<p>What is the undergraduate life like at Rice? I hear it's sinfully boring and dry. The entire community is super competitive to where the students don't have any fun.</p>
<p>Is the weather THAT unbearable at Rice?
Is there much school spirit at Rice?</p>
<p>Any insight would be much appreciated. Thanks!</p>
<p>Wow, excuse my language, but where the F are you getting this false information from?</p>
<p>Everything you just said about Rice is completely false. It is totally the opposite of cutthroat competitive--many people turn down Ivies to come to Rice because they'd rather go to a school that emphasizes and encourages learning for the sake of learning without the holier-than-thou, cutthroat mentality, and arrogance that are present in the Ivy League. People here actually love learning and are not just pushing to get the best grades like some top schools I can name (but won't).</p>
<p>People here learn and teach others, it's not "super competitive." I don't know where you got that extremely mistaken notion. If that's what you think, you are incredibly wrong. </p>
<p>Rice offers one of the best undergraduate experiences in the country. It would be ranked higher on USNWR except its grad schools aren't that stellar--Rice is completely an undergraduate-focused institution. Research opportunities abound as well as small class sizes and an impressive 5:1 student-faculty ratio. Texas Medical Center, the world's biggest medical complex, is literally a walk across the street from Rice's campus and offers endless opportunities for medical research and internships. Among the schools within the university, the Shepherd School of Music is the most selective, accepting overall about twelve percent of all applicants--indicative of a top and renowned music program in the nation. Rice's Architecture School is the next most selective; Rice's graduate and undergraduate programs in architecture, which typically maintains an enrollment of around 200 students, consistently rank among the most prestigious in the country.</p>
<p>In Princeton Review's 2007 rankings, Rice was ranked #1 for "Best Quality of Life" and third for “Best Overall Academic Experience for Undergraduates” as well as among the top 20 schools where students “Never Stop Studying.” The same publication also placed it as first in the nation for “Lots of Race / Class Interaction.” In the 2008 edition of the Princeton Review, Rice was ranked as the #1 "Best Value" Private College.</p>
<p>Whoever told you those false perceptions were lying. Probably jealous of Rice too.</p>
<p>Rice is definitely not "sinfully boring," there are lots of thinigs to do on campus, and you're going to be busy studying and working hard in the meantime, anyway. Houston, the 4th biggest city in the country, also offers many more opportunities to get out and explore the city, esp when Rice students get free or discounted passes to many places. However, I heard that there's just so much to do on campus that not many people venture out into the city. Rice Village is a great place that's a 10-minute walk from campus and offers a smorgasboard of shopping and dining places. </p>
<p>As for "dry," to the contrary, Rice is a wet campus, hahah. Drinking is common at many Rice parties, if that's what you mean.</p>
<p>There's tons of school spirit at Rice, esp concerning D1 baseball. The Rice baseball team won the 2003 College World Series, defeating Stanford two games to one in the championship series, including a 14-2 rout in the final game. Because of the academic quality of the two finalists, the championship series earned nicknames such as the "RBIs and SATs Series." More recently, Rice's baseball team has finished third in both the 2006 and 2007 College World Series tournaments.</p>
<p>In fact, just this week the Rice Owls defeated the Houston Cougars to clinch the 2008 C-USA regular season championship outright for a third-straight year and will again play as the No. 1 seed in the upcoming C-USA Tournament beginning on May 21st in New Orleans, La. </p>
<p>Just as Duke is known for basketball, Rice is known for baseball.</p>
<p>As for football, Rice's team is pretty pathetic but displays another avenue in which students strongly come out to support Rice. Rice Stadium can hold up to 70,000 seats and Rice's home football games regularly turn out at least 14,000 fans (despite the <3000 # of undergrads at Rice). </p>
<p>Rice's residential college system is so integral and vital to the undergraduate experience that many students feel fiercely loyal to their respective college, from Wiess to Martel to Sid Rich, even more so than overall Rice pride. There are quite a few unique and "crazy" traditions at Rice, such as Baker 13, Night of Decadence, and the infamous Beer-Bike races--and even beer debates, hahah.</p>
