Like Rice, but nervous about southern life

Colleges and Universities A-Z Rice University
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<p>I love what I read about Rice, but we in the Pacific Northwest tend to know little about the culture of the school. It sounds like it could be a good fit for my son, though, so I want to get your honest input. I don't want to encourage him into a bad fit! </p>

<p>He is really smart and creative, and likes to be around people who are smart, funny, irreverant, politically aware, and enthusiastic about getting out and doing things (road-trips, senior class pranks, attending concerts, playing guitar with his garage band). He likes soccer, ping-pong, frisbee, golf, on-line gaming, and pretty much any board game he can get you to play. He's passionate about movies/cinematography. He's very non-preppy; will wear a collared shirt only under duress, and prefers gloomy colors and hoodies. On a very serious note, though, he's an atheist and a democrat with a strong civil libertarian bent. He would not enjoy being surrounded by religious zealots, but would enjoy a good political debate with those on the other side. </p>

<p>Just to round it out, here's his academic profile: He goes to a very competitive private school, and takes the hardest courseload. He is motivated by learning more than he is by external rewards like grades. GPA will be a modest 3.5; school doesn't weight any courses and doesn't rank the students. He has a great SAT score (took it once: 800 M/ 800 CR/ 750 W) and is a National Merit semi-finalist. He has the profile of a math/computer whiz, but he's very interested in a wide range of areas of study. Film-making is high on his list, followed by computer science, cognitive science, psychology, politics, economics. </p>

<p>His main concerns about going to college in the South are the political climate and the religious climate. We live in one of the most liberal places in the country, and it's really hard for him to imagine living in Texas. He also loves to get outdoors to hike and camp and ski, and I'm wondering whether Rice has a group of kids who are similarly inclined.</p>

<p>So, thanks for reading this, and please comment if you can on Rice's culture and how you see this fit. Also, please comment if you know anything about film courses at Rice. Finally, if you have any opinions on the prospects for merit scholarships, that would also be helpful. I really appreciate it!</p>

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<p>Texas is big and varies greatly from region to region; it is nothing like the stereotypical Deep South. Rice is in Houston and the city size translates into a certain degree of campus "cosmopolitanness." An atheist/civil libertarian wold be comfortable at Rice but I know nothing about film classes there. Merit money at Rice is very competitive and while test scores are important, GPA counts for a lot.</p>

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<p>Interestingly enough, your son's political and religious views sound pretty similar to mine.</p>

<p>I actually think that your son sounds like a great fit for Rice, in fact, more so than I would say about most people who post on this board. Texas in general is pretty conservative and religious, but that lessens a lot within the city of Houston and tenfold within the campus of Rice and its surroundings. Politically we are bent slightly to the left of center (although i have met more libertarians here than I thought existed in the country) and the strongly religious groups on campus are probably in a minority (in addition to two Christian organizations, we have a "secular students" group, which I doubt many larger schools in Texas have).</p>

<p>In terms of film courses, I am not entirely certain. There aren't really all that many offered (I think there's, like, 4 film this semester, in addition to a bunch of theatre ones). I don't think there is a specific major in film. I can't say anything about the quality of the film classes or extracurrics, as I don't know anything about them.</p>

<p>The only other things that sounds difficult is the skiing aspect. There aren't any ski resorts for quite a ways. Other than that, everything you said matches with Rice culture just fine.</p>

<p>As for merit scholarships, I can't give a specific "chances," but I will say that merit awards tend to be very very competitive (but you won't know unless you apply to Rice!)</p>

<p>Hope that helped.</p>

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<p>Thanks to both of you - those are helpful responses. I should clarify that he could definitely live without skiing, but it would help to know if Rice students get out into the "wilderness" - whatever that would be in Texas :) The film thing is probably under the radar - the Rice website shows a new Film Track within the department of Visual and Dramatic Arts, and makes frequent mention of a faculty member who worked on the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. S's current thinking is that film as a minor would be great; he doesn't want to go to film school right now.</p>

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<p>rainmama
Here is the link to all of the clubs.
<a href="http://www.ruf.rice.edu/%7Estact/clubs.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~stact/clubs.html&lt;/a> the outdoor club may be what you are looking for.<br>
<a href="http://www.riceoutdoorsclub.org/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.riceoutdoorsclub.org/&lt;/a>
There is also seems to be a film club. </p>

<p>We just came back from families weekend. DD is very happy there and there does not seem to be overwhelming "southern" or religious feel to the campus or activities. A lot of fun things seem to go on all the time.</p>

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<p>Well I'm from Texas, and originally Houston.</p>

<p>There is plenty of oppurtunity to get out into the "wilderness". It may take a while to get out of Houston, but you'll get there.</p>

<p>He will most definitely have to give up skiiing. He could take up water skiing, though.</p>

