<p>For any people that are Rice students or Rice alumni, I have a few questions for you:</p>
<p>I'm going to Rice next year, and I'm just kind of concerned...
1. Are Rice students really hardcore in studying, meaning are they really concerned in overachieving academically/uber-competitive type? I don't mean to stereotype, but just generally speaking, to get a good picture.
2. Is it possible to make all A's in classes without "dying" (meaning able to get enough sleep and perhaps have a winter/summer job) if you're not a genius with photographic memory, but just a normal hardworking student? If not, is it possible to have about a 3.5 GPA in school and still survive?
3. What is the overall atmosphere of the campus? Is it really family-oriented, lax, or super intensely academic, or really into sports or music or something?</p>
<p>I'm sorry if I'm stereotyping or being overly concerned, but I just want a good picture of where I'm going to next year.</p>
<ol>
<li>Rice students do a lot of studying, but most are able to do so while still finding time to do whatever they do for fun (be it partying, video games, or anything else). The atmosphere is not competitive at all; I've always been able to find people to work with on problem sets or studying.</li>
<li>I'd say this depends on your major, schedule, and time-management skills. I'm an astrophysics major, and I think my grades have been quite good so far. For my first three semesters, this meant a lot of late nights, but I usually got a decent amount of sleep. This semester, though, my schedule is pretty difficult. For the past month, I've been pulling an all-nighter every week, and I have a feeling it will only get harder. So yeah, it all depends.</li>
<li>We're all pretty friendly. The residential colleges give us an almost family-like atmosphere, and you're sure to meet people with a wide variety of interests.</li>
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<p>I agree with Dorian. I'll expound on #2, though.</p>
<p>My first semester was one of my hardest (academically) at Rice. I don't think I would find it so hard now as a 2nd semester senior. However, at the time, adjusting from high school and wanting to make new friends and get involved in college not to mention taking an upper-level English course... it was difficult to keep my grades up as high as I wanted.</p>
<p>A lot of people I've talked to say they also had a tough first semester. Don't let it discourage you if you experience this too. While the semester is important to your GPA and whatever you decide to do after college, it's your first semester. You'll hardly even remember what you took during it seven semesters later. Trust me.</p>
<p>Things do generally get harder the more advanced you get in your major no matter what it is. Here's how to handle it as a new student:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Make sure you still have time to breathe your first semester is to take 100- and 200-level classes, nothing above if you can help it, and while you should be thinking about getting graduation requirements out of the way, don't try to tackle it all during your first semester. Be kind to yourself that first semester while you figure out how the system works. You'll thank yourself for it.</p></li>
<li><p>Talk to upperclassmen and professors and read class & professor reviews by students on Esther during O-Week while you're registering. Find out which classes are challenging enough to keep your interest but not so challenging you have a panic attack each week writing a paper or doing a problem set.</p></li>
<li><p>Freshmen can drop classes to the last day without a penalty so if you're just hating a class or not doing well, remember this option. You can't really make a mistake, per se, on your schedule.</p></li>
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<p>My DS is a freshman and my DD a senior. Both have found a way to have lots of fun, and still study hard. My DS is a laidback kind of guy, and he is doing fine in a difficult major - and seems to have time for his girlfriend, clubsport, work/study job, and hanging out. My Dd has been out-of-town twice this last month for 3day weekends with her club sport, and is busy and happy doing so many things. I KNOW that I was worried that Rice would be too stressful for my DD, and that it might be better for her to have picked a school that wasn't filled with so many bright students.... I shouldn't have worried. She has had a wonderful education, and is lucky to count several professors as mentors, guides and/or friends, and has met so many really great people. My son was happy to follow sis to Rice and feels the same way.</p>
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<li> If you come to Rice, you will have to study. I don't know of anyone who manages to coast. However, will you have to be in your room at 10 pm every Friday and Saturday night with your textbook? No. I think that I do a fairly typical amount of studying for my 15 hours of classes this semester, and I still find time to be on a club sports team, participate in college government, work at an internship 10-20 hours per week, and have a social life.<br></li>
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<p>I also wouldn't characterize us as competitive at all. Most people have a lot of personal drive, but it's more of the "I want to do this well" than "I want to beat everyone else in the class" mentality - there's lots of collaboration. </p>
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<li><p>Most Rice classes don't have significant grade inflation, but it is possible to maintain a reasonable GPA with a reasonable amount of work. Is it possible that you'll take a class or two at Rice where you'll do as good a job as you possibly can and still get a B - yes.</p></li>
<li><p>I agree that friendly is a good way to characterize Rice. We tend to be really hard working and busy students, but who are also capable of relaxing and having a good time. </p></li>
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<p>I would describe Rice as incredibly variable. I have met some insane pre-meds whose questions after class tend to be along the lines of "Will this be on the test?" A lot of engineers work hard, but it seems like they are working to survive. I know two people who literally said "Why am I an elec?!" all four years. One graduated and went to law school and one is a senior now. Even the engineers that are partiers seem to work a bunch. </p>
<p>I know a CAAM major who described his junior year as "living in the computer lab." While I would say that sci/eng/pre-med are all pretty tough, I do know 2 physics major who are quite lazy. </p>
<p>For humanities, there is a giant difference in grading. It really is like another school. On top of that, a 10-course humanities major is simply not difficult on its own. You can get a lot out of it by taking more classes, doing independent research, and so forth, but what's required of you is not hard. This is not to say that there are not any serious humanities students. That would be untrue. </p>
<p>It is really difficult to characterize Rice students in general. Their majors determine their behavior in important ways and attitudes often follow. There are plenty of students who have a personal drive, but I haven't met many that are excited simply to learn. If there is one thing I would say about Rice students, it is that they are "goal-oriented." I always feel like other students are doing much more than I am to advance their future.</p>
<p>I find it intimidating too that so many students make awesome grades. At Rice, Summa Cum Laude is a 4.0!</p>
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<li><p>It's a very cooperative atmosphere. People help each other out and you don't get any cutthroat competitiveness. There is an academic mentors society set up at every college and it's pretty established in its few years of existence. The familial atmosphere within the colleges really contribute a lot in this area.</p></li>
<li><p>as a bioe major, i think it's crazy tough to let get straight A's w/o going crazy. you're going to have to settle for mediocrity every once in a while. but learn for the sake of learning, not for the gpa. i have a mediocre gpa and i still have an offer from a top-25 bioe grad school next year. I brought my HS mindset w/ school to Rice and it kind of got remolded within the first few weeks. I had to prioritize which classes I was really interested in and which ones I didn't mind just letting on a little slack. Then again when you're learning for the sake of learning yet you're in a class full of premeds things get painful come time for final grades. i've had two classes downcurve as a result of the work of premeds... <em>shaking fist</em> (P.S.- premeds are cool people too...)</p></li>
<li><p>There's a scene for everyone. Generally, I think the social scene suffers slightly from people being too concerned with their resumes to kill some time. In general, though, it is a pretty chill atmosphere, though academics are tough. But we all know that everyone else is at least equally stressed so it makes it a little easier. And of course, like I said, we're not killing each other over grades here, so it helps to have that college system around...</p></li>
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