<p>I already posted this on the Cornell thread, but I wanted opinions from both sides!</p>
<p>I want to eventually go to Veterinary school, but I'm trying to decide between the biology program at Rice and the animal science program at Cornell. Any suggestions? </p>
<p>Info about the quality of the programs would be great, but also I would like to know more about the general vibe of the two schools. Which students are more down-to-earth? I live in Wisconsin, so I'm used to winter, so would Houston be too much of a change in weather? Any info is helpful!</p>
<p>I suggest that you look at the sticky at the top of this website (100 reasons to love Rice - or something like that…), then do a search and read a lot of the old threads. I think that will answer most of your questions! (p.s. They are wearing shorts and sandals in Houston today… ;))</p>
<p>Both are great schools. Houston might be a bit of a culture shock, but no question the weather is better. I focus on personality issues when the academics are equal. Cornell is much bigger and it is rural. Rice is in Houston, the 4th largest city in the country, but the campus is small and hated. Have you busted either school? You can’t go ring academically. Visit and see which feels right.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the answers! I think I like the feel of Rice’s residential colleges and social scene better, but now that I’m looking closer at their biology program, I’m worried that it doesn’t have enough choices… They only seem to have biochemistry/cell biology or ecology and evolutionary biology. </p>
<p>Is anyone here at Rice interested in studying the life sciences or pre-vet felt restricted by these limited choices?</p>
<p>Also, how horribly hot is it in August? Is it torture just to go outside?? I’m very worried about the humidity!</p>
<p>Overall, the broad opportunities that Cornell provides in the life sciences is the one thing that keeps drawing me away from Rice.</p>
<p>Regarding the major, I will agree that Cornell has a better program for what you are interested in. Then again, you can do basic biology and go to vet school later. You do not have to necessarily decide on a specific discipline and follow it for UG and grad school. Rice will give you the option of trying something different and going for more of a UG experience than just a degree.</p>
<p>As for the weather, it is pretty miserable in August. It is 100+ degrees for a few weeks and is super humid. The rest of the year is nice. It is in the 70’s right now and is pleasant. Cornell is miserably cold and depressing for most of the year though. Definitely picked the two extremes</p>
<p>I have a close family friend who just graduated from Cornell, and I’m a Rice undergrad, so here goes.</p>
<p>Cornell is an INTENSE school. Many classes are graded on curves, the general atmosphere is very intense. Sure, it’s a fun place to be and a great school, but it’s certainly more of a serious environment. Rice is a fun, collaborative environment. This is not to say that Rice isn’t academically rigorous, because it is. However, we just simply don’t have the level of pressure Cornell does. Cornell may be a bit better for your prospective career path, but I honestly don’t know a ton about veterinary sciences.</p>
<p>Ithaca is freezing, Houston is humid. </p>
<p>As far as the weather goes, the first month or so of school is absolutely awful (August 15ish->Middle of September). After that it’s beautiful. It’s 73 degrees outside and I’m in shorts right now. We had outdoor barbecues in February. Being from the Mid Atlantic, the heat wasn’t too much of a shock, and the amazing weather is worth it for the rest of the year. If you’re from Wisconsin, you will probably never have to put on a jacket. I’m not kidding. We had a “snow day” in January when it got to 34 degrees and they thought it might freeze overnight. No snow on the ground the next morning. Take it for what it’s worth. </p>
<p>Rice has an EBio major, which is probably more up your alley than Biochem. Many students majoring in EBio get internships with animal care places in the summer (my friend is working with primates, and another is interning at an Aquarium).</p>
<p>I live in Houston and I just wanted to give you some information about the town.</p>
<p>The weather here is kind of weird. Yesterday it was really hot and humid (which it is a lot), but this morning through part of the afternoon it was kind of cool.
Also, Houston is just big. As one of the biggest cities in the country, there is a lot here yet at the same time nothing at all… I know that sounds confusing but it is true. </p>
<p>In short, be prepared for humidity and traffic.</p>
<p>Rice is a good school though. Don’t rule it out just because of Houston. There are some perks to this city.</p>
<p>Near Rice: outdoor theater, Park, zoo, light rail, really cool museums, golf course, little lake, Rice Village (full of lots of nice places to eat and bars and shops, and walkable from Rice), near the Heights and some charming neighborhoods, fairly close to Reliant stadium, near Opera, Ballet, theater options, across from Largest medical center…
Seems like a lot of cool things in Houston to me - and both my kids loved their time there. (DS had free tickets from Rice to go see the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championships yesterday - how cool is that?)</p>
<p>I have a friend at Rice who wants to become a vet. She was choosing between Rice and Cornell. Even though she likes Rice now, she did thinking about transferring to Cornell because they had more opportunities for undergrads for veterinary sciences. If you are premed, then Rice is the place to be, but I wouldn’t say there are too many vet resources at Rice (you can volunteer at the animal shelter in Houston or a local veterinary clinic). Rice is an excellent university, but unfortunately, course selection and resources are going to be slightly less than larger peer schools like Cornell, Duke, UPenn, etc. I felt the course selection was more limited and resources were less compared to my current institution, Duke. Nevertheless, the small size creates a very close-knit, friendly student body that you won’t find at many other top universities. I initially chose Rice for the social aspects/financial reasons, but I then transferred to Duke because they had a much stronger program in what I wanted to study (environmental sciences). It’s up to you: you got to decide if it is really important to you to have vet resources as an undergrad or not. If not, I would say go to Rice, but it is your decision to make, not ours. Best of luck with your decision!</p>
<p>Thank you everyone for all the responses, but I did decide to go with Cornell. It was very hard to pass up the beautiful weather at Rice and their great collaborative environment, but I think I will in the long run be happier at a place that has animal science. Thank you! :)</p>
<p>Congrats with your choice!!! I understand how hard it is to turn down Rice, because it was extremely hard for me to transfer out of Rice. But there was no wrong choice in your case, and I’m sure you’ll be happy with the animal sciences program at Cornell :)</p>
(p.s. They are wearing shorts and sandals in Houston today…