<p>Reject.
I applied 1/2, hoping madly that my essays will get me since my SAT score sucked. The good thing was that I received my NYU acceptance letter at the same time. Otherwise it would’ve really sucked :(</p>
<p>My mom nearly threw my plan II acceptance into the shredder >_<</p>
<p>If it weren’t for me coming home from work in time, screaming my way through the hallway, I would’ve never known :(</p>
<p>There’s some Tex-Mex within walking distance (particularly Trudy’s), but the best Tex-Mex in Austin is on the East side.</p>
<p>I have some more questions:</p>
<p>Would you say that Plan II and living in the honors dorms would offer a community feel similar to Rice? I have read that it is hard to meet people at UT because it is so big. Is this true?</p>
<p>How hard would it be for my son to take film classes, if he’s not in the school of communications? How hard is it for a Plan II student to add a double major in film? </p>
<p>How is the advising and registration for Plan II students? Is there priority registration and is there adequate advising if you are double majoring?</p>
<p>Assuming equal cost, which would you choose, Plan II or Rice and why?</p>
<p>tia</p>
<p>^ Plan II, because UT women are infinitely more attractive 
…but that’s just a petty senior male’s perspective :)</p>
<p>In all seriousness, I have no idea how “easy” it is to take film classes along with Plan II (I’m just a prefrosh, myself), but UT’s film program is amazing. I know a couple of RTF (Radio-TV-Film) majors that love it.</p>
<p>I would choose Plan II (but I’m obviously biased, I’m going back to UT as a readmitted student and I grew up/currently live in Houston and absolutely hate it… I never want to live in Houston again. Period.) … but that has nothing to do with your decision. You have to look at the facts and decided.</p>
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<p>I was at UT in biomedical engineering honors for my freshman year, but I transferred to Rice, since I was changing my major to Applied Math, and Rice offered a stronger program in that area.</p>
<p>Anyways, the schools are very different. Rice is MUCH MUCH MUCH smaller, and you will know everybody in your college that’s on campus (~180 people). At UT, you will know quite a few people, but you will likely not have the same type of relationship with them.</p>
<p>Both Plan II and a liberal arts program at Rice will look great from Texas, so don’t make a decision based on prestige. UT offers a very strong film program, and if you’re really passionate about it, you should be able to fit in Plan II and film and finish within four years.</p>
<p>Rice is better socially, if you would rather have a few really good friends than a bunch of acquaintances. UT has a larger network, and a wonderful film program. Rice is stronger in other academic fields, though.</p>
<p>The big factor is this decision is: how much do you want film? If you’re really serious about it, UT is the best choice. If you’re a little ambivalent, Rice may be better, since their curriculum is very open, and promotes that students find something that they want to do (e.g. you don’t have to declare a major until halfway through your second semester sophomore year).</p>
<p>If you want any more info, feel free to PM me.</p>
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<p>LOL, am I hearing this correctly? What academic fields, for example?</p>
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<p>Well, I was referred to the philosophy and history departments, which are both top 10 in faculty scholarly productivity. It also is the third best in overall academic experience for undergraduate students.</p>
<p>[Rice</a> University | Rankings](<a href=“http://www.explore.rice.edu/explore/Rankings.asp]Rice”>http://www.explore.rice.edu/explore/Rankings.asp)</p>
<p>Of course, UT has a solid liberal arts department; I’m not trying to detract from it one bit. However, this is one of those things you just have to experience at both schools. </p>
<p><a href=“http://www.utexas.edu/cola/college_news/current/usnewsrankings09/[/url]”>http://www.utexas.edu/cola/college_news/current/usnewsrankings09/</a></p>
<p>The atmosphere at Rice is very different, and the quality of students you live with will be, on average, a lot better at Rice. In this sense, there is more motivation to work, discuss, play…etc with them. Although the honors dorm at UT seemed to foster some of the same ideas, it’s just not the same, since there is no underlying college system. They both feel very different. If possible, it might be a good idea to visit both universities, and check it out for yourself.</p>
<p>I know I’m on the UT board, and there is this arrogance of “Plan II or bust” in this thread, but there are other good options available. Plan II is an excellent program, but it’s the not the end-all-be-all undergraduate program in Texas.</p>
<p>It’s been widely accepted that Rice offers a better undergraduate education due to its small size, generally speaking. However, to say that Rice is stronger in other academic fields (outside the film program) as your previous message implied is just stretching it too much. It’s good that Rice is able to find some areas to excel in. However, UT overall is a much stronger university than Rice.</p>
<p>And you should read your messages again before starting to whisper the word “arrogance”.</p>
<p>Since it’s past April 1, I’m now wondering what mjb13 was wondering before…</p>
<p>How many of y’all are definitely going?</p>
<p>Most likely me :)</p>
<p>To goldtx:</p>
<p>Myrmidon has been nothing but informative and polite in his responses, and you seem to be the one picking a fight. If you’re trying to argue that UT is a better school than Rice, you’re completely missing the point. All Myr was saying was that they both have different fortes and you just have to know which will be the best fit. And no doubt, Rice has better programs than UT and vice versa as well. </p>
<p>To Myrmidon:</p>
<p>Sorry for the slight threadjack, but I was just wondering what the difference in social life is between UT and Rice. I’ve read that the dating scene is completely different at the two schools, but are the people any different fundamentally?</p>
<p>Thanks for the responses. It’s actually my son that has been accepted to Plan II and Rice. He recently visited UT and will visit Rice next week. We live near Houston. He does have a desire to get away from this area, but I don’t think that should be the deciding factor in his decision. But, it’s not my decision. </p>
