Rice VS Carnegie Mellon (Social Sciences) - International student really needs help!!

Colleges and Universities A-Z Rice University
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<p>Hey guys, I am an international applicant and I was accepted to Rice University and Carnegie Mellon. (: With imperfect information about these universities (everything I know I found from online) and being unable to visit the university campuses at all, I really really do need informed and objective advice that could help me in deciding whether I should go to Rice or Carnegie Mellon. >.< </p>

<p>With regards to my major, I am planning to study both social sciences and business.
Rice is stronger in the social sciences, but it only has a Business minor whereas Carnegie Mellon has its Tepper school of Business. Carnegie Mellon also offered me a place in their Humanities Scholars Program, which is a tempting offer even though my interests lean more towards social sciences than humanities.
Questions: Is it possible for me to study both business and social sciences in Carnegie Mellon (considering I only got accepted into the school of humanities and social sciences)? Is the Humanities Scholars Program something very good and worth considering? For my area of interest (social sciences and business), which school would be better? </p>

<p>With regards to school culture, location and general feel, I think Rice wins because it seems to have a more close knit and collaborative community that is bonded through the Residential College system. Location wise, Houston also seems to be a better place than Pittsburgh because it is more of a city and more accessible? I am not entirely sure though because I am unable to visit these two places :// I would prefer the weather of Rice as well I guess because I can't really take the cold. Going by the general feel, I think I would like Rice because the people there seem more warm, fun and friendly. I am wondering how true the common saying is that people at Carnegie Mellon are geeky/nerdy? Personally I'm okay with that because I am pretty much a geek as well, but I would like to mix with a wider variety of people which is why I think I might prefer Rice better. Do correct me if I have any misperceptions! </p>

<p>With regards to reputation and recognition, Carnegie Mellon seems to win because it is more well known internationally. Rankings wise though Rice is 17th and CMU is 23rd in US News rankings, in most other rankings CMU is much higher than Rice in its position. Also, in my country I think more people know about CMU than Rice. xP I guess this matters quite a lot as an international student because I may be finding a job back in my home country, and so the reputation/recognition of the school does matter. So I guess I would like to check: is Rice really well known? Does it have a very high reputation and recognition? Which has a higher brand name actually, Rice or Carnegie Mellon? And does brand name of the university really actually matter when employers make decisions on whether to hire you? </p>

<p>Finally, due to limited finances, I am hoping to do really well in the first year and be able to get a scholarship/bursary/half-full tuition waiver from the university in order to lighten the financial burden for my parents. How possible is this in Rice/CMU? Will I be able to get a scholarship from the university if I do very well in my first year? Or how else then could I get a waiver/earn money for tuition fees? </p>

<p>So sorry for such a long post and the asking of so many questions! I do wish I could visit the universities myself so it could help in making my decision but unfortunately I can't. ))):
I really do hope that you guys can provide some answers for the questions I have and maybe provide advice on which university you think I should choose!</p>

<p>Thank you so so so much!!! Please do help me, your help is greatly appreciated. ((:</p>

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<p>I think that you will be out of luck with either of these schools in regards to getting financial aid in your second year, if you got nothing your first year. You may be able to find outside scholarships.</p>

<p>Both of these schools are known as engineering schools. It’s interesting that your academic pursuits are not related to engineering.</p>

<p>I think you would need to ask CMU (board or school directly) about your ability to take business classes if not accepted into the business school.</p>

<p>At Rice, you’ll be able to take classes both in humanities and business. Rice does not have “pre-professional” degrees, but this does not mean that you would not be prepared to go to grad school (or even into the real world) with a degree from Rice. You will have advisors who will help you in your interests to make sure you are prepared for the next step.</p>

<p>Which school offers the courses of your interests? Are they about even or is one stronger than the other?</p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

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<p>@usahopeful</p>

<p>are you from singapore? xD</p>

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<p>We visited both CMU and Rice…my d decided to apply to Rice but not CMU. To us, Rice has a homier feeling and a very close, collaborative, comraderie among the students which was a very common thread through her entire visit for the 2 days of Rice’s Owl Days. </p>

<p>There’s Rice Village right off campus with shops and restaurants. And Herman park with all the Houston museums is very close too.</p>

<p>Our guess is that both student bodies are intellectual but my d thought the kids at Rice seemed a less “weird”. At CMU there seemed to be a divide between the artsy kids and the technical kids. </p>

<p>And lastly if it matters, Rice has a beautiful campus with much prettier architecture and nicer, newer buildings than CMU. Everyone there was so friendly and approachable:)</p>

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<p>Since you’re an international student, I don’t know if this is different for you, but Rice (and probably CMU, but I don’t know from personal experience) has phenomenal financial aid. Have you heard from them for a financial aid package? I’ll be a freshman at Rice in the fall, and my financial aid is amazing. You should see what kind of grant money they can offer you, if you are in significant need.</p>