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<p>your son will have no problem fitting in. i know the south gets a rep for being conservative and religious but houston is very diverse and so is rice. a democrat will have no problem at all fitting in, and neither will an atheist. </p>

<p>skiing on the other hand.....not sure what rice has to offer for that.</p>

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<p>It's funny--when you were describing your son, all I could think was "it sounds like he'd be perfect at Rice."</p>

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<p>Your son sounds like a really good match for Rice (from a social standpoint, I refuse to try to guess chances of acceptance). I'm an atheist, gay, and pretty liberal and have never felt at all out of place on this campus. I do constantly meet people who are on other ends of the spectrum (and a lot of them are my friends) but Rice students tend to be really respecting of other people's views if they are willing to back them up.</p>

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<p>S and I visited Rice on Monday. My son is similar to yours - LOL on the hoodie he was wearing a gray hoodie and shorts in the pouring rain.</p>

<p>First of all, Houston is and is not Texas. My college roommate from Princeton lives there - grew up there - and so I've visited a couple of times over the years. Houston has a real focus on the arts - very non-Texan. Large and visible gay community - very non-Texan. But people do dress up more in Houston than the SF Bay Area (where we live, next most liberal place in the country). And the barbecue is fantastic, as is the Mexican food - hey us Californians are food fanatics, right?</p>

<p>As for Rice, it is first and foremost, according to our cheerful, pretty, smart, girl tour guide, a nerd school. Geeks gone wild, if you will. Geeks and parties in one place. The residential college system makes it the most truly integrated college I have yet seen. Indians and Chinese and African American and white and athletes and uber-geeks, and all kinds all sit together at lunch.</p>

<p>The class we visited, Philosophical Aspects of Cognitive Science, was fantastic. Taught by a woman with a mullet and a tatoo who was young, funny, and sounded like she was from Eastern Europe. So not Texas.</p>

<p>If you can't tell, both son and I really liked Rice. And if your son likes soccer but isn't the type who can play D1, Rice is great because they have club soccer, intramural soccer and residential college soccer.</p>

<p>Plus a student radio station that has won awards for the best in Houston. And a lovely green campus with interesting architecture.</p>

<p>So sign me a liberal Northern Californian who has become a fan of Rice U.</p>

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<p>Wow - I'm overwhelmed! I had a hunch that Rice would be good for my son, but these responses make it sound ideal. It's nice to hear such enthusiasm, especially when it's based on things that really matter in one's day to day life. I'll talk it up, starting with the image of "geeks gone wild" - love that!</p>

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<p>And oh yeah, my son is an atheist who just spent his high school career at a Catholic school:). If you can visit at all I recommend it. The place kind of speaks for itself.</p>

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<p>I love rice!! I need to buy a rice cooker!</p>

<p>JAne ;_</p>

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<p>

I'm curious--do you remember who your tour guide was? I'm a tour guide, too, and I'm just wondering.</p>

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<p>Oh gosh. What was her name? She was a pre-med from Dallas. She was in, um, the residential college with the super ugly building but good dorm rooms.</p>

<p>I'm over 50. Don't ask me these kinds of questions:).</p>

<p>Do you agree with her BTW? And just so you know, I believe nerds will inherit the earth, being in software, so it's actually a compliment in my mind. Especially cool nerds.</p>

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<p><i'm curious--do="" you="" remember="" who="" your="" tour="" guide="" was?="" i'm="" a="" guide,="" too,="" and="" just="" wondering.=""></i'm></p>

<p>If you are a cheerful, pretty, and smart girl, then it must have been you. :)</p>

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<p>The college with an "ugly building" AND "nice dorms" must be Wiess. Without the nice dorms is probably Lovett.</p>

<p>As for the "geeks gone wild" term, I would say for the most part that is a good summary, except I would note that "geek" in this context is by no means the stereotypical pocket-protector wearing dungeons and dragons geek (although there are some). Really, "geek" just kind of means a really smart college student (not quite sure how to word this correctly; someone else wanna try?)</p>

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<p>About that skiing thing. While there's nothing close, my son spent breaks with his "new best friends" skiing in New Hampshire and Colorado, which is hands down way better than anything close to us here in Washington, the District, not the state.</p>

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<p>Let me assure you, goldtx, NYSkins is none of those things.</p>

<p>Ohhh, snaps!</p>

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<p>I may be a little late jumping into this conversation, but as a high school senior who has lived in Houston his entire life, you are picturing houston as far more conservative place than it actually is. I go to a heavily liberal public school which is fairly similar to Rice in attitude(Geeks gone wild), and the neighborhood of Houston rice is very similar to a middle-upper class neighborhood you would find anywhere in the country. Houston is about 51-52% republican, 46% democrat, and you don't see the deep south attitude here very frequently.</p>