<p>Hey all, I'm really agonizing over this decision, and it appears I'm not the only one. I visited all three campuses, and I have to day, I'm impressed with all three. I've also looked at the pros and cons of all three colleges, and they all seem to add up very closely.</p>
<p>Rice:
1) More friendly environment
2) Close-knit society
3) More personal attention from professors</p>
<p>Cornell:
1) Ivy League education/more prestige?
2) Better research facilities (but how much access do I have?)</p>
<p>UT:
1) Dirt-cheap education (it will cost from about $0-$15k/year, depending on scholarships)
2) Well-accepted, good engineering program</p>
<p>What Rice lacks in education rigor, it makes up in the standard of living. I felt more comfortable when I visited Rice than when I visited Cornell, but not by much. And of course, UT is always there. It was a safety school, but it still carries some decent potential.</p>
<p>I want to go to graduate school; this is my main long-term goal. I'd like to go to one of the top institutions for graduate school, such as MIT, Stanford, Berkeley, or Carnegie Mellon. My question is: is it possible to be considered for graduate school at one of these schools with a Rice degree? Or is it a pointless venture with even a Cornell degree?</p>
<p>I'm big on undergraduate research, I come from a small-town high school (although I lived in Austin for elementary school), and I'm hopelessly struck with indecision. What do you all propose?</p>
<p>I assume you’re a Texas guy, if so maybe you want to save your parents the burden of having you so far away, and pick either UT or Rice. Yes there are differences in the programs and the schools, but seems like weighing of the pros and cons of each may not be yielding you a compelling conclusive result, while time and distance from your family is very clear.</p>
<p>I would assume top UT grads would have pretty much the same opportunities for the thereafter that good Rice grads have. (Though I don’t know this). The key then would be to predict whether you will wind up being a top UT grad. Or a good Rice grad.</p>
<p>Rice is a very vigorous school, just to let you know. It does not lack “education vigor.”</p>
<p>And yes, graduate schools know Rice. A Rice degree is well respected by top grad schools. If you do well here and take advantage of the opportunities, you will have a good shot at a top grad school.</p>
<p>I also don’t agree with your statement that Cornell has superior research facilities. Rice’s research programs and facilities are widely available to undergrads, and are top-notch. With that said, though, you have to be able to justify the additional expense of attending one of the private universities. Depending upon your finances and your family situation, the smart move might be to attend UT.</p>
<p>Thanks guys. I guess I underestimated Rice; I might have been biased when looking at Cornell’s curved grading system. Cutthroat grading doesn’t always indicate academic superiority.</p>
<p>My financial situation is pretty well balanced. My parents have offered to cover the private school costs, which would average in at about $18k/year, for both schools. So I haven’t really considered finaid to be a very important factor. </p>
<p>Anyways, thanks for the input, it’s really helped. Graduate school was my main worry, but it doesn’t appear to be a big problem.</p>
<p>You might be interested to know that one of my son’s professors at Rice used to teach at