<p>Down to the wire, any offers of wisdom as to what
I should be thinking about and decide on...</p>
<p>Which major are you considering? Those were my son's final 2 choices, and he chose Rice. His main reason was the atmoshpere at the schools. He got the impression that Rice was more laid-back and more collaborative. Both schools are good schools from an academic standpoint and both provide easy opportunities for undergraduate research, but Rice has a little more of an undergraduate focus overall. He also felt the engineering department at Rice was a little stronger of a program than at JHU. In addition, the area surrounding Rice is much nicer than that surrounding JHU. You can't go wrong with either, though. Good luck.</p>
<p>Rice is very friendly, with kids working together on projects and studying, etc. Lots and lots of opportunities for internships, research etc, specially with med center across the street. Kids at Rice seem to have a lot of fun, along with studying hard, and get involved in many varied activities; for example the math major who plays on the club rugby team and has a part in the musical and serves on the student-run college council and is doing independent research on fish brains. (Example for illustrative purposes only ;) )</p>
<p>They are both great schools and you can't go wrong with either one. My son had to deal with the same decision. </p>
<p>Factors to think about: Do you have a prospective major? Check department strength in the area you're interested in studying. Are there any financial factors that tip the balance towards one or the other? Are there any geographical issues in terms of staying near or getting away from home? Were you able to visit each campus and if so, did you form any impressions or get a gut feeling? </p>
<p>My son visited each and felt he would have been happy at either school.</p>
<p>Westchestermom, which did you son choose and why</p>
<p>Rice is a LOT more undergrad friendly.</p>
<p>My son ended up choosing JHU but he also really loved Rice (and came back from his visit there thinking he'd enroll). It was a very difficult choice for him. </p>
<p>It came down to some small factors that tipped him towards JHU. Geography was a big factor. He took a series of difficult plane flights this winter (cancellations and delays) and really liked the fact that he could take Amtrak which is five minutes away from our house. For him, Hopkins is far enough away and different enough from where he grew up that it does offer him an "away" experience. Someone from California though, might pick Rice for the same reasons. </p>
<p>I think there was a little less "culture shock" for him at JHU. There are plenty of Northeastern kids there though my son was bonding with an int'l student during his visit- so he felt he had familiar mixed with diversity. My son met a lot of kids from Texas while visiting Rice and really liked them. But there was a bit of a sense of being in a different "culture"- he was there during the Vtech massacres and he said he noticed that the reactions on radio and TV were different than what you'd hear in NY. He didn't cite this as a reason though- it's just my suspicion. </p>
<p>My son wants to major in CS. He is also quite strong in Biology. So Hopkins has a lot to offer in interdisciplinary areas for example things like Computer Assisted Surgery. He also likes History and International Relations and Hopkins has some very good departments in those areas. </p>
<p>My son met Hopkins kids and felt like they were nice, not overly competitive. That said- I'm a bit nervous- having heard various rumors and negative reports. But my son goes to a pretty competitive school anyway, so he probably won't be too freaked out by some competition. Not that many premeds tend to major in CS, so hopefully his department will be okay. There should be enough people there that my son can find kids he's comfortable with. Rice is a smaller school, Hopkins a bit bigger. Rice does have the reputation for being very collaborative and nurturing. </p>
<p>Both of these schools are excellent. It depends a lot on your personality.
What geography works best for you? Do you like the idea of a warm winter? Do you want four seasons?
Think about distance from home, ease of access and how much of an "away" experience you want.
Money is important. Rice could save you some dollars- around 24K over 4 years- and more if you have scholarships.
Investigate the major and opportunities available in the department of your intended major.
Consider atmosphere. Both campuses are gorgeous. The area around Rice is definitely safer. But Baltimore offers some cool stuff for those who can deal with the existence of a very impoverished section of the city. </p>
<p>The dorms at Rice are tight knit communities and you live in the same dorm for four years. At JHU you have the opportunity to move around, doing a typical frosh dorm first year progressing to suites and then to an off campus apartment. It's just different strokes for different folks. </p>
<p>Have you visited either school?</p>
<p>What did you end up deciding? I didn't see your message till now and you may have chosen. I know one thing- you can't go wrong with either school!</p>
<p>Johns Hopkins definitely...if you get this in time lol</p>
<p>Anybody know which one has a stronger biochem major?</p>
<p>I don't know that much on JHU, but keep in mind that you should be looking at the undergrad experience of this school and not the reputations of their grad schools/professional schools. JHU has a really well known med school, but going there for undergrad premed might not necessarily prepare you for med school better - or increase your chances of getting into JHU's med school - in fact it might hurt it since they might look for some diversity by not accepting that many JHU students.</p>
<p>That said, Rice's great, friendly, academically stimulating, etc. (read some other posts for rambling descriptions of all those things). </p>
<p>And ignore Cooldude - as far as I can tell he applied to Rice and either (a) got rejected and is bitter or (b) got waitlisted and is trying to improve his chances of getting in by scaring away undecided students one CC post at a time.</p>
<p>It's a no brainer...choose Rice! </p>
<p>Almost double the endowment, #1 in best value, #1 in quality of life, #3 in undergraduate education. The list goes on.</p>
<p>Don't let JHU's great medical school steer you away. All of its resources go to its medical students. Remember, you are an Undergrad. Get the best undergrad education you can! Go with Rice.</p>
<p>Thank you to all who posted on this topic. I just made my decision, it really was down to the wire. I chose Rice for most of the reasons everyone stated.
The last post was what cinched it. Rice does provide an excellent undergrad program, and this really is all it's focus. My plans are to work towards getting into Hopkins for med school. I live in Texas so logistically, Rice was better, I did feel at home, although during Owl weekend there were people from all over. I am a laid back type of personality and the thought of
a fast paced environment at this point made me think twice. Anyhow l look forward many new friendships.</p>
<p>Congratulations! Perhaps we'll be running into each other in the fall.</p>
<p>Hey the lonius, you must be a mind reader, looks like you were right on with
cooldude11989, look at his post today 5/2/07, looks like he has been waitlisted and he is worried.</p>
<p>Congratulations on making your decision! You're going to a great school and you're about to start a four year journey of learning, growing, and making new friends. Enjoy!!!</p>