<p>I'm thinking about attending Rice, and it sounds like the college system is incredible, the academics are top notch and the social climate is a platonic ideal. I do have a few concerns, though, mostly rising from the ************** articles I've read (which don't seem like the most reliable source):</p>
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<li><p>It sounds like air quality is an issue? Does that start to clear up as things cool down moving into fall (say, when school starts) and not come again until around summer (say, when school ends)? As a mild asthmatic this seems like a cause for concern.</p></li>
<li><p>Is the rumor that Rice is an incredibly fat campus true? One of my teachers went to a rival school of Rice and told me that, the ************** article's euphemism about beauty being in the eye of the beholder made me wonder if maybe there was some truth to this.</p></li>
<li><p>How bad is the rainy season? I live in Washington State and so I'm more than used to the rain, but does the sun come out every now and then between showers? My biggest problem with the weather here is that from September/October to March/April its almost always overcast...gets kinda drab especially for someone with mild seasonal depression. Is it like that at Rice?</p></li>
<li><p>From the sounds of it Rice likes high class ranks. I'm number one in my class of ten. Does my small class size (and the inherent lack of AP/IB classes that accompanies a small school) drastically affect my chances of getting in?</p></li>
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<li><p>I’m mildly asthmatic as well and I haven’t experienced any problems whatsoever.</p></li>
<li><p>Does it matter? But it answer to your question, Rice is an incredibly academic and athletic school. Everyone is required to do a couple of physical activity courses that do not count for credit. It’s great for helping us to keep in shape especially since work is tough.</p></li>
<li><p>When it rains, it rains really, really bad. I remember during O-Week a few of us went to the cinema and when we got off the rail, we got caught in a thunderstorm and had to run several blocks in this ridiculous storm. Needless to say, we were soaked once we got to the theater.</p></li>
<li><p>No. There were 40 kids in my graduating high school class. Most colleges look at the constraints facing a school when they consider an applicants application.</p></li>
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<p>^ fair enough. I don’t feel it’s a fat campus, in short. Kids at Rice love to play sport and are very active indeed. OP, if possible, I urge you to visit Rice to understand the amazing feeling that students experience on a day to day basis.</p>
<p>Let me set the record straight: RICE IS NOT A FAT CAMPUS. I actually asked a few friends of mine who were in the same room as me when I saw the post and they all remarked that they’ve only seen one or two “fat people” at Rice. There are actually a lot of fit and good looking guys at Rice, a lot more than I would have expected from a nerdy school. Plus, we just got a new rec center, so obviously Rice is promoting fitness…</p>
<p>Hey! I’m from Washington State too and I just visited Rice this past weekend! I looooved it! 80 degrees and sunny in November? yes please! Anyway, here are my answers to your questions:</p>
<p>1) From what I’ve heard, it only gets really hot and humid during the summer when we’re not there. When I was there I loved the weather! There were a lot of trees in and around campus (more trees than student) and the air didn’t seem that polluted. It was a little humid but nothing too bothersome.</p>
<p>2) I don’t think Rice was a fat campus. Houston is a fat city but that didn’t reflect on campus. Most students I met with were fit and there were many students riding their bikes/running/playing sports on the rec fields/etc. There is a 3 mile track that circumferences the campus and many students like to run for exercise.</p>
<p>3) I was in Houston while there was a rainy/overcast day but the next day it was 80 degrees and sunny so yes, the sun does come out after the rain as compared to Seattle! Even when it was rainy, it was still 70 degrees outside which was a nice change from the rainy and 38 degrees here. </p>
<p>4) From what I’ve heard at the admission session I went to, 75% of their students were in the top 5% of their class. But mainly what they’re looking for is a passionate student and someone who is unique. I dont think your small class size will affect your chances of getting in as long as you do have good grades, extracirriculars and such!</p>
<p>after visiting rice it was one of my favorite schools, you should definitely try and visit their campus because it was so beautiful! (it may be more gorgeous than the UW campus) good luck!!</p>
<p>1) I’ve never heard of anyone having a problem with the air quality.
2) It is not a fat campus. I am easily the “fattest” person in my large group of friends, and I’m within the normal range and really don’t consider myself fat at all.
3) What I love about the weather is that Houston packs 2 weeks worth of rain into 1-2 days. The rest of that time period is absolutely beautiful. I can handle a day or two of downpouring when the rest of the time the weather is perfect.