<p>Basically, Rice is so amazing and fantastic and I am absolutely ecstatic that I will be attending there next fall! :)</p>
<p>Thanks!! :)</p>
<p>That helped a lot!</p>
<p>How do you all deal with the weather? I get antsy when it gets hot. lol Not for me?</p>
<p>Hahah, actually, that's probably my biggest concern. I'm from the Northeast, actually, so it's going to be somewhat of a weather shock for me. </p>
<p>Houston doesn't have all four seasons, I think you probably know that. It's going to be very hot and humid, with peak temperatures in the summer (but I'll probably be going home then). </p>
<p>However, never fear. AC is on full blast 24/7 in all the Rice classrooms and buildings :) Don't worry about that.</p>
<p>You'll get used to it, I suppose. I know it's probably going to bother me a lot when I get there this fall, but after a while you get acclimated. I suffered similar "weather shock" when I went to visit my relatives in hott and humidd Taipei last summer, but endured it just fine after a week or so. Of course, it's going to be an individual thing.</p>
<p>I mean, basically what I'm planning to do is pack a lot of summer clothes ;) No cold weather in Houston! Definitely not going to complain about wearing flip flops year round, hahah. Not like Chicago or upstate New York, lol, where you can frostbite without doing anything, hahah.</p>
<p>I know that weather plays a big factor for some people in choosing colleges, but personally for me I am willing to go to a college in Houston for all that Rice has to offer me. Rice is completely worth it, that's all I have to say.</p>
<p>The temperature in the school year in Houston doesn't go any higher than you'd be familiar with from a summer most everywhere else in the country. The part that's different is that it is warm for so long. Spring and Fall don't really seem like Spring and Fall. And then there's the rain.</p>
<p>My daughter is a Rice grad (last year) and her undergraduate experience was awesome. Plenty of social life, lots of cultural opportunities, wet campus..... I think Rice offers one of the best undergraduate experiences- and educations- to be gotten.</p>
<p>Anytime you hear extreme statements about a school, apply loads of skepticism. Some people are just melodramatic. Also, sometimes students who decide against a school (or transfer out) feel a need to justify that decision, so they'll wildly exaggerate what they thought was wrong with the place. </p>
<p>I'm glad you asked and got some input from people who knew the school.</p>
<p>And as to weather issues, I've lived in Houston for over 20 years (moving here from the northeast), and it's basically like this -- from the time you arrive (mid to late August) until about mid-October it will be hot and humid. Then it pretty much gets cooler and less humid. Yes, there are some humid days mixed in, but they're pretty infrequent after mid-October. Winters end up having some cold days, but they usually don't last more than 3 days at a stretch and don't get colder than highs in the 40's or so. Usually February, March and April are glorious -- lots of sunshine, temps in the 60's and 70's and low humidity. By mid-May when you go home for the summer it will just be beginning to warm up again.</p>
<p>Hope that helps. (p.s. I went to college in Pittsburgh and Houston is significantly better weather-wise!!!!)</p>
<p>Thanks so much. I grew up in So Cal so the humidity in Houston will get to me... at first. Haha</p>
<p>So it'd be safe to say Rice students have lives outside of college. They aren't just studying ALL the time? Some people say Rice students are out of touch with reality because they rarely venture outside of the campus grounds.</p>
<p>Thanks again for all the input. I'm really liking what I hear!</p>
<p>My daughter ventured out all the time. In fact, many Rice students live off-campus for a year or more. There are lots of museums, parks and concerts off campus- not to mention restaurants and shopping. My D took the transit system downtown to events and concerts. Rice students party hard and their college weekend, Beer Bike, is really pretty wild. Remember, it has one of the top music schools in the country, so there are all kinds of performances, besides the residential college performances which involve some non-music majors and community residents as well. I don't know where you are getting this impression of Rice, because it is not one I have heard before.</p>