Rice University

Hey, so I’m wondering if someone could answer a few questions that I have about Rice University, as I’m planning on applying there next year.

First, I really want a dorm room that has a single bathroom in it. I wanted a single, but now I kind of want to have roommates, but I want to have 2 tops. What colleges on campus have dorms with bathrooms in them, where I can also have minimal to no roommates? Also, how nice are the dorms? I’ve seen many and some are amazing while others are just plain gross.

Next, what’s campus life like? I’m nervous about making friends, which is why I now want a roommate, but overall, what’s the experience like?

Lastly, is there any advice or anything I should know before heading to Rice? All comments/help is greatly appreciated!

Wait until you’re accepted first, then worry about this stuff.

^^^ Also, make sure you have other schools that are matches and safety schools. The roommate choices are the last step in the process.

I’m pretty sure you can’t choose your college, its done by some committee or something. Some are newer and nicer and some are pretty run down. Also some have new and old sections. I don’t know about other colleges but at the one I was at (I was off campus 3 years so not the best source) singles were hard to get in a room draw and mostly for upper class. Also the bathrooms were shared between rooms. Usually had 2-4 people per room or 8 people per bathroom.

I think it’s easy to get new friends if you want to because the environment is small and friendly.

It’s helpful to know this stuff before one applies. Also, not every college works the same. At Rice, when you apply you’re randomly put into a college (dorm area), and you can’t switch. Just because you may not feel like my question was necessary, doesn’t mean it isn’t helpful to someone else.

I think we collectively hope the details of a dorm room is not input to your college choice. Your likely one year in a dorm (wherever you attend) will be over in a quarter of a flash, as will your college years. What you learn is important.

I agree whole heartedly with the others that you’re kind of jumping the gun and thinking too much before even being accepted.

That being said, some of your questions are pretty relevant in determining if Rice is truly a good fit for you.

The rooms in different colleges depends on not only the college but also which year you are. Your first year, you will almost certainly be paired up with at least one roommate. The only exception is if they run out of usual rooms for first years due to overcrowding and you get placed in a single, which is basically unheard of. As for the colleges that have bathrooms, I know Duncan and McMurtry for sure if you get placed in a double (which is what first years get placed in), you’ll have a bathroom in the room. None of the singles have their own bathrooms though. It is however, a private bathroom; you’ll just have to share it with whomever else lives near you. I can’t speak for the other colleges as I’m not familiar with their housing for first year students.

The general consensus of campus life is that it’s a really good community where you can easily meet a lot of people. A lot of things happen on campus that caters to all sorts of interests and the way the colleges are set up, you can get to know a lot of people easily. Right from the get-go, orientation week tries to have you interact with a lot of people and then being able to live with those same people helps a lot. Still, though, not everyone has the same opinion and if you don’t like the people you live with, you’re kind of stuck. I would say most people at Rice are introverted in some way so don’t feel like you’re alone if you’re nervous or shy at first.

Anything to know before you head to Rice? Well you haven’t gotten in just yet so I highly advise visiting and taking a tour. We can all spew facts and anecdotes at you but it doesn’t give you the same story of when you’re actually on the campus.

If having your own bathroom as a freshman is your top priority, Rice may not be your place. In fact, I’m not sure there’s any top-tier university where you could count on that. Maybe aim for a public or larger private U with an honors college that offers luxo-housing to their honors students as a recruiting tool. (Northeastern and U of Oregon come to mind.)

@TellerAndFinn - because Rice does not allow freshmen choosing the college, it is very hard to answer your room / roommate questions. If you are particular about the kind of room / roommate - you should look at not taking up University provided housing - but take up an apartment outside - find your own roommate etc.

Life @ Rice is excellent - small campus - close knit student community - great educational opportunities.

Things you should know about Rice is a very wide open question. If you can narrow down your question, I am sure there will be people with some answers. However, not knowing your stats, one thing I can make a broad comment on is that Rice is very selective.

Good luck.

If you want to see what Rice is like firsthand, you can visit Rice as a prospective student and stay overnight with a student in one of the residential colleges. Rice admissions sets up the visits through the website. My D did this in the fall before she applied. She also interviewed with admissions while she was on campus. She loved meeting the students and taking in the campus atmosphere. After her visit, Rice moved to the top of her list of colleges she wished to attend. The visit also gave her lots of material for the “Why Rice” essay.