<p>I was just wondering if someone could compare these 2 schools. I have been accepted to Rice already in ID and hope to get into Duke regular decision. Thanks</p>
<p>Hey, I got into Rice ID too last year, and now I'm at Duke, so I'd love to answer any specific questions you have.</p>
<p>dog: I believe the word you meant to use was "versus". ;)</p>
<p>Anyways, I got into Rice ID and am an applicant at Duke, and, if I'm lucky, may have the same decision. I'd be interested to see what people say about how these two schools compare to each other. Both seem to get high marks in student satisfaction, and both have a lot of what I'm looking for in a college (strong sciences, motivated student body, great profs, small classes, great campus, etc.).</p>
<p>I think Rice is a great school. It has a residential college system, students seem to have a great time, it is very small for a research university, and it is extremely strong academically. Some of the things that turned me off about Rice, however, were the limited opportunities in music for non-majors (people not in the Shephard School) and the almost half-Texan student body. Plus I am more humanities-geared and Duke is stronger in that regard. I am also from the Northeast and I kind of wanted to be in a school which has a more national alumni base/geographically diverse student body. </p>
<p>In terms of prestige, Duke is much more well-known across the nation but those who know Rice respect it immensly (including me) and wouldn't place it below any other school. Basically, my choice came down to student body, atmosphere, and musical opportunities for a serious musician who doesn't want to be professional. At Duke I have an amazing teacher, great opportunities in music, and the ability to exploit all the music department's resources; this would not have been the case at Rice, because non-majors are neglected. I have never regretted my decision to come to Duke, and I believe I made the right choice, but I can definitely acknowledge that there are students for whom Rice might be a better fit. Thus, it would be helpful if you all explained what your interests (academic, extracurricular, etc) are and perhaps your personality type. Also, if you have any specific questions/points of comparison, I'd be happy to help out.</p>
<p>My impression (not to bag on Rice at all, I actually applied there) is that Duke is a better school OVERALL. Rice is more specialized and is heavily oriented toward the sciences while Duke maintains stronger programs than Rice in humanities and the like, which is where my major lies. Duke is a bigger school. Can't really go wrong, obviously.</p>
<p>If you want to work in TX/Southwest pick Rice. If you want to work in the Southeast, pick Duke. Each school is the "Harvard" of its region.</p>
<p>I would modify that statement: if you want to work in TX/Southwest pick Rice, if you want to work anywhere else, pick Duke. Duke's network in New York City is ridiculous.</p>
<p>Agree, Duke would travel to the Northeast much better than Rice.</p>
<p>if money is an issue, pick rice</p>
<p>They both seem to get a lot of respect in academic circles. For grad school admissions, I don't think you can go wrong with either one. They're both probably superb for pre-med people...</p>
<p>This question has a lot of significance for me. I live in NC, and always thought I'd end up at Duke, but chose to go to Rice instead.</p>
<p>In truth, all it took was a visit to both campuses and talking to students who go to both. Personally I thought Rice had an atmosphere that I'd enjoy a lot more than Duke did. This was due to reasons such as the residential college system rather Duke's frats for instance. I just felt that I would enjoy spending 4 years at Rice more than I would at Duke. </p>
<p>Academically, they are both elite schools so I know I couldn't go wrong either way. Perhaps Rice's humanity department is weaker but it is still very strong. And among the people who matter, both have a top-notch reputation.</p>
<p>Guys.. its hot at Rice. Houston has the crappiest atmosphere and weather ever...</p>
<p>I live in H town and personally would rather got to Emory over Rice (they are about tied as far as rank). However, this is a no brainer dude. DUke is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOmuch better it seems. Just go to Duke.</p>
<p>Rice has a beautiful campus. </p>
<p>I know it's hot and miserable in the Summer. What about Fall, Winter, Spring?</p>
<p>Lol, I agree Devil, I was just trying to be polite...</p>
<p>As far as Houston's weather, students are hardly there during the periods where the weather is unbearably hot, so that isn't as much as a problem as you might think.</p>
<p>Also, Houston's winters are significantly milder than Duke's. At Duke you will have weeks of freezing temps, at Rice this is quite a rarity.</p>
<p>But again my reccomendation is just to visit both campuses. No college is perfect for everyone, you have to see which one you think would be better for yourself.</p>
<p>My daughter graduated fairly recently from Duke. Son was accepted ID Rice and RD Duke (Pratt). Although our family has a Duke history going back to the 1930's, he chose Rice after visiting during Owl weekend. Based on his first two years, he clearly made the right choice for him. Our experience thus far is that Rice is somewhat more demanding, particularly in the sciences, but that the overall academic environment is more collegial and supportive, with much more senior faculty involvement (and virtually no TA's) in the freshman and sophomore courses. The residential college system, which is unique to Rice and Yale, is ideal for undergraduate education. </p>
<p>For anyone who is interested in medicine or medical research, both institutions offer far more opportunity than most. Duke has one of the country's top research hospitals, but the breadth of the opportunities for undergrads at Rice is somewhat greater, due to collaboration between Rice and the adjacentTexas Medical Center, the largest medical complex in the world. Rice also has a longstanding relationship with NASA and the Johnson Space Center.</p>
<p>If you have an extracurricular interest in music, Duke would be the better choice. On the other hand, if you are a world class musician and you want to study music, the conservatory at Rice is vastly superior to what Duke, or most anywhere else, can offer. The inclusion of truly gifted musicians with all of the other students in the residential colleges makes for some interesting diversity. Rice also has one of the top undergraduate programs in architecture.</p>
<p>If athletic facilities are important, go to Duke. (Although Rice has a 70,000 seat stadium to hold its 2800 undergraduates) If intercollegiate sports are important, Duke is also the clear choice. Rice is the smallest Division 1 school and gets knocked around a bit, except in track and baseball. If you want to go to a zoo every day (the kind with animals), then Rice is the place because you can ride to the zoo on your bike.</p>
<p>The endowments of Duke and Rice are roughly equal, but Rice has fewer than half as many students and does not support large professional schools. Rice's endowment per student is fourth, behind Harvard, Princeton and Yale.</p>
<p>Although Duke and Rice compete for students with very similar academic talents, the two schools are very different. You should visit both, attend classes in areas that interest you, and talk to professors. Shortly after my son received his acceptance to Rice, a bioengineering professor called him twice to be certain that all of his questions were answered. For most students who are qualified for admission, neither is a wrong choice, but because they are very different, one or the other will be a better choice.</p>