<p>hi all!!</p>
<p>i have been offored a place at both Georgia Tech and Rice University and i want to major in engineering (mechanical /electrical). I am deciding which school to enroll in and i need ur help!</p>
<p>thought id go to the Rice board, to see what you had to say about rice university and why/whether i should go there over georgia tech.</p>
<p>right now its split right down the middle for both the schools</p>
<p>thanks in advance!</p>
<p>flip a coin. both are good. gtech has slight advantage in engr. rice has slight advantage due to size.</p>
<p>I'm in the exact same boat as you. I got Presidential at GT, so I'm just waiting to see how much I get from Rice. If the amounts are close, I'd pick Rice because I think it's a lot more laid back than GT and I'd probably have more fun there.</p>
<p>
I would say that Georgia Tech has more than a slight advantage in Engineering.</p>
<p>Like to005 said, if you want to have a better social life go to Rice, but if you're interested in serious Engineering research Gatech will defintely have more opportunities.</p>
<p>My s. chose Rice over Ga Tech. last year. They are both great schools, but have very different feels. Rice seems more inviting and supportive. Tech tends to have that "we dare you to survive here" attitude at times. The freshman classes at Tech may be taught by TA's or professors with hard-to-understand accents. There was a big cheating scandal at Tech a few years ago, so it is harder to work together on things at tech right now. I am not sure if I put that accurately, but from my recollection, doing HW projects and such together was s/w limited at Tech as a result of the cheating thing.</p>
<p>Social atmosphere is more inviting at Rice, and there are no frats/sororities at Rice. Of course, the athletics are more fun to watch at Tech, if that is important. Do you have the opportunity to do an overnight at each?? that may help decide. My s. is studying mechE and physics. The applied physics program he was interested in at Tech was sorta dying, which wasn't too promising for him. The biotech program with Emory is pretty cool, though. </p>
<p>The Presidential Scholarship is hard to turn down at Tech, so yes, to005, wait to see what Rice offers. </p>
<p>Tech is home turf for us. Don't know where you folks are from, and if location makes a difference. Best way to put it, Rice students seem to work plenty hard but are less stressed and happier than the Tech students. We still root for Tech against Ga in the sports arena, though!
Hope that helps.</p>
<p>I believe for enginnering, I would go to GA Tech. One of my friends is going to GA Tech and although she's happy (it was her #1 choice) she knows she's going to have a horrible social life b/c she thinks everyone there is boring. If you want a good education and a life...go to Rice. </p>
<p>P.S. I have also heard from first hand experience that first year students from GA Tech learn harder stuff than first year students at MIT</p>
<p>I have one son at GaTech and one at Rice. GaTech is extremely demanding. It produces the best 2.5 GPA engineers in the world.
Housing is mediocre at best for most frosh and sophomores. For your 2 junior years and your senior year (yes many GaTech students take 5 years, it's that tough) your housing is likely to be former Olympic housing, which is great. Every engineering discipline has at least one building to call its own. The student athletic facilities are second to none. They are built over and around the former Olympic aquatic facility. As a Presidential Scholar you might get some special attention. If you were just another kid with a 1400, you would be pretty much on your own. The best thing about GaTech--everyone who makes it through is a helluva, helluva, helluva, helluvan engineer.</p>
<p>Rice is as close as you will find to a perfect academic environment. Although engineering and sciences are its recognized strengths, it offers an array of excellent liberal arts choices as well. The residential college system is superior to any other form of college housing and is unique to Rice and Yale. Rice is decidedly undergraduate oriented and most professors are very approachable and helpful.</p>
<p>im going to rice and one of my best friends is going to gatech.
theyre both awesome schools but tech is of course a little more engineering oriented</p>
<p>wobudong - you must be a proud parent!
My criteria is:
quality of education
quality of life
and job opportunities.</p>
<p>Rice has since advised me that they have awarded a scholarship for 50% of the fees for all the four years. I hear Rice has a good standing as a small private university with a lower student: teacher ratio. On the
other hand, Georgia Tech is well known as a technical school and for
its intensive engineering program.</p>
<p>Any other comments? really need some feedback, as i cannot visit the US, due to financial and time constraints.</p>
<p>Chirag: if you decide to change your majors or branch out, Rice is the place to be. Most students find that they become interested in other subjects and end up changing majors in real life. At Rice, you have many, many opportunities to explore other interests, in a more laid-back and friendly environment. You will have lots of opportunities to participate in research, and you will graduate with a very well-respected degree - all while having a wonderful undergraduate college experience. Rice kids are SMART, but they also know how to have fun, play sports, participate in theater, music, etc. (In the South, Rice grads have a fabulous reputation. Grad schools know this, as do major employers)</p>
<p>Interestingly, Rice is home to some of the most satisfied students in the country and Tech to some of the most unhappy. The quality of life difference for the average student should be significantly in Rice's favor.</p>
<p>I wouldn't say that there's much difference academically. There are plenty of opportunities for research at Rice, you'll have supportive professors to help you out. If you work hard and get a degree from Rice, you'll get into the top graduate programs in the nation. I wouldn't say that Georgia Tech has that much of an advantage over Rice, academically. Sure, it's bigger, sure, there's more research going on in a larger variety of disciplines, but at the undergraduate level, that means essentially nothing. As an engineer, the thing you need to concentrate on as an undergraduate is getting a solid education in engineering basics, and that's what Rice will give you. Save the concerns about research opportunities for graduate school, because if you go to a large university where you get lost in the mix and don't get as firm a grasp on the material as you would with a smaller university like Rice where you'll get more personal attention, then you'll be unprepared for research opportunities later on.</p>
<p>Concentrate on your education for now. I'm biased, but in my opinion, Rice is the best place to concentrate on getting a good solid engineering foundation, and at Rice, you'll have fun doing it.</p>
<p>Best of luck,
Amy
BSCE '04, SRC</p>