4) They will look at your case differently.</p>
<p>In the 1970s, the food served at Rice was underwhelming, with little (breakfast and lunch) to no choice (dinner), high in carbs.</p>
<p>The freshmen women <em>of the mid 70s</em> would frequently put on 10-20 pounds, in large part, the carbs. Students reveled in horror stories about Food Service incidents with disdained dishes like “hockey pucks” and “veal bird” (served only once, at least for several years, following a certain backlash). </p>
<p>Times have changed. Perhaps Rice decided to compete more with the lifestyle of the then country clubs like S & P (Rice had better stats). Rice long had a nice campus, the food needed to match it. Rice’s “commons”, as they were called back then, years ago were upgraded to “food serveries”. The times I’ve been back, the food and presentation greatly improved, with real, healthy choices. </p>
<p>I suspect the “fatty” stories are from middle aged memories.</p>
<p>Houston’s air quality has improved greatly in the last few years. I’m impressed with the servery food every time I eat there. (The small serveries in Lovett, Sid Rich etc. don’t have as many choices; kids can eat wherever they want, so some eat breakfast in their res colleges, then other meals at the big serveries.) Houston rains hard when it rains, but is lovely between times - shorts in february!</p>
<p>Except for some of the humid days in late August/September, the weather here is DOWNRIGHT AMAZING (similar to the weather that Stanford students experience). For the past three weeks, it has been sunny and in the mid 70s every day; it was the perfect weather. Most of October and November is amazing in terms of weather, and I heard the weather stays this good the rest of the year too.</p>
<p>Hope you come down and visit. Rice is truly the hidden gem of the elite schools of America.</p>
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<li><p>Within the campus, it’s not too bad. The air quality’s pretty good. I can barely hear the traffic outside. In the outer loops though,the smell of cars is overwhelming for me. I still see a ton of people running the loop every time I go out though.</p></li>
<li><p>I don’t see many fat people around. I hear that stress and worrying about schoolwork tend to thin one down haha. The constant walking to and from classes as well as activities in the rec center might be small factors in keeping people fit though.</p></li>
<li><p>I can count the number of times it rained on one hand since school started. It cools down in the late Fall and feels amazing. The sun sets at 5:30ish pm starting november though. </p></li>
<li><p>I don’t think it’ll count against you since the class size is so small, but what do I know?</p></li>
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<p>So, i don’t exactly go to Rice, but I’m applying there for Fall 2010, plus I’ve lived in Houston all my life…so I may be of some assistance.</p>
<p>The air quality in Houston is just like any other major city. It’s a little smoggy, especially on super humid days, but you’ll get used to it. Its really not that bad pollution wise. </p>
<p>I’ve been to Rice A LOT and trust me, its not a ‘fat’ campus. Rice is just like any other school, it has its own sort of mix that contributes to the over all student body. So, like any other school, there will be the obese, and the abnormally skinny. Plus, if health is of a major concern to you, there are tons of different sports and activities you can participate in year round…and also a pretty awesome new rec center. To answer the second part of your question, I’m not going to lie, Rice is known in Texas for having ‘ugly’ girls. Basically, Rice gets smack from schools like the University of Houston and the University of Texas, i.e. UofH says- Rice would not only beat us in an academic decathlon, but they would also beat us in an ugly girl contest. There are also a couple of UofH t-shirts that talk about how ugly the people at Rice are…so just be prepared for that. But don’t believe this, because there are tons of really great people on campus. </p>
<p>To answer your rain question…depending on the season, it usually rains about once every 2 weeks. During hurricane season, august - october, it gets pretty bad. Rain in Houston is strange, it’ll never sprinkle…only down right ridiculously pour. But this doesn’t happen very often (excluding today) so you shouldn’t worry. What you SHOULD worry about is whether or not you can handle temperatures up to 101F with intense humidity. In my opinion, the heat isn’t that bad, but the humidity kills. Just be prepared for a very sticky feel on your skin during humid months…like may-august. </p>
<p>The hottest, most humid months are May to August, when most students are not there. I’ve visited campus many times over the last 7 years, and I’m always charmed by the Rice students I encounter. In general, the ones I encounter seem like down-to-earth, cheerful, energetic, purposeful, friendly and laid-back types. Dress is fairly casual, and students (to my doting parental eyes) look attractive and healthy. I don’t see many make-up-bleached-blond and tanning-bed-tan folks - thank goodness!
Both kids had/have attractive and smart romantic partners at Rice.</p>