<p>I'm a senior who applied regular decision. I obviously haven't gotten a decision yet but I'd say I have at least a decent chance of getting in. So I just have a few questions/comments that I'd really appreciate some students or alumni commenting on.
So I've heard that rice is very competitive and hard, especially for premeds. I know a lot of premeds go to rice And it can get pretty cutthroat. I really like that it's relatively close to home. Also, since it's relatively small, there isn't as much "going on" around campus, and people tend to spend a lot of time studying rather than going out.
So could a current student please comment ?</p>
<p>While I am neither a student nor alumni, I do have a student at Rice. I am not sure where you have heard these rumors. It’s probably via high school students with assumptions. </p>
<p>I hope you’ve had a chance to look around on the forum to answer some of your questions since posting your questions, but I will try to address your concerns.</p>
<p>Rice does not have a pre-med major. They do not have biomed eng either. They do have bioengineering however. They are a very friendly collaborative group and absolutely no cutthroat. If there is any of that, its a stray individual and not the norm of the way things work at Rice.</p>
<p>There is ALOT going on around campus. I’m not sure what activities you are looking for, but there is probably anything you would want (and if there isn’t… you can start it yourself). Rice students do study hard, but they also play hard. The definition of a tail gate party at Rice is VERY different than the definition of a tail gate party at UT, but Rice does have them and makes them fun. </p>
<p>Yes, academics are important to Rice students, which is one of the reasons why people attend Rice… to get an outstanding education, which does mean spending time studying. But by no means is an all consumptive activity. You will get out of your education though what you put into it.</p>
<p>I hear that due to residential college system, competition is friendly and more helpful than cutthroat. In fact, the reason why I chose Rice over Johns Hopkins despite wanting to go into pre med was precisely because Johns Hopkins has a reputation for being just as cutthroat as Columbia. In other words, scary competitive. </p>
<p>So you are a current premed or an admitted senior like me? Above all I’m just worried that at a school like rice I won’t be able to keep up if everybody is smarter than me.</p>
<p>Also, what is the residential college system and how is it different than just regular dorms?</p>
<p>@waahhh The residential college system is often compared to Harry Potter. You are more or less randomly assigned to one of 11 colleges (dorms), and that becomes your social group and your home. Some people don’t like the fact that everyone pays the same price for housing, because some of the colleges are nicer than others. But it always works out! It is extremely rare for anyone to switch out of their college. You can request a particular college if your parent is an alumnus of that college, but other than that, you can’t choose. You can pick a roommate, but you can’t pick the college.</p>
<p>There are no sororities or fraternities at Rice…your college is your primary social group.</p>
<p>waahhh - if you are accepted to Rice, please make sure to spend some time researching Rice. You are asking questions that should have already had the answers known before you applied. Why did you apply to Rice? Rice is not just another school. Rice is special. You should try to understand why :-).</p>