<p>I'm down to about 2 1/2 (long story) colleges. </p>
<p>Rice really touted its residential college living system when I visited. </p>
<p>Does it really foster a good community atmosphere, or is it just another fancy way of sticking people into the same place? </p>
<p>I love the idea of the houses and the other colleges I'm looking at don't seem to offer that at all.</p>
<p>Well, this is just my understanding, but I think Rice's residential colleges are truly everything they say they are. They go beyond just places to live because you also play intramural sports for your college, eat with your college, have college traditions, throw parties at your college, etc. Even compared to Yale and Princeton, which have residential colleges too, Rice's system seems to really really foster a sense of community.</p>
<p>The only downside is I understand it can be harder to make friends outside of your college.</p>
<p>You get as much out of the college system as you put into it. If you are very involved in your college, you will get a lot from the college system. If you don't get directly involved, it won't benefit you as much.</p>
<p>Do you still have to move out for a year because there's not enough housing? And if so, how has that been?</p>
<p>It depends on your college and how lucky you are. I wasn't kicked off this year; my friend in Wiess was. Your odds of getting kicked off generally aren't too outrageously high, but it does happen.</p>
<p>There's plenty of housing close to campus - and as one group of students vacate their offcampus housing, another group moves in. We actually save money when my dd lives off-campus.. :)</p>
<p>The residential college system is one of my D's favorite things about Rice - she really enjoys it. She has close friends from other colleges as well, through her major, her sport, her job and her club interests. This year Martel (for what I think is the first time) had enough people who wanted to live off campus that everyone who wanted to stay living in was able to stay.</p>
<p>I think that was the same with my DD's college...</p>
<p>Like several have said before me, the colleges can be a great, tightknit community if you choose to be engaged with it. And, assuming you live on campus at least your first year, it would probably actually take more effort to not become involved with your college than to become involved with it. Meals, IM sports, theater productions, and parties are all organized by the colleges.<br>
I don't know how much I agree with the "difficult to make friends with people at other colleges" arguement. About half of my truly close friends at Rice are at colleges other than my own. However, I really do appreciate the fact that I know that I can always find at least a few friends hanging around my college.</p>
<p>i love off-campus housing. i'm paying $260/month for rent + $70 for utilities and i'm sharing a 2-bedroom 1000sqft apartment with 3 other friends. and this is a new complex we're talking abt people!!!</p>
<p>i think the colleges are too small. it gets old fast in my opinion, like second semester freshmen fast. more people are moving off-campus than ever. there are actually free beds at many colleges. if you think this is a good thing, keep in mind there is a reason people are moving off in the first place, and it is not that there will be more construction next year! i have no clue why that person in the thresher claimed that to be the reason..</p>
<p>My daughter really enjoys her college, but also has many friends outside of it. She certainly doesn't find it too small, since she doesn't only associate with kids in her college. As a student you meet kids though club sports, activities, classes, parties, etc. Noone FORCES you to socialize with only your college!!! You can eat at any of the serveries on campus.<br>
And are there really beds available on-campus? If so, post a new thread so that those kids worrying about being forced to move off-campus one year will be happy to find that it's not true.</p>
<p>well the chances are only decreased, it probably won't be to the level of "not true." and second as i mentioned, they may be worrying now, and then end up not worrying since something is going on. no one forces students to socialize with their college, but they are forced into a college nonetheless.</p>