My son is a rising senior and looking for a strong CS program (and maybe physics too) in a small-mid sized school with a warm climate and a collaborative environment. He’s considering ED - and his favorite reach schools as of now are Duke and Rice. Each only has ED1.
Which has a stronger CS program? Physics? Pros and cons of either school? Does Rice have a strong NASA connection?
Thanks!
Rice. Easy decision.
Rice
Another vote for Rice. Seems to fit for the environment your son is looking for. It’s VERY collaborative. My D goes to Rice but really liked Duke too. The environments are a quite a bit different though. Rice’s residential college system is unique but you don’t get the whole greek system experience if that is something your son is interested in. My D was not at all. We sort of feel that the residential college system is similar to a the greek system as it gives you sort of a smaller home within the university, but without any of the elitism that sometimes can some with the greek system. Since placement in the residential colleges are totally random there is no real sense that one is better than any others (though all think theirs is the best).
The last NASA administrator was a Rice grad and quite a few kids do internships, etc. My D has a friend who took a year off to do a long-term internship or something there and then came back to Rice.
Both are fantastic schools. Your S should consider what environment he wants to spend the next 4 years. Ex. would the basketball scene at Duke excite him? does he like the residential housing system at Rice? does he prefer the size/location of one school more than the other? etc.
My daughter was accepted to both Rice and Duke (RD not ED) and chose Rice. She is EE/CS. I don’t think there is much difference in the academic experience and opportunities, but they are very different environments. One of my D’s closest friends (girl) goes to Duke and one of her life-long friends (boy) also goes to Duke and is a CS/math major. By daughter and this boy are interning at the same top-5 company for software engineering this summer. My D has visited Duke a few times to visit her friends and confirm that her gut feeling about the difference between the two experiences was pretty spot-on and she made the right choice for her and her friends made the right choice for them. If your son is looking for Greek life, big-time spectator sports, and preppier/more East coast vibe, then Duke is likely the better fit. If your son is less interested in those things, but wants a close community with a lot of engagement around their residential college and interests, then Rice may be the better fit. Good luck!