You have mentioned more than once that you only know one or two kids who have gone to these colleges. While it’s sometimes nice to get a personal opinion, it’s not essential. What matters is how your kid views the schools, not how others do.
One of my kids went to a college 3000 miles from home that her HS guidance counselor had never heard of. We knew no one who had attended the college at all. But it marked off all the boxes on the kid’s list and then some.
@thumper1 - I didn’t mean to be repetitive. I just didn’t want to let one person’s experience define a whole school for my son - for better or worse.
re #66:
"Also, TX feels like another country to us - again, we have lived a sheltered, liberal life up here. "
FWIW, that’s one reason why none of us or our kids would have applied to a number of the schools that have been mentioned. Seemingly a significant proportion of the people who live around those places have a somewhat different value system than we do. Looking at eg voting patterns. And, in our case, religion. The student bodies were highly represented by people who live around there. And in some cases a disproportionate number of grads wind up staying in the region. It might be different if there were some unique offerings/aspects, but in practice that was not the case. There were other choices.
YMMV, and obviously does.
re #94:
“And Rice feels the most cohesive and S would probably have the opportunity to meet the broadest group of people. Thoughts?”
If half the people who go there are from Texas, probably a lot others from surrounding states, I doubt that the pool he can meet there constitute “the broadest group of people” , at least defined geographically. A lot of schools have “geographic distribution” stats, you can look them up.
If you mean the “broadest proportion of the people who are there”, then there could be differences. One winds up knowing most people in their dorm, but it could be that some set-ups are more conducive to knowing more people (of those who are there) well.
But it will probably be the case that he will wind up developing a decent social network at any of these places.
The one thing I would suggest you might look into regards the “cohesive” question.
My D2 went to a city school for a while. It was her experience that being in the city significantly detracted from campus cohesion because everyone just frittered off into the city often instead of staying around campus. Her city school was very substantially less “cohesive” than the campus-centered school she subsequently transferred to.
I don’t know if this phenomenon occurs at Rice. Maybe it’s harder to get anyplace in Houston because one basically needs a car to get around, so this isn’t as much of an issue. But it’s something your son might look into.
I’m not claiming to know much about Rice. I can only recall two people I knew who went there. But there’s a reason for this. More living Rice alumni live in Texas than in the entire rest of the United States !!!
https://oir.rice.edu/alumni/geographic-distribution
Though about 45% of Rice undergrads are from Texas I would not say many more are from “surrounding states”. After Texas I believe California has the most Rice students and then the rest are spread out. And then about 10% are international. Off the top of my head, when I think about D’s friends, several are from Texas, 2 or 3 are International kids, 1 or 2 are from the east coast, 1 from a southern state, a couple are from California and a couple are from different midwestern states.
Though Rice is in Houston I would consider it a very cohesive campus. Students do venture off campus to eat and explore some, but the majority of social activities for most students happen on campus. Pre-covid there were big campus wide parties several times a month, plus the residential colleges often hold frequent social events.
We are from the midwest and my D initially ruled Rice out because she had no desire to go to school in Texas. She did eventually apply and when we visited after she was admitted she was surprised that it doesn’t feel particularly southern. No southern accents, cowboy boots, or cowboy hats! I’m doubt she’ll end of staying in Texas when she graduates, but who knows. After coming home last winter break she commented that she’s not sure she can live with cold weather again.
@monydad - for sure, TX has very different demographics than MA and the liberal suburb in which we live. But my son is curious about expanding his views - almost all of his schools are outside of NE.
As for meeting a broad range of students, I was mostly referring to the set up of the residential colleges in which students from all four classes and with all different backgrounds live together. With no specialized housing for athletes, artists, etc - I would hope that he’d interact with students with different interests and backgrounds than just his own.
From what I’ve read, the campus provides a very active social calendar for the students and with 75% on campus, it sounds like most students stay around for the weekends.
Rice is DI for all sports.
Rice awarded merit aid (non-need based aid) to 47 of 961 (4.9%) freshman, per 2019/20 CDS Section H2A. Across the entire student body, 379/4049 (9.4%) received merit aid, so one can see how the proportion is declining at the class level, given Rice’s shift to more need based aid.
Merit aid is a type of financial aid.
^ merit is also provided to students who do not qualify for FA so is a way to induce them to attend.
