<p>I've recently become obsessed with Rice, so I've been reading some forums about it. One thing I was wondering was if students go into Houston often? I know the light rail is near by, and free for students, but do they go to the city a lot? What part do college students go into? What do they do in the city? Also, I've read that a lot of people do things like go to an opera or museum for fun, and to me this sounds awful, is this really how a lot of people spend their saturday night? Are there ever on campus concerts? and if not, are there a lot of fun concerts in Houston to go to?</p>
<p>I agree with you when it comes to the whole going to the opera thing may sound boring, i feel the same way. Hence, I have yet to go to the opera and don’t really plan on it. As far as the museums, I have been too several and all of them arent as boring as you’d think.</p>
<p>Truth be told, a lot of people spend there saturday nights at parties (people go whether they drink or not) or chilling with friends while playing games or watching a movie. However, with Houston being such a large city there are definitely several concerts that are available to you. If you have a car, I’d say bring it with you (if your parents will let you) or just make friends with someone that does because a lot of things are available through the metrorail, but not everything. There is so much to explore and do in Houston if you have a car. So far my group of friends and I have gone to houston’s aquarium, the zoo (literally a 2-3 min walk from Rice), bowling, galveston beach, houston rockets games, concerts at the house of blues, and much more! =P</p>
<p>It’s worth noting that going off-campus doesn’t only encompass getting out of the hedges, but also getting out of Houston. Texas is a HUGE place well-worth exploring - in my 3-ish years at Rice, I’ve gone kayaking on the bayou, sailing in the bay, camping in Big Bend & the Guadalupe Mountains & the hill country, daytripping to Austin and San Antonio and Dallas and New Braunfels and Galveston and Fredericksburg…the list goes on.</p>
<p>I have roommates who get work done almost exclusively in coffee shops off campus, and multiple friends who go to Zumba in Discovery Green, our downtown park, every week. My residential college gets a 30-ish people together once a month casually to bike 20 or so miles around Houston. How much you’re interested in getting out to Houston is ENTIRELY up to you.</p>
<p>As for opera/museum/symphony trips - the Rice Program Council will occasionally subsidize tickets to these events for students. Not an every week thing, but trust me, SOOO useful for classy date nights (especially with flasks).</p>
<p>premed4 - will you have a car?</p>
<p>Not a chance, hopefully if it’s important I’ll meet someone who does.</p>