Rice vs. Almost Full Ride at SUNY Binghamton

Colleges and Universities A-Z Rice University
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<p>My EFC for Rice is significant (we'd have to take out loans), but manageable, not completely terrible. My EFC for Bing though is pretty insignificant and extremely, extremely affordable. I haven't visited either school, and can't because of time/school/transportation fares. I'm from NYC. I'm still not sure what I want to study or do after college but I am leaning towards the premed track/med school. I'm concerned about the cost of med school; that's what's drawing me to the cheaper option, Bing. Should this be a real concern? Or will the professional salary make paying off med school/UG school debt bearable, and, in that case, I should choose Rice?</p>

<p>Things I like about Rice:
Houston, weather, down to earth, friendly, diverse student body, great for premeds, research opportunities, small class sizes/community feel, prestige</p>

<p>Why I wouldn't HATE Bing if I went there:
Social scene, decent academics, big school so lots of new people and never feel suffocated, cheap! - I know I wouldn't be putting a strain on my family to pay for my education</p>

<p>Things I'm iffy about regarding Rice/General questions:
Since it's in Houston, I want to be able to explore Houston, but if public transportation sucks, and parking sucks, then there's no point in having Houston there. How easy is it to explore Houston/get to Houston? Would you suggest having a car as a freshman? (How's parking?)</p>

<p>I'm worried about the size and feeling like it's too small, socially.</p>

<p>Feelings about the meal plan?</p>

<p>How's off-campus housing money-wise, quality-wise and in terms of how close the off campus housing is to the campus?</p>

<p>Is an UG experience at Rice worth the money or should I save for med school and just choose Bing?</p>

<p>I do plan on talking to my family about how to decide but any help would really be appreciated!! I have to make my decision by May 1. Thanks!</p>

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<p>I had a similar decision to make with rice vs bing/nyu but ultimately decided rice. However, I’m not interested in grad school immediately so my decision was different. Btw I’m from nyc too, what high school do you go to?</p>

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<p>As a parent, I think you should sit down with your folks and discuss the economics. My son had great scholarships at two schools that would have cut the cost in half for us. But it was my feeling, supported by my wife, that we could afford Rice and that if he chose Rice we would be proud to support him financially in that decision. </p>

<p>Your parents probably feel the same way, but economics may be a real concern. They will respect you if you discuss this with them, and let them know that that it is one of the major factors in your decision tree, and you want their input.</p>

<p>Good luck and congratulations on two wonderful schools (we are also from NY).</p>

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<p>I am also from NY and I am currently a freshman at a SUNY school…and I just applied to transfer to Rice in the fall (still awaiting a decision). Since my close friend attends Rice, I have visited twice this year and I have absolutely LOVED it! I see such a difference between the quality of the professors, the class sizes, and just the whole ambiance of the small and gorgeous campus. I found my current SUNY school to be way too big for me and I found it difficult to establish friendships with about 16,000 undergrads. Also, class sizes and class availability are two big issues I have been experiencing, it’s almost impossible to get to know a professor when most of your classes are over 100 people (and sometimes up to 500 for intro classes!)</p>

<p>To address your question about transportation, there is a light rail station literally steps from the Rice campus which is pretty convenient if you want to travel to downtown Houston. There is also the Rice Village which is pretty much in walking distance from the campus with tons of restaurants and places to shop, so having a car on campus isn’t really necessary.</p>

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<p>I’ve also been looking for information on off campus housing because there is a possibility that I would not receive housing as a transfer student. I know there are OC housing options that are relatively close to campus. From what i’ve been hearing, most pepole that live off-campus typically bike to campus or get an apartment that is close to a light rail stop.</p>

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<p>Hi dinosawr, </p>

<p>I dont know much about Rice, I am going to attend Bing this fall, for myriad reasons and one of them is that it provides great academics at an extremely affordable price. You should know though Binghamton is in NY, its nothing like NYC and its extremely cold, it rains 160/365 days, so if city life concerns you, you might want to reconsider Bing.</p>

<p>Also, i hear Bing has really nice dorms.</p>

<p>I recommend you start this thread at SUNY Binghamtin as well, its very active and im sure you’ll be heavily replied back. </p>

<p>Have a great future.</p>

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<p>Thanks for all this input, it’s very helpful. I’m really torn right now.</p>

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<p>If you are planning medical school, I would go with the cheaper option. It makes more financial sense.</p>

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<p>Pick Rice.</p>

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<p>

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<p>Any particular reason?</p>

