Just curious if anyone has any feed back on playing sports at either of these schools. My Daughter has visited both and could likely play for either. We are not close to either school and therefore not that familiar with either school. I won’t list the specific sport but just curious and anyone has any general feedback about playing a sport at either school. Any significant differences? She would not likely get athletic scholarship money from Rice but will be applying for financial aid from both which will be critical
Rice is D1, UChicago is D3. That could mean a difference in level of play expected. It may not, but it may.
My D is not an athlete, but we visited both schools, and D enrolled at UChicago as part of the class of 2021. She liked Rice as well.
My D really enjoys UChicago, but she also says that classes require lot of work, particularly the honors level classes. There is an element of truth to “where fun goes to die”, and this is without the burden of either work or a sport.
Given that Rice is an annual contender for happiest students, I suspect the workload there is lower. Something to consider.
Sports are a low priority at UChicago. Coursework is harder there as well.
Time demand towards her sport will be MUCH higher at Rice.
If your daughter is a serious athlete, she might enjoy Rice more with like minded people. Houston is a place you might get to wear shorts year round. I wouldn’t say Rice is not a serious academic school but the fact that you can be outdoors all year long prevents those cozy fireside philosophical chats one expects at Chicago.
My D chose D1 over D3 because she wanted as intense and demanding an athletic experience as possible (within reason – no crazy, abusive coaches, for example). Every time somebody told her how great D3 is because you have more (some) free time and the sports aren’t as demanding, it made her more sure that she wanted D1. That said, she has many friends who love their D3 experience and she knows it’s great for many kids. The student just needs to know him/herself.
First and foremost congratulations to your daughter. It is a tremendous achievement to move onto the next level as well as achieving the stats required for a top university.
My son had several D1, UAA and NESCAC offers. He ultimately opted for UChicago as he was most interested in the world class academics, proximity to the city and the tremendous value placed on Metcalf internships. 98%+ of his team typically has job offers or grad school lined up before entering their 4th year.
He absolutely loves the ability to be in the city in 15 minutes. With regards to his sport, he has been challenged and does not regret choosing D3.
Academically he is not overworked, but his classes are challenging. He is an Econ and Math major.
One thing worth noting is they are on academic quarters, so things move quickly. They start very late in the year as well, Sept. 25th this year and I believe October next year.
Overall undergraduate size, Uchicago is slightly larger - 2021 is the largest class ever of 1,740. Total size is over 15,000 students as they have the largest grad school in the country. Hyde Park is an absolute gem.
If you could share the sport, I could possibly provide more detailed feedback.