<p>S is weighing pros/cons of rice vs tufts. Has visited both campuses and liked both. Both have strong programs in sciences/research opportunities. Your advice will be appreciated. Distance is not a factor - we're from the west coast.</p>
<p>I've got a daughter at Rice who really loves it. Does your son want a green sprawling campus w/trees and lawns, and lot and lots of intermural sports and club sports, student directed theater/ musicals, jacks (pranks), a zany residential college system, college masters living in your college, tons of ethnic food off-campus, lots of themed parties, an urban environment that doesn't feel urban due to the large campus, if so, that's Rice. Add in lots of personal attention (faculty student ratio 1:5), tons of internship, paid research ops, lots of campus jobs (some even go unfilled), study abroad (even for engineers), community outreach, big endowment and funding for all sorts of student projects and activities, great grad school placement, career services for post school life. It's a great place. I don't know much about Tufts. Someone else will have to weigh in on it!</p>
<p>I just accidently toured Tufts a few days ago, and, for reasons I cannot quite put into words, didn't care for it much. Maybe it was because the weather was cold and rainy, or, maybe it was a weekend and not many students around...just wasn't impressive, or even very interesting. I have never been to Rice, but have been hearing wonderful things about it for a long time.</p>
<p>So, though my opinion is really quite useless, I'd vote for Rice.</p>
<p>This time last year my daughter from the west coast was choosing between Rice, Tufts, Emory, Pomona, UCB and UCLA. After campus visits Rice won hands down: Price, size, weather, and the residential college system were all factors for her. She is very happy, academically challenged and loves her college (Lovett).</p>
<p>We,too, toured Tufts on a rainy, windy cold day. Our visit to Rice was in the spring with hot weather and everyone in shorts and out on their bikes. Under the circumstances, Rice appeared as a happier place. However, don't want to make the decision based on weather and appearances.</p>
<p>Kids at Rice are pretty laid-back, supportive, friendly, not cutthroat. After my DD's interview several years ago, the admissions interviewer (a female AA engineering student) asked if I, as a parent, had any questions. I asked if she felt pressured by the workload, or stressed out. She said that as a student she didn't - even with all the work, but that now she was graduating and leaving Rice, she was feeling stressed by all the choices and decisions. I was glad to hear that, and DD has said that high school was a much more stressfull place than Rice - even though the workload is higher. I don't know how Tufts kids feel, but kids at Rice seem to enjoy themselves.</p>
<p>So look at other factors. Would he rather spend four years in Houston or Boston? The culture of these two cities and their surrounding state (states, in the case of Boston, since RI, ME and NH are so close) is so different, I would be surprised if he had no preference. And weather? Just remember that Boston is, yes, cold December - February. But Houston is hot and sticky most months except December-February. </p>
<p>Personally, I don't know Rice. I do know that Tufts sits in a gem of a location - nice inner ring suburb of Boston, with easy access via Red line subway to Harvard Square and downtown.</p>
<p>A note: Houston is just lovely from late october through late april. Which is most of the time you'd be there anyway. (It's currently 63 degrees here! Which, in the interests of full disclosure, is unseasonably cold...but still)</p>
<p>I go to Rice now, and toured Tufts, so if you have any specific questions, send me a PM. I found Tufts boring on the tour - it didn't seem to offer anything unique. But maybe that's not fair - what I do know is that Rice is a GREAT place to go to college, and that nearly all Rice students think that.</p>
<p>PS. Is there a cost difference for you? If there is, and it's significant, I'd probably just go with the cheaper one - there is not a big enough difference to warrant paying much more for either.</p>
<p>My D applied to both schools and is a junior at Rice. S was recruited by Tufts and had no interest in Rice. I really think for an overall college experience, the nod goes to Rice. I liked Tufts a lot, but Rice has the edge in almost every area. My daughter loves Houston and has taken advantage of a lot of cultural offerings.</p>
<p>Thank you for your insight into both schools. It is good to hear from a parent who has kids at both schools. I'm v familiar with the Boston area - went to school in Cambridge & lived there for some years but find it hard to decide between the 2 schools based on a short visit to Rice/Houston. My S loved the Rice campus, surroundings, dorms, weather despite the fact that he will make it on a varsity sports team at Tufts but not at Rice. In my heart, I'd like him to be in Boston only because it feels like home to me but then it is his decision to make.</p>
<p>Oops- I wasn't clear. My son isn't at Tufts. He applied ED to Penn (wanted DI athletics) but was VERY impressed with Tufts. I think your son would like all the intermural sports at Rice. There is always something going on.</p>
<p>just discovered theu.com and the reviews for Rice are superb but not so for Tufts. We are about ready to send the check in to Rice. He is also waitlisted at UChicago but don't know if that's really the right school for him.</p>
<p>the u.com is an absolute joke that just propogates stereotypes of schools.</p>
<p>totally agreed regarding theu, c011egepr0wler, and all of the review sites that I've seen. The only people posting are either hyping or slamming schools. Very few unbiased reviews on any of them. They are all pretty much worthless.</p>
<p>thank you for that bit of information</p>