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<p>Career plans change. If you can afford Rice, go with Rice. :)</p>

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<p>Allisone92 made some very good points. Access to profs is important – at Rice, after class, I’ve heard how easy it’s been to meet up with profs to discuss the material, ponder paper topics, etc. And this dialogue can lead to campus research jobs, recommendations, mentoring … not to mention greater enjoyment of what you’re studying. </p>

<p>Dinosawr, it’s very exciting to get to know a new part of the country… to take a break from Gotham City to see the Lone Star… to have dessert in Ruggles in Rice Village, to have easy access to the think tank on campus, to really spread your wings and land in a very friendly place…</p>

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<p>@Ottoline: I totally agree with you. I’ve been pretty sheltered remaining in the northeast all of my life. When visiting Houston and specifically the Rice campus, I was suddenly introduced to a completely different culture to experience along with plenty of opportunities awaiting me (research, internships, etc.) if I attend Rice to have the real college experience I feel I am lacking at my current university. Right now, I am just hoping that my hard work will pay off and I will be accepted to Rice!</p>

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<p>I hope so, too – sounds like you have a wonderful spirit to add to campus! My best wishes …</p>

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<p>It really comes down to whether Rice is feasible financially. The consensus here is that Rice has a great UG education and will be a fantastic experience. As long as you are not in mountains of debt upon graduation, Rice will be a fine choice.</p>

<p>Good Luck.</p>

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<p>It really sucks that you aren’t able to visit either, because it can give you SUCH a better feel of the schools and make your decision a lot easier. I used to attend another SUNY and I visited Bing for a weekend because I applied to transfer there and I got in, but now I currently attend Rice. </p>

<p>For me, Bing was very similar to my previous university but there seemed to be a lot more school spirit and people seemed to actually ENJOY being at Bing. That was a refreshing change from students going home every weekend to get away from the school. Before I visited Bing, I was 95% sure that I was going to be attending. But I just wanted to make absolutely sure because it would cost a bit more, (my first university awarded me a 4 yr scholarship that Bing didn’t) so I thought visiting and then falling in love with the university would justify my decision to transfer. I’m glad I visited because even though I liked the atmosphere of Bing a lot more than previous university, it didn’t justify paying several thousand dollars more in the end. That’s probably what you have to figure out, is the extra cost at Rice worth it especially since you would be paying so little to go to Bing. The fact that you might go to med- school may indicate that Bing may be a better choice. I know someone at Bing now that decided not to go to UPenn for undergrad because she knew she was going to do med school, and now she absolutely loves Bing.</p>

<p>I know many people who attend Bing, but I’m sure you do as well if you’re also from NYC. Many students love Bing as much as students love Rice. Once again, is there ANY way whatsoever that you can visit Bing (I know Rice may be less feasible) at least before the May 1 deadline? Seeing the school itself may make a huge difference- it did for me at least. I talked to many people there before I visited, but it didn’t compare to actually experiencing being a student there- sitting in on a class, gauging the academic and social environment for yourself.</p>

<p>As for Rice, it has been everything I’ve wanted in a university and then some. But I’m not in the financial situation you’re in. I actually think if the difference in cost is that great, you should go to Bing. It’s not as if you’re choosing between Stony and Rice. If you do decide to go to Bing and hate it (or think you can be a lot happier elsewhere,) you always have the option to transfer!</p>

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<p>^Thanks, that was a really informative response. Bing would be half the price of Rice even with FA from Rice.</p>

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<p>If the difference is a mountain: say like 45k vs 22k, then it makes less sense to choose Rice. If you’re only looking at like 5-10k in difference, it’s a lot easier to stomach. I chose Rice over Vanderbilt, despite Vandy being almost 5000 a year cheaper (I want to say 7500 at Vandy versus about 13k at Rice). In that range, its conceivable that you can work a bit, or take on a small amount of debt. </p>

<p>However if you’re looking at 20k/year in difference, it makes a ton less sense. If you have to finance that with loans, you’re closing in on 90k (w/ interest) by the time you graduate, as well as accumulation while you’re in med school. However, if you end up doing something that doesn’t require med school, you’ll have more fallback options at Rice. </p>

<p>Edit: @Boots: We miss youuuu. When do you come back?
In the end, I couldn’t justify picking my #1 choice last may (Notre Dame), because it would have cost me almost double what Rice did (and even more in comparison to my cheapest choice). While that decision hurt for about a semester, I love Rice and wouldn’t trade it for the world now.</p>