<p>He does love film and has had some success in that arena. He isn’t sure what he wants to major in, though. He realizes that it is difficult to make a living in film.</p>
<p>Myrmidon–How does the workload at Rice compare to the workload in a UT Honors program. Some of the guidebooks make the workload at Rice sound incredibly intense.</p>
<p>UT Plan II is a more traditional liberal arts program than you would get at Rice…this is great if he’s not sure about what field he wants to study…UT i’m sure has better film courses than Rice…</p>
<p>does Rice even have a film major? it might have film courses though</p>
<p>Rice is good if you know what you want to study…and want to study it well (small school, more attention). If he doesnt like rice, he can always see about transferring to UT (if he’s kept up his gpa).</p>
<p>Rice does have film courses and it has a visual arts/film major. However, UT’s film program is one of the top in the country. My son has a very wide range of interests, so that’s why Plan II /UT seemed like a good fit.</p>
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<p>The honors students at UT are pretty similar to Rice, but you will notice a big difference between the average Rice student and the average UT student. Even if you are in an honors program, you will have lots of friends, and take classes with people who are note. In this sense, UT has a larger variety of students. However at Rice, something like 50% of the students are outside of Texas, and the administration is try to increase that percentage. You’ll meet smart people regardless of where you go.</p>
<p>The college system is so huge at Rice though. Here is the basic way it works:</p>
<p>When you commit to Rice, they will randomly assign you to one of nine (soon to be eleven) colleges. Your freshman year, you are guaranteed on-campus housing, and live in your college, along with some of the upperclassmen from that college. The college isn’t just a place where you live and socialize with people on your floor (this has been my experience with the UT honors dorms), but each college has its own cafeteria and commons. Each college is also the outlet for a lot of school-wide events and games, like IM sports, or teams for Beer Bike (the major school holiday).</p>
<p>Anyways, you remain a member of your college throughout your Rice tenure, and you will be able to socialize with the same group of people for an extended period of time. A lot of people in my college do homework in the cafeteria area at night, and you’ll see a ton of people helping each other out. The work is tough, but it’s not a cutthroat environment. This doesn’t preclude you from befriending people from other colleges, either; there are still a ton of great ways to meet people, especially clubs and classes. But, I guess, the bottom line is that each college has its own personality, and its a unique feature of Rice.</p>
<p>As far as dating goes, Rice (probably due to its size) has two extremes: the hook up culture, and major long-term relationships. You don’t see much in between. If you’re looking for hooking up, it might be a little weird, since you will probably see that person again at some point in the future, whereas in UT, you can easily not see someone again, because they are lost in the crowd. Similarly, UT is a huge party school, but you can find all types of parties at Rice: from none with teetotalers, to large kegstand type parties, and dorm parties. There are also no frats on or near campus, which helps meld the community together better. But I wouldn’t really consider the party culture at either school to be lacking, or overbearing. You can definitely do what you feel comfortable with at either.</p>
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<p>Academically, I have little experience with Rice’s liberal arts department (I’m a math/econ double major), although from what I’ve heard, it seems to be a lot smaller, so discussion-oriented classes are a lot better. I was never in Plan II, so I do not know how that compares. People tend to be more competitive, but often the curve for exams is higher too. I can honestly say though, that I work more at Rice than I did at UT, although a large part of that is due to taking higher level classes. I needed to retake the Rice equivalent to ECO 420K, and I think it would be be a little bit tougher at Rice, if I hadn’t taken it at UT first. So, my best guess is that the academics are slightly tougher, but nothing significant. </p>
<p>When I was at UT, there was no plus-minus grading system, so I could often slack off and aim for a 92 in a class to get an A. At Rice, there is either no curve, with a lower grade cutoff, or a curve with an A standing at a 94+. This makes it a little more challenging to hold a really good (3.7+) GPA, although its definitely do-able. I still have a ton of free time for clubs and socializing though. Honestly, the biggest factor about any college workload is time management. If you can organize your time well, you should be fine at either school.</p>
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<p>This is a little bit of a misconception. Both Rice and Plan II are terrific if you don’t really know what you want to do. Rice has an open curriculum (so you don’t have to take an American History, Government, Rhetoric,…etc) class if you don’t want to. The only requirement to graduate is that you need to do at least 12 hours in each of three distributions (humanities, social sciences/history, and natural sciences). You can choose any class that you would like in those constraints.</p>
<p>I know of quite a few people who had no idea what they wanted to do until second semester sophomore year, and it’s fine. Also, Rice (just like Plan II) encourages double majoring, since with an open curriculum, it can be done pretty easily within four years. </p>
<p>UT’s film program is far far better than Rice’s. UT is top 3 (along with USC and NYU) in that department. Honestly, I think either school would be a great fit for your son. Try and visit each on a school day, and see how they each stack up. IMO, UT offers great programs, and great connections for the future, while Rice offers a better undergraduate social environment, and an open atmosphere. I think visiting each with an open mind is definitely the best way to try and help decide.</p>
<p>“When I was at UT, there was no plus-minus grading system, so I could often slack off and aim for a 92 in a class to get an A.”</p>
<p>Oh, the no plus-minus grading was a thing of beauty. Too bad they switch to the plus-minus grading starting this fall. Lame.</p>