But sure, if you are not full pay, all that matters is how much you pay, regardless of whether the reduction in sticker price comes from financial aid or merit award.
Wall Street article this week said this would be a good year to NOT apply ED due to all the uncertainties and perhaps a need to compare financial aid packages in the spring.
I saw Vanderbilt mentioned up thread. That seems like a comparable school to the ones mentioned. Was that considered? It seems more similar to Northwestern or Duke than to Rice. Used to be that a lot of kids from our area who might be just below top 10 tier would apply and go, but I think it has gotten a lot more selective.
@Mwfan1921 I meant need-based FA is non-competitive, as it’s solely based on your financial circumstances.
@HighTide2020 - Vanderbilt was on his list and I’m not sure why it got cut. Maybe worth revisiting (virtually).
With aspirations for business or law and warm weather surely wouldn’t overlook UVa or Wake Forest
“I was hoping some of you have kids at these schools and could tell me about their experiences. DS isn’t artsy, not super jock-y (he’s a runner and plays ultimate frisbee), not “quirky” (whatever that means)… thinks the idea of greek life is unappealing due to the stereotypes but I could see him joining a frat if it had the right fit. DS has many interests and is considering econ, physics, math, classics, and engineering as possible majors. Consulting, law or business school could be future plans for him.”
My D is a freshman at NU. She is an engineering major. She is also thinking of adding Math or Econ, or Kellogg business certificate. Despite all the issues with Covid, dorms closing, etc. she is having a very good experience with NU academics/social experiences. She is currently in an off campus apartment and has connected with lots of her peers - particularly in her Engineering peer group and local friends in Medill.
They meet in Evanston/Chicago for small study groups, lunch dates, walk/bike the lake shore path together, etc. They are pretty vigilante about Covid testing to keep their group safe.
The McCormick engineering program has been great too. She is taking 4 very tough courses with an A average so far (including the feared Organic Chemistry) so I think the grading/academic support has been outstanding.
I spend a lot of time in Evanston and do not see overt wealth displays/pretensions from these NU kids. That is just not how NU/Evanston generally operates. NU students tend to have a down-to-earth, hard-working midwestern vibe. IMO overt materialism is not at all embraced - it is looked down upon. That is my opinion from knowing many students, parents, staff in the NU community, and touring just about every T20 school in the nation to compare “vibes.”
My D and her NU friends do not care about Canadian Goose jackets or what cars people drive. They are worrying about securing meaningful research work-studies, and that their peers and communities are treated justly. Just take a look at “The Daily Northwestern” to see the kind of passionate and thoughtful conversations students are now having on these issues. They are striving for good intellectual connections, good grades, good internships, and good careers, so they can make a positive impact in the world. I can assure you that my D and her friends do not spend even a millisecond thinking about what brand of jacket they wear.
This is exactly why I would apply ED because your chances of admissions will be greater as less applicants apply ED because of those above factors.
If the college is your #1 choice and you do not have to compare FA packages, then ED is the way to go this year.
Current NU freshman were given the option to defer for a year, and there seems to be quite a few students who took this option (not sure the exact percentage) . This would seem to play into the acceptance #’s/ED option importance for the 2025 class, as the deferred 2024 students will be entering NU with them.
Great comments about NU. Several family members of mine attended NU, mostly with great feedback and subsequent success in their fields of choices. IMHO you really could not ask for a better combination of small town charm, top-ranked academics and proximity to a metropolis like Chicago. The current president Morty Schapiro has done a wonderful job as an educator, leader and fundraiser - he has raised over $5 billion in the last 9 years I believe, and was able to upgrade the financial aid program, facilities, etc. I do not know much about Duke or Rice, but I don’t think anyone would regret going to NU - if they do, it’s usually about the snow in the winter, which I think builds character and resilience.
If he doesn’t have a clear top choice, then I say: None of them.
I would look at how they’ve responded to students related to COVID. Did they kick students out of their dorms at the start of the pandemic? How have they handled bringing students back to campus (certain majors?, specific years?, housing) and testing/cases. If COVID is still a thing next fall and students are still remote at home, a lot of these comparisons of schools/campuses is moot.
ED deadline has passed. He chose Rice. I’m guessing this thread should be closed.
Congratulations on a great choice! But nooo, don’t ask it to be closed! Come back and let us know how he fares!! Go owls!!