<p>So I got accepted to both Northwestern and Rice and I'm having trouble deciding between them. I'm planning on going into engineering, and academics matter, but I also want a school with a good social life. Does anyone have any advice?</p>
<p>Visit both schools.</p>
<p>See “NU/BC/Rice/Georgetown?” thread below. What engineering? And what are you looking for socially?</p>
<p>I would choose NU over Rice. FWIW, I would also choose BC over Rice, given its location and campus. Can’t beat Boston for college given the vast number and diversity of fine colleges in the Bean Town.</p>
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<p>You feeling ok buddy? Saying you like NU more than a different school?</p>
<p>Yes, I am fine. If you look at my posts, you will see that I often choose NU over other stated schools. i.e. Rice and Wash U. and Creighton… I also saw your thoughtful post in the Tufts forum. I agree with you about Chicago, as I stated in my post, but not for the college aged person. Thanks…now hand me my meds!!!</p>
<p>Oh, I also said that I thought NU was better academically than Michigan in the NU v Michigan thread…</p>
<p>This really would be a choice coming down to location and fit (size and feel of the school; Rice having more of a LAC feel to it).</p>
<p>How are NU’s science courses (especially intro courses) compared to Rice’s?</p>
<p>I am an NU parent, but I had a child look at Rice (not the NU son) and Rice has positively superb science facilities and opportunities. The college counselor at my kid’s high school, who used to be a senior admissions staffer at Columbia, said that when other colleges traveled to the “road shows” with Rice, they all didn’t want to follow Rice’s presentation because of Rice’s incredibly good science facilities. That’s not to say that NU doesn’t have a terrific science program, just that Rice is extraordinary. You really have to try to visit if you haven’t, though. The schools have a very different feel.</p>
<p>The intro science courses are intense but this applies to other peer schools too. That said, NU has one of the premier chemistry departments in the nation.</p>