<p>I have been accepted into 7 schools this year and I've narrowed down my tentative schools to Vassar, Haverford, and Rice. I've known Rice since 8th grade and I really know how it's a fantastic school, so I'm now seriously leaning towards Rice - but I have a few questions that get in my mind. </p>
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<li><p>How's the typical workload on a typical weekday? (Specifically for someone majoring in the natural sciences) (e.g. 3 hours of class + 3 hours of studying outside of class) If attending Rice means I have to be crushed under the workload for my next 4 years, then that's really bad news.</p></li>
<li><p>I usually don't sleep too well unless it's completely dark and quiet. I'm not being picky - but things like desk lamps, laptop keyboard taps, mouse clicks, and footsteps all annoy the hell out of me when I'm trying to sleep, no matter how hard I try to ignore them. I attended a boarding high school, and it's tiresome and rude-ish to ask my roommate to go out of the room everytime I go to bed before he does. At rice, I think it's very unlikely that I'd get a single as a freshman. Do you think my sleep condition would be a problem in college? (The major reason I've left Haverford on my list is because it's fairly easy to get a freshman single room at Haverford.)</p></li>
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<p>The workload is tough, but if you’ve been accepted to Rice it should be manageable. I’m a physics major, and, since I’m not the greatest at managing my time, the amount of work I do per day varies. Generally I’ll have 2-4 hours of class a day, but the amount of work and studying I do varies anywhere from 2 to 15 hours, depending on what I have due and how good I’ve been at working ahead. Most people can get by with just a few hours on most days.</p>
<p>As far as your sleeping problem: It’s true that you’re unlikely to have a single as a freshman. That said, before you matriculate you will be asked to fill out a roommate questionnaire, and I can tell you from experience that, if you’re explicit about your needs, the O-Week coordinators will do everything possible to place you in a compatible rooming situation.</p>
<p>You’ll get no sympathy from anyone about your sleep habits. If anyone finds out that you need to have it super quiet, they will torment you forever. The only solution is to live off campus and rent a HUGE house with a vault in the middle.</p>
<p>Bluntly: Yes, your sleep condition will be a problem in college.</p>
<p>I have to disagree with AnOlderMom on this one. As another current Rice student, the I can affirm that the O-Week coordinators do well out of their way to make every incoming student as comfortable as possible. When filling out your roommate questionnaires, they ask you everything from what between what hours you prefer to sleep to what temperature you like to sleep at. And it’s not some computer pairing you up with your roommate; they physically print out your forms and pair you by hand. In the end, my roommate and I have almost the exact same living preferences. Beyond that, the likelihood of you getting a single depends on what residential college you’re placed in. In the newest colleges (Duncan and McMurtry) have a much larger number of singles than the older ones. Also, everyone I know is very accommodating about quieting down if you tell them you’re trying to sleep. On top of that, many colleges (such as my own, Brown) place freshmen in particular rooms based on floor personalities; the quieter students are likely to be placed on the same floors, and the louder partiers are concentrated on “party floors.” All of that will depend on your floor, though. Be warned, though, that while it’s fairly quiet on weeknights, come the weekend ambient noise will heard where ever your room is.</p>
<p>In terms of work load… well, I can’t really say on that. I’m an academ, so my work load is very different than what yours would be.</p>
<p>As for sleep, it really depends on your roommate. I’m pretty sensitive to light and noise level, so is one of my friends. Both of our roommates are really considerate. They will switch off the light whenever I (my friend) go to sleep.</p>
<p>They usually do a pretty good job of matching roommates before O-Week.</p>