Thanks for the update! Where they are choosing may be right for them, but from everything you described as to what you are looking for, I think you’ve made the perfect choice. Maybe not for them, but for YOU. That’s all that matters, and I don’t think you’ll have one regret once you get to UT.
If it helps, I chose a large university in the middle of a large city for undergrad and loved everything about it. I didn’t need or want any hand holding or the family environment of a small school, which to me sounded too much like high school. I loved having larger classes, having endless people to meet and things to do with a diversity of people you’ll never find at a small school. I really feel I learned more about people in that environment that has helped me in life than anything I learned in class, but I also feel I thrived there academically because it was such a great fit for me. There was just an energy in the air all around me every day that made me feel more alive than I ever had before.
I then went to a small, private grad school in a more suburban environment similar in size and diversity to Rice. I know that environment is a perfect fit for some, but for me it was like a massive culture shock, and it wasn’t long before I started feeling suffocated. I survived, but I don’t feel I thrived. I just existed, got through it, and wished those years away. It definitely cemented my belief that I made the right decision for undergrad – for me.
Anyway, thought I’d give you a little pep talk as well as a bump, hoping others with firsthand knowledge of your major at those schools would chime in. You might get more traction with a new thread naming the schools though?
Best of luck!