Northwestern versus Rice for Computer Science

Applying to College
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I liked them both. The students seemed more friendly at Rice. I did not meet any Professors and did not attend any classes. I was surprised when I heard negative feedback from 2 students at Rice studying CS, because everything about Rice has been so positive. The 2 students said that Rice is overwhelmed with the number of students in CS and the department is not supportive. I have talked to students majoring in other subjects and they describe their experience in a positive way. This is why I am confused.

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Talk to more or if u need more time don’t ED. You don’t need to ED. It’s a choice you are making

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Thank you so much! I am trying to reach out to a few more students in both universities.

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CS is the largest major at Rice with more than 10% of students.

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Neither. But what are you looking for.

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@Andran: You have received excellent advice in this thread. These are two of the best universities in the world. Nevertheless, if your gut instincts suggest to you that neither school is a great fit for you, then maybe you should reconsider applying ED.

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Yes, but their systems are very different. At Rice everyone is “sorted” into a residential college (sort of Harry Potter like) and that college is a big part of the social life for most students for their 4 years. It’s sort of like a greek system but with no real sense one being better than the others because the placement is random. Northwestern has residential colleges but not all students live in them. Some live in regular residental halls.

I don’t think one system is better. It’s just a difference and to some it’s an important difference.

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I think the demographics and student culture are a bit different for the two colleges - definitely visit and talk to a range of students at each one.

My friend’s kid was at Rice for a semester last year and then left and is taking time off. The environment, particularly around studying, study groups and test taking, was a bit intense. That may have just been one student’s experience. There are a lot of kids with strong STEM backgrounds who were perhaps better prepared for the rigor of Rice. This student may still come back, but hasn’t decided just yet.

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Are you willing to share more about your point of view regarding demographics ? Not sure that I see much difference beyond Rice University’s high percentage of students from Texas.

Also interested in reading your thoughts about each school’s student culture.

Thanks !

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