<p>i'm just back from the preview days at NU. and surprise, i liked NU as much as i liked rice. and now i'm not sure where i should go.</p>
<p>they are very different places, but both great. </p>
<p>i'm a prospective engineering student (maybe thinking premed).</p>
<p>any inputs?</p>
<p>gaaah, i can't believe tomorrow is that 'may 1st'.</p>
<p>Any different in the cost of attending? NU to us is close to $50,000 while Rice is about $20,000. A big difference.</p>
<p>both are very similar, although I think Rice's smaller size, more close-knit atmosphere facilitated by the residential colleges, plus the fact that the world's largest medical complex is a short walk from the Rice campus compared to the fact the NU's med campus is farther away is a plus. It's easier to switch schools at Rice than at NW (correct me if i'm wrong, but to go from school of engineering to school of whatever, you have to sorta apply again). Don't have to do that at Rice. Both have great engineering programs, pre-med stuff, and both have D-I athletics (although they both aren't very good, except Rice's baseball).</p>
<p>One of the factors for S2, who has chosen Rice, is the relative ease of using public transit to get to the city in Houston, as opposed to the trains from Evanston to downtown chicago (assuming that you can't catch the rush hour special schedule).</p>
<p>Another factor not yet mentioned on this particular thread: do you like snow and cold? For many people, that would be a negative for NWestern, although it was one of Rice's negatives for S2.</p>
<p>^what your said is interesting to me because i thought houston is very spreadout and car-oriented with mediocre public transit while chicago is a lot more walkable with good public transit (chicago is very much like new york city). do you mean rice to some specific spot in houston? </p>
<p>there are 3 options to go to downtown chicago from evanston--1. the subway, 2. the metrolink, 3. campus shuttle between evanston and downtown campuses (weekends only). the distance is 12 miles; downtown is mainly for shoppers, artsy shows/musicals, or touristy things like meseums. but there are closer options to enjoy chicago as most of the lakefront areas/neighborhoods north of downtown (between evanston and downtown) are vibrant, walkable, and easily accessible by public transit or even bikes. those were the areas i went to more often.</p>
<p>Sam Lee,</p>
<p>Rice has a metro train stop on campus</p>
<p>We based travel time from NWestern on the train with red/purple lines (that probably is the "subway," or not?). The admissions office people said that was the best way to go. If there are other options, my statement should be discounted.</p>
<p>stevedad,</p>
<p>yes, that's the subway. it's the easiest to use and the cheapest. it also runs pretty frequently. metro is a bit more expensive and doesn't run as often as the subway; since you didn't have the schedule with you, the waiting time could be long if you just missed it. so it wasn't the best way to go.</p>
<p>Northwestern has frats/sororities - Rice does not. Are costs similar? Do you like to wear shorts in February? Have you explored the cool study abroad options at Rice? Rice</a> Abroad If you are interested in pre-med, have you checked out the student-run Rice EMT service? 10th</a> Anniversary Celebration :: Rice University Emergency Medical Services Engineering at Rice is great, and they are just finishing up remodeling a building to make a new lab space for undergrad engineer students. FE&P:</a> Facilities Engineering and Planning: Campus Projects Have you looked into the student-run "Engineers without Borders" group at Rice? Rice</a> University Engineers Without Borders My daughter spent a month in Nicaragua (for free) with EWB (although she isn't an engineering student ;)) New rec center just broke ground....</p>
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Any different in the cost of attending? NU to us is close to $50,000 while Rice is about $20,000. A big difference.
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<p>If you're talking about money sans financial aid and scholarship money, that's not true, as much as I wish it to be :) Attending Rice is about $43k, this coming from a student who's seen Rice's numbers in the admission packet ;) </p>
<p>Since I don't know your situation, Rice might've given you a very generous financial aid offer, which leaves your total cost to $20k...</p>
<p>However, with that being said, attending NU, which I've also been accepted to and seen its numbers, NU costs a good $52k+. Again, $52k+ without financial aid or scholarship money factored in. NU is really stingy with financial aid though.</p>
<p>Going to Rice over NU would save you, financial aid and scholarship money aside, roughly $10k a year, which translates to roughly $40k over 4 years. If you're considering going to grad school, just some practical financial tidbits to think about :)</p>
<p>hotasice, you are correct that the cost I mentioned is for my son's case only. He did get a $20,000 scholarship from Rice and nothing from NU. That is the point I try to point out to OP and ask if there is any difference in the cost of attending for him/her. For someone who might qualify for 100% need base aid, the cost of attending to either school might end up be the same.</p>