<p>Hello all, I haven't been accepted yet but in the case that I do end up at Rice I want to prepare myself for whatever I'll be up against there, and I'm honestly very worried about the level of difficulty at an Ivy.</p>
<p>From what I've seen I'll be in the lower half of the distribution of students based on scores and this will be a very new experience for me because I have been at the top of my class so far in all of my academic career. I'm hoping that I will still be competitive and not just struggling to pass and keep up in my studies.</p>
<p>So my main concerns are:
Should I be worried about the more intense education at an Ivy like Rice when compared to the challenges of a State University like UT or Lamar University?
Will I be intimidated by my peers?
How hard is Rice, really?</p>
<p>Like all the top-tiers, Rice is difficult too. Remember: Get used to be at the bottom half of the class. It’s just a part of education. Don’t compare yourself to others harshly.</p>
<p>I don’t blame you for putting Rice in the same category. After all there is a reason they refer to Harvard as the Rice of the North. Jesting, of course. Having said that if anything Rice has ties to Princeton seeing Lovett was a Princeton man & many of Rice’s 1st professors were Princeton alumns.</p>
<p>I’m a freshman at Rice, and I’ve taken a really heavy courseload (19 hours last semseter and 20 hours this semester) and I would say it all depends on how you configure your schedule. The general sciences are very time-consuming, but they have very few exams. A lot of the 101 classes are also very difficult, but it all depends on how well you plan your schedule and allot your time. As a poli sci major, I’ve taken classes that I’m very interested in and found a balance I’m very pleased with.</p>
<p>“How hard/easy, etc” is a difficult question to answer. The answer to that is very individual and depends on your discipline, organization, and preparation.</p>
<p>Right now my S is having some issues with time management which has made things more challenging for him, but in regards to the material, he is learning things, but he’s not lost in class (and he is taking junior/senior level engineering classes as a freshman).</p>
<p>For a particularly bright student used to having a good work ethic, Rice isn’t difficult, but educationally remains rewarding and stimulating.</p>
<p>Everyone that goes to a Top 20 school is very similar. You can be compared because odds are, people at Rice applied to Ivy Leagues and would have gone there instead, or chose to go to Rice instead.</p>
<p>The difference is that we aren’t caught up in our shorts about our name. I don’t think you are going to find a lot of people who chose to go to Rice who made the decision because they thought our name looked good. We chose to come to Rice because of its own merits and benefits. You definitely cannot say the same for the majority of students at Harvard, Princeton, or Yale. Just visit…you’ll notice a difference.</p>
<p>There always people at every school who will go there for the name. Rice is an outstanding school. I hope I am able to get in. Why not wear the name? There is a reason Yale and Princeton have the recognizable name that they have. It’s a outstanding school as well. I will agree that less pretentious people will be at Rice, but you would be able to one people who aren’t that at the Ivies. Regardless,Rice and the Ivies are great schools and no doubt you should be proud to get in.</p>
<p>I think wallaceicy has an unnecessarily negative opinion of students at other elite universities. Rice certainly has its own vibe, but there is plenty of overlap as far as the student body goes.</p>
<p>I don’t have a negative opinion regarding people at elitist universities. Many of my friends are at Harvard, Princeton, and Yale. I’m just saying that in my experience with talking with students from both camps, I heard a lot more positivism towards tangible characteristics of Rice; the Ivies sounded far too standard and boring for their reputation. I’ve spent a lot of time living in both the Northeast and in the South. The campus vibes are different.</p>
<p>I’m not sure there is a difference. Confirmation bias coupled with a strong sentiment that Rice students are different would ensure that either you notice a difference because you’re expecting to or you just get thought of as an idiot for not noticing one.</p>
Jesting, of course. Having said that if anything Rice has ties to Princeton seeing Lovett was a Princeton man & many of Rice’s 1st professors were Princeton alumns.</p>