<p>I was all set on Stanford till I got a major scholarship offer from Rice today. I'll get to pay 18k less than the cost of Stanford, but until now I wasn't even considering other schools because I absolutely love the entrepreneurship environment in and around Stanford. Yes, I want to start my own business one day, preferably soon. I guess my question is does Rice have any opportunities to do so? Is it worth giving up the opportunities in Stanford for the cheaper but still excellent Rice?</p>
<p>Question 1) Can you afford either option? Stanford is double… that’s a big deal. Also the cost of living in CA is much higer.</p>
<p>Rice has an active entrepreneurial group and activities. I think the organization is fairly young however, or is just recently become active. But absolutely there are opportunities. However, what kind of business are you interested in pursuing? What major do you want? </p>
<p>I think you should evaluate more about the degree programs of the two schools. Anyone can start a business anywhere. It’s your education, opportunities/experiences, and connections that will make a difference in your success.</p>
<p>Rice has a new summer accelerator. Accepted teams get $17k in funding + stipends, space, mentorship, etc. Most things that could be startups from Rice students are licensed prior to graduation (when the founders leave for med school/grad school/consulting/oil/whatever). This is hopefully changing very quickly.</p>
<p>I’m a '12 alum who spearheaded some of this; PM me and I’ll put you in touch with current students who can tell you more. Rice is going to get very good at this, and my personal hypothesis is that Houston will eventually exceed the Bay Area for biotech (med center = awesome). That said, it’s really, really hard to beat Stanford at entrepreneurship.</p>
<p>So I’m guessing you got your scholarship offer in the mail right? Does that mean that there might still be a chance to get scholarships if there was no financial aid info on Esther? Cause I heard that generally if there was nothing on Esther, there’s no financial aid.</p>