Rice v. Vassar

Colleges and Universities A-Z Rice University
1

Deciding between the two! I posted this in a more general forum as well but wanted to hear from the Rice POV… If you have any insights, I would love some advice.

The main things that I was concerned about at Rice were 1) the huge drinking culture and 2) the weather. My main concerns about Vassar were 1) everyone seemed to be into theatre and a cappella (which was cool but very abundant) 2) the Vassar bubble and 3) no graduate school, which seems to mean less big research going on.

Other things that I’m considering:

  • Prospective economics major
  • Hate the heat/humidity.. and mosquitos. Love the cold (Vassar!)
  • Always wanted to experience the east coast (Vassar)
  • Things to do off campus (Rice, but Vassar kind of has NYC)
  • Preferably good food (Rice)
  • Accessible opportunities for research, internships, etc. (Rice, not sure about Vassar)
  • Small size (both)
  • Engaging and approachable professors (both, I think)
  • Diversity in locations people come from
  • I'm trying to avoid alcohol and drugs; easy to socialize in other ways and no judgement for not participating. No huge segregation between people who party and people who don't (not sure if I could find this anywhere)
  • Recognition when job-hunting
  • Accessibility of volunteer work with education/children
  • I like the idea of a liberal arts education (even though Rice is a research school, its education seems liberal arts-like)
  • Cost is not a deciding factor (both are similar)

Ranking is important, but I’m trying to decide not just based on prestige, so that I choose the school where I will thrive best and grow the most. Thank you for your help!!

2

98% of the world perhaps have not heard of Vassar ? Are u asking for real or are you wasting everyones time ?

3

^ such an ignorant comment. Please ignore that. You seem to prefer Vassar and the advantages that a LAC offers.

The weather in Houston is very hot and humid from April through September with June-August being very hot. That said, the rest of the year is fine and can be gorgeous. You could plan to go elsewhere during the summer months.

I am not personally familiar with Vassar, but, even in Texas, people have heard of Vassar. I would imagine that Vassar has terrific name recognition on the East Coast while Rice has more name recognition throughout the South and West.

4

@TinTintoo It is highly recognized on the East Coast, one of the top liberal arts colleges in the country, and considered a sister school of the Ivy Leagues.

@txstella thank you for your input!

5

I have never heard Rice associated with a “huge drinking culture”.

6

Well, that’s their loss, isn’t it? Sheesh! Moving on . . .

Things to do off campus: You’re right, Poughkeepsie mostly sucks. NYC is an option for occasional weekend trips, but chances are you won’t want to leave campus very often - there’s a lot going on that you won’t want to miss!

Preferably good food: Don’t know the situation currently, but the Vassar chefs used to all be affiliated with the Culinary Institute of America, so the food was pretty darned good! Vassar still appears to have its own food service that’s not affiliated with any of the commercial college food services.

Accessible opportunities for research, internships, etc.: Vassar doesn’t have a graduate program, which means that all research opportunities go to undergrads. Want to work with a specific professor? Just let them know!

Diversity in locations people come from: Check it out - [**Vassar](http://chronicle.com/article/Interactive-Freshman-Class/129547#id=197133)[/b] vs. **[Rice](http://chronicle.com/article/Interactive-Freshman-Class/129547#id=227757)[/b].

No huge segregation between people who party and people who don’t: Yep, sounds like Vassar!

Recognition when job-hunting Depends on where you want to hunt for jobs!

Accessibility of volunteer work with education/children: [Wimpfheimer Nursery School](http://wimpfheimer.vassar.edu/about/)

You’re absolutely right about the Vassar “bubble” - you’re going to run into the same people every day on your way to breakfast, and it’s not easy to get away . . . unless you want to go all the way down to NYC. On the other hand, Vassar also has one of the most beautiful college campuses in the country, so why would you want to get away? If you need to escape, just go for a long walk around Sunset Lake.

Don’t know where you’re getting the idea that Rice has a “huge drinking culture” - I’ve never heard anything of the kind. And, really, which of the two schools was founded by a beer brewer? (Hint: it wasn’t Rice!)

7

All prestigious schools have kids who drink too much and some who don’t drink at all. No frats at Rice, but colleges host big parties where liquor is present. If you live in the northeast, Vassar is good, but not the greatest If you are in Texas and parts of the south/southwest, going to Rice is like winning the lottery. A really big deal.

8

I would not worry about huge drinking culture at Rice. Drinking is not frowned upon, even by the administration, but not drinking is not frowned upon either. I don’t drink and have lots of friends who do and lots who don’t. That’s not really a dividing line except maybe with those who drink and party a LOT, but I think that’s more of a personality thing.

I also would generally consider Rice’s weather to be an advantage over Vassar. It kind of depends on how much you like the cold and how cold. Winter at Rice (late October through end of March) gets down to 40s for some time but spends a lot of times in the 70s which feels awesome. The only uncomfortably hot and humid months are August and September and maybe early October. So it kind of depends on that stuff. Rice also is very bug free (I think they really unleash the pesticides, that’s my only guess).

I don’t know how your political views are, but you mentioned diversity. I think Rice has Vassar beat in diversity of opinion. I have a friend who transferred to Rice from Vassar, and he expressed that there was a little bit of exclusion when it came to people who were conservative. He isn’t conservative and neither am I (and neither is Rice except when compared to Vassar), but I got the sense from talking to him and some other people who’ve visited friends there that it’s not exactly a place for huge diversity of political though. But I’m just a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy.

Relevant article about Rice ECON major: http://www.ricethresher.org/news/econ-mtec-curricula-undergo-major-restructuring/article_4687d54a-e910-11e4-84d9-aba407640578.html

Houston also has a lot of education volunteer oppurtunities, being the 8th largest urban school district in the country. Rice also has several clubs/organizations focusing on tutoring and mentoring students in Houston that you could join.

Let me know if you have any questions or need clarification! I invite disagreement on my views of Vassar, it’s just what I’ve heard.

9

@jfking01 - I wish I could disagree with your assessment of politics at Vassar, but, sadly, you’re probably correct.

10

Interestingly my son attends Vassar and my daughter just committed to Rice. In my son’s experience Vassar has been pretty a-political. I seems I saw more about Ferguson protest at Rice then at Vassar. My sons roommate his first year drank a lot so Sophomore year he moved into a wellness floor, a floor in his dorm where the whole floor voluntarily follows a substance free life style. I have hung out on campus a bit. I don’t think Vassar ranks high on the politically active list. There is bit of political correctness to be found, but I think the vibe is less politically liberal and more non conformist. The one overwhelming vibe I get from my time there is artsy and hipster. You could probably be vocally libertarian there and it would be cool because it would be breaking the norm. Vassar is an “anything goes” type of environment. What I know of Rice beyond what I have read is form spending a couple of days there during owl days. People seemed pretty relaxed. I saw professors interacting with students at the student run coffee shop which was hopping. My daughter summed up the people as somewhat nerdy but not socially awkward. Everyone was extremely friendly. Rice does not have substance free housing and I have read people who feel constrained by the college housing system but others seem to love it. It is probably a northeast thing but Vassar seems more introverted. You could probably narrow it down to artsy versus techy. In fact the whole surrounding Hudson River Valley seems more artsy. We took a trip out to SUNY New Palz which is a 20 minute drive from Vassar and that also was a cool artsy college town and then there is Rhinebeck about 20 minutes north a cool artsy town. Marist is also in Poughkeepsie but I never hear of anyone from Vassar having anything to do with it. People at Rice seemed to be very happy generally. I have never seen a less hilly campus then Rice, even Grinnell had more ups and downs, I don’t think there is one staircase in the landscaping. At Vassar there is a lot of opportunities for hiking and outdoor activities if it is fall or spring. At Rice the swimming pool is outdoors and open all year.

11

So, @iiriii, what did you decide???

12

@dodgersmom I have not officially committed yet but after a lot of thought, I think I will commit to Rice. At this point, I just need to reassure myself it’s the right choice of the two. Thanks so much for the help!

13

Congratulations! I know many kids, including my own, committed to Rice this week! I think you will be happy with your choice. As far as unhappiness with your residential college placement, most students seem to love their placement. If it ends up not being a good fit though, you can request a change. Good luck to you!

14

Thank you all. This was very helpful in my decision making! I committed to Rice University the other day :slight_smile:
I just received news I was accepted from the waitlist at Claremont McKenna, which was originally one of my top choices… so it looks like I have another decision to make! I will likely post again, if anyone has any further insights!

15

DO NOT SECOND GUESS YOURSELF!!

You are now an Owl !! Be Proud of your decision …

Rice is an awesome school … i am class of '86 … my son “might” be class of 2022 :slight_smile:

16

Rice, and don’t look back. You’ll have a wonderful experience there.