<p>So Rice is definitely my top choice, I just need to visit and make sure. As I'm putting so much thought into schools, I suddenly got worried that Rice might be really weak in psychology and cognitive science, which right now is what I think I want to study. I have no basis for this worry, just the lack of info I have ever seen on these departments. Is there any Rice students who could tell me about their experiences in these areas?</p>
<p>Hi, I am a cognitive science major (double w/ English) mostly by accident (I realized I had taken almost half the required courses without meaning to and figured I might as well run with it...). Here's the major website: Rice</a> Cognitive Sciences Program</p>
<p>It's important to keep in mind that Cog Sci is not a department at Rice, it is an interdisciplinary major with courses from neuroscience, psychology, philosophy, linguistics, and neuroscience. Advantages of this: lots of freedom and diversity in what to focus on, can be good for combining diverse interests. Disadvantages: lack of cohesiveness, no department to go to for help, weak neuroscience offerings (there are only 2 classes being offered for the fall, and in general most are advanced and held at Baylor). </p>
<p>Dr. Kemmer, the major adviser, is friendly and helpful, although I think 99% of the interactions majors have with her is simply to get signatures on forms (this could certainly change if you're proactive, though).
Research is easy to get involved in--I have worked in a neuropsychology lab for almost a full year now, and learned a lot from it (as well as gotten credit towards the major through CSCI 390).</p>
<p>Research is very, very easy to get involved with--I have worked in a neuropsych lab for almost a full year now and learned a lot from it, and it's related closely to my coursework. For me, it was a valuable experience because it has helped me decide that grad school in psych or neuroscience is not for me at all. I like learning the theory of neuroscience and cognition, but actually planning and running experiments is another story altogether. That's just me though, I know some people who love it.</p>
<p>In my experience, Cog Sci is a major that a lot of people express interest in, but few actually pursue, so don't base your decision to attend Rice on it. I am frustrated with the weak neuroscience offerings; I think a lot of people are. The program is still basically in its infancy and some aspects of it are poorly organized. Some of the psych classes, in particular, have a lot of overlap--intro cog psych, psych of perception, and biopsyc all share a lot of material, which is kind of annoying if you've taken them all. However, like anything at Rice, profs are friendly and accessible, and coursework is challenging.</p>
<p>Thanks for your response. Neuroscience was actually what I was interested in so it kind of sucks to hear about the few course offerings but I figure I can focus on psychology and biology in undergraduate and pursue that in graduate school. The research opportunities sound great though. It is unfortunate that my favorite school was the only one I applied to that doesn't have some kind of neuroscience major. Thanks again though and if anyone has any other experiences, maybe in the psych department...</p>
<p>sure. (sorry, i just realized that about half that post included the same information twice...i was doing homework at the same time as typing it : )
yeah, keep in mind that undergrad major doesn't matter too much for a lot of things.</p>