<p>I'm not going to read through Thelonius' answers, just so I can give a completely clean viewpoint.</p>
<p>• Is there an interdisciplinary approach taken to the social sciences? In other words, do they make an effort to connect economics, political science, sociology, and other such disciplines?
There are some classes that make more of an effort towards this than others. Obviously you're going to have some econ worked into your poli classes, sociology in psychology, etc., but the easiest way to link them is by taking some classes that are required for the policy studies major. Those classes really link econ and poli well.</p>
<p>• Are the social sciences marginalized in favor of the business and engineering programs?
We don't really have a strong business program (there is a minor and an mba, but no major) so no competition there. As for the engineering front, most of that I would say come from the students. The professors in the social sciences are great, and the programs are well-funded.</p>
<p>• How flexible is Rice with transfer credits? I assume all will transfer, but mostly as blank. Is there a limit on how many of them can count towards the major or to general education requirements?
I don't believe there's a limit; I have a friend who came in as a junior and is still graduating on time. It's generally easier in the social sciences, too, than in science and engineering. If you're an econ major, you might have some issues, since the requirements are a bit more rigid, but you should be fine. Also, you might have some trouble transferring distribution classes (see other threads for more info on distribution).</p>
<p>• How frequently is the school paper published? Is it easy to become involved as a regular columnist? What is the general quality of it?
The Thresher is a weekly published by a small-but-dedicated staff. It's really easy to get involved quickly. I was an editor by the end of October of my freshman year. (I have since quit, but that's another story). It's also really easy to become a regular columnist, since columns are published on an almost "publish-em-as-we-get-em" basis. As for the quality, I'd say it's one of the better college weeklies in the country. It's currently on a low point due to a lot of staff changes recently, but it's certainly not awful.</p>
<p>• Should there be a need, how extensive are student support (academic) resources available?
The advising system is fairly solid. Your advisor should hold office hours a couple of times a week, and you should still be able to go see him outside of office hours. Also, there are Peer Academic Advisors at every residential college, Academic Fellows, and College Masters. There's a pretty healthy support network largely due to the the community-type atmosphere of the colleges.</p>
<p>• How do the libraries rate as far as quality, volume, and diversity of collection? Is there 24/7 access during the school year? Is there anything else important about the libraries to note?
There's 24-hour access during the weekdays; on Friday and Saturday I believe the library closes at 10 (but it could be midnight--I'm not sure). I've never had trouble finding materials for a research paper--we have 2.4 million volumes, so we're not really hurting. Also, we have access to more than 64,000 online scholarly journals. JSTOR (which, if you're at Case, you probably have) is the greatest thing ever. It's the first place I go when I have a research paper.</p>
<p>• How ubiquitous is wifi access? What is the quality/stability of the wired network in dorms and around campus?
There's wifi everywhere, except maybe out by the stadium. It occasionally screws up, but it's usually back up in less than an hour, and even then we have backup networks.</p>
<p>• How easy is it to create a new club and receive funding? Are there any non-obvious restrictions that one should be abreast of?
This is not so easy, unfortunately. The Student Association has created a tremendous amount of red tape to go through. That said, if you have a good enough plan, there is money for you somewhere, if not necessarily throught he SA.</p>
<p>• What is the quality of speakers brought to campus? Is there a general political balance, or is selection skewed to one side? How are speakers chosen, and who brings them in?
Most of the speakers are brought in through the Baker Institute. I'd say that most of the really high-profile speakers skew left, but a lot of the lesser-known speakers skew right. However, we had a lot of prominent Texas republicans (a lot of whom are in the current administration) in the late 90s, so it could just be a cycle.</p>
<p>• As far as television goes, I assume the rooms have basic cable. Is it possible to purchase an upgrade?
No. I suppose you could be really ambitious and hook up your own satellite dish outside your window, but that might be pushing it.</p>
<p>• How active is the campus Jewish community? If one looks, can they easily find other Jews?
Active. The Thresher, incidentally, is very Jewish-dominated, and the campus Jewish community has a close relationship with Houston Hillel.</p>
<p>• How does the social scene rate? I realize that Rice is not a party school, but is it fair to say that there are at least one or two most weekends? Is this hurt by the lack of any Greek life?
If anything, the lack of Greek life helps the social scene, since you don't have to go out to the houses to find a party. My friend who transferred from WashU (which has a very active Greek life) loves the social scene at Rice largely because there aren't any fraternities. It's very supportive--everyone is looking out for each other, and you can always find a party on the weekends.</p>
<p>• What else is there to do on campus? Off campus?
There are a number of on-campus events like college theater, shows put on by cultural organizations, or just hanging out at your college (which is great since you know everyone really well). There's also really good food off-campus (I go out to eat at least once a week, if not two or three times). The museums near Rice are great, and Rice usually subsidizes tickets to shows at the Hobby Center. Last month I saw "Avenue Q" and "Rent" at the Hobby Center for only $20 each. A lot of people also go downtown to the Angelika movie theater on Mondays for Cheap Date Night, where you get a movie, popcorn, and a drink for only $6 with a student ID.</p>
<p>• How friendly is the school to transfer students? Is the transition fairly painless?
I'm not a transfer student, so I can't speak directly, but my friends who are transfers said that they had a tremendously easy time getting accustomed to Rice. You're part of O-Week, so from day one you're part of your college. Since there are no freshman dorms, a lot of the class barriers are broken down, so it's not like you're too old for the freshmen and too late to get in with the sophomores or juniors.</p>
<p>(skip two questions)</p>
<p>• Is the heat oppressive? Are buildings air conditioned well enough to address the temperate issue?
Every building is air conditioned--over-air conditioned, if you ask me. There are only about 5 weeks out of the year that are unbearable, and the rest is really pleasant.</p>
<p>I'll get to the small or unknown perks question later; you could almost make a new thread out of that.</p>