization. I have met snobby students at Rice as well.</p>
<p>Making generalizations about student bodies will not suffice for evidence, since there are exceptions and one will always find snobby students at both schools. </p>
<p>Even if there are more "snobby" students at Princeton, there are still plenty of students who are not as such; the presence of more snobby students does not drastically alter one's college experience (when comparing Princeton and Rice). Speaking from personal experience, I have a great time everytime I visit Princeton precisely because everone I meet is always so modest.</p>
<p>At any rate, you made an excellent post, stanford-dude.</p>
<p>Serge, on the other hand...</p>
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Strength of Biology departments:</p>
<p>Biological Sciences (general):
7. Cornell University 4.5
9. Princeton University 4.4
51. Rice 3.4</p>
<p>Cell Biology:
13. Princeton</p>
<p>Ecology/Evolutionary Biology:
6. Cornell
8. Princeton</p>
<p>Molecular Biology:
11. Princeton</p>
<p>According to the (1994) NRC rankings:</p>
<p>Biochemistry and Molecular Biology:
22. Cornell
45. Rice</p>
<p>Cell and Developmental Biology:
11.5. Princeton
35.5 Cornell
89. Rice</p>
<p>Both Cornell and Princeton will give you a great education in biology; Rice, I'm not so sure of. In any event, you should definitely take a look at some of the biology courses Princeton offers, since the course description helpfully includes the amount of reading per week as well as the exams / papers / grading scheme.
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<p>A great post from an identical thread posted on the Princeton board.</p>
<p>nspeed...i dont come here to show off my debating skills...i could care less...so you can take ur attitute and...</p>
<p>Heidi!:</p>
<p>That's what I wrote. Rice is more difficult to get into for Texans. </p>
<p>The person you know is from Texas. He got rejected by Rice and went to Cornell. That shows it's more difficult to get into Rice for someone from Texas.</p>
<p>For non-Texans, however, Rice is easier to get into (admission rate for non-Texans is 40-45% from what I heard).</p>