<p>March 24, 2014 at 6:08 pm was probably one the happiest moments of my life. It was when I got my acceptance to Rice. It has been my dream school for months. But I just got into Duke. My family doesn't understand why I would pass up a "better school" for Rice. The only other thing better about Duke is that it is 3 hours away from home, vs. 16 hours for Rice.</p>
<p>I like the residential college system of Rice over the strong Greek life at Duke.
I like the quirky, laid back students at Rice more than the preppy egos at Duke (I know this is an extreme stereotype).
I like living in Houston over Durham.
I like the structure and size of my major program at Rice over Duke.</p>
<p>Rice is the school for me! But some people have told me that I'll always regret not going to Duke when it's a "better school." Are they right? I would appreciate any thoughts!</p>
<p>Go wherever you are happy, and that seems to be at Rice.
Anyone who says otherwise just sees Duke as “more” prestigious and that’s it. Both schools are excellent and you’ll have amazing connections and networking at both universities.</p>
<p>Yes, Duke may be slightly “better” than Rice. But the difference is not enough to cause you to regret going to Rice! They were both VERY well-respected schools, so if your heart tells you that Rice is the school for you, then go for it, and don’t regret your decision!</p>
<p>I THOUGHT I would have the same decision (got wait listed at Duke today) but I had made up my mind to go to Rice anyways. The difference in academics and/or prestige did not make up for how much happier I thought I’d be at Rice. </p>
<p>This is a great question. Two quick thoughts:
- This was exactly the choice I faced as a senior in HS years ago. My thoughts back then matched <strong>exactly</strong> with your 4 points. (Rice was also cheaper but that was not much of a factor for my parents). Do I regret going to Rice and turning down Duke? Absolutely not. I am very happy that I chose Rice over Duke (and also turned down Vanderbilt and UVa by the way) but Duke is a fantastic place too.
- My son visited Duke and Rice and various other elite colleges. Only MIT and Harvard impressed him as much. Visiting classes at Duke you could certainly see that they have a big focus on BioMedical Engineering (and a #2 National Ranking), not just liberal arts - and with Rice offering BioEngineering instead of BioMedical it would be a little different at Rice - but I expect that even those with pre-med or biomedical interests (strengths of Duke) should do fine as Rice undergrads (can’t beat the Texas Medical Center being across the street). He liked Rice a little better than Duke (OEDK, college system, and was more impressed with the classes he sat in on at Rice) so applied early to Rice and got in. My impression was that he made the right decision for him (choosing Rice) - but it is hard to go wrong with either of those.</p>
<p>Both excellent schools, but you will be more successful at the place you are most happy. Based on your comments, sounds like that would be Rice for you. If it helps, my daughter is a member of this year’s freshman class and is very happy she chose Rice. Her thought process was very similar to the one you laid out and it has worked out well for her. Good luck with your decision.</p>
<p>Listen, you can’t go wrong with either choice. Go where your heart tells you.</p>
<p>A quarter century ago - (dang that sounds bad! Makes me sound old!) - I got accepted to both Duke and Vanderbilt.
I chose Vanderbilt over Duke despite people telling me I was choosing the “inferior” school.
I went to Vanderbilt anyway.
No regrets.</p>
<p>Thanks, all of you, for these great insights. I really am comforted that others would support a decision of Rice over Duke.</p>
<p>Sound like Rice is the choice for you. Either one is great, but if your heart is with Rice you are NOT losing out on anything. </p>
<p>To be fair, I think your stereotypes about Duke are incorrect. </p>
<p>While both schools are very strong academically, Duke does place better in some areas (finance, consulting, among others) than Rice. </p>
<p>Keep in mind that you live near Duke, so Duke is much more familiar to the people around you, and they will push you towards what is familiar. If you lived in Texas everyone near you would be telling you to go to Rice. But if you lived in between? I wonder what the perception would be if you were physically between the two schools. Duke is more easily recognized in the general population because of their sports programs, but I would expect the schools to be about equal (in terms of overall perception) to hiring managers or graduate school admissions officers.</p>
<p>I’d have to disagree in saying that Duke is a much more prestigious school. Sure, Duke may be a little more well known because it’s on the east coast and has better sports, but you’re really comparing 2 top 20 universities in the entire country. It would be ridiculous to choose one over the other simply because of that. You will receive one of the best educations in the country at either school. Visit both schools and choose the one you would be more happy at. How well you fit in should be the only deciding factor, not some arbitrary ranking by US News and World Report.</p>