<p>Exactly. The benefits of attending Rice are numerous. If you do not believe me, explain why Rice has such great professional school placement. Of course there are intelligent students everywhere. Of course a student from UT can get into Hopkins or WashU med school. But for whatever reason, Rice has a higher percentage of its grads go on to top schools than UT. I do not doubt that UT has just as many driven and intelligent students as Rice (especially given its size) and that there are just as many with similar aspirations. I do think that, given the competition for medical school, one should do everything in their power to be the best.</p>
<p>-people not from texas say go to rice
-i go to UT, i say go to rice if you can
-aggies will always tell you their school is the best so of course they'll say go to tamu</p>
<p>once again, Houston suxs for a college town. good luck with that one.</p>
<p>"seriously how could you diss Rice"</p>
<p>Because it's in the MIDDLE of Houston! I shouldn't have to say any more than that.</p>
<p>Hi-Power, have you ever actually seen Rice???</p>
<p>If so, then I'm extremely confused as to your opinion. </p>
<p>Rice is not in the exact middle of Houston, but it IS surrounded by the Texas Medical Center, Hermann Park, and a top-notch museum district. It's in the safest area of downtown, at least in my opinion. Houston is the nation's 4th largest city with a lot to offer and you only sound ignorant by dismissing it so quickly.</p>
<p>Sorry to hi-jack the thread... </p>
<p>Oh ya, and as for the OP's question, I say do some more research, b/c all 3 schools have completely different atmospheres. Obviously it's possible to get into med school no matter which you go to, so pick the one you'd most like to live around for four years of your life.</p>
<p>
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If you enjoy subtle racism and dog worshipping, A&M is most definitely the school for you.
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</p>
<p>Lol awesome.</p>
<p>i would much rather live in houston than college station...</p>
<p>I still think that Rice is overkill for this if you can get into UT and pay a lot less for about the same level of education. Besides, I couldn't imagine going to school in Houston rather than Austin if I had the choice.</p>
<p>I would much prefer Austin to Houston as well, and UT has a much cooler student body than Rice. However, the difference in price often isn't what you're making it, Hi-Power. Rice has a very, very high endowment and one of the highest per student in the nation. Their financial aid is exceptional. Usually the only people that will find UT to be cheaper than Rice are those with high EFCs that wouldn't qualify for much financial aid at either school.</p>
<p>As far as the level of education, they may be somewhat similar, but at Rice you will be surrounded by top performing students (comparable to those at any other T20 university) and that often has an effect on a student's drive. You are also more likely to receive research opportunities, given the school's proximity to the medical center, and better recommendations, given the school's small student body and teacher to student ratio. I think all of these things cause Rice to have a higher medical school acceptance rate than UT. That certainly does not say that one cannot be just as successful from UT, but Rice has a tendency to pamper and prep its students for med school (like an LAC) whereas UT will require you to have a lot of personal ambition.</p>
<p>Despite all of that, I wouldn't hesitate for a second to choose UT, but it just depends what your ambitions and priorities are.</p>
<p>If you can get a 100% free ride into Rice, then you can probably get one into UT, so with that in consideration, UT is the best choice.</p>
<p>I don't care how good the academics at Rice are, Austin is a much, much better town, period.</p>
<p>
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If you can get a 100% free ride into Rice, then you can probably get one into UT
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</p>
<p>On the contrary, Rice's financial aid is great whereas UT's is pretty crappy, as it is a public school. I think that, unless you've had experience with financial aid from both a top private and a top public, it's misleading to make unsubstantiated claims about the differences between costs after financial aid.</p>
<p>OP: I'd listen to brand_182 mostly.</p>
<p>It comes down to the fact that it doesn't really matter which school you go to in terms of success later on--if you do well at any of the schools that you have mentioned, you're set.</p>
<p>I think Houston is a fine city--I don't understand why Hi-Power has such a huge distaste for it. There is always something to do and always something new to try as long as you have a car or access to a car. I'd much rather be in Houston than College Station without a car. </p>
<p>Austin is probably a better college town as there are tons of students in a relatively small area and there is a decent public transportation system--thought it will only get you so far.</p>
<p>Visit each school and decide what is right for you.</p>
<p>Apply to the schools you like and see what they offer you and then make your decision.</p>
<p>Rice doesn't offer a ton of merit aid though I've seen them offer full rides to those who have not need it. I'd say UT definitely offers more merit aid, but for need-based aid I think the two schools are comparable.</p>
<p>I'm in the same situation as the OP, although I ruled out Rice because 1) it will probably be difficult for me to maintain a high GPA, and 2) I want to have some fun in college... with a social life. heh.<br>
Also, it really doesn't matter whether or not you went to a top med. school because, ultimately, you'll get the same advantage as one from a random med. school. For me, I'm just concerned about getting into any med. school.</p>
<p>Right now, I'm choosing among UTaustin, UTdallas, and A&M.
I'm sure I can get a good GPA in those schools. UTdallas is probably my first choice because I probably wouldn't be as distracted as I would be if I were in austin, but I'm not really sure though. A&M is last because I hate college station lol.
well, inputs about my college decision, anyone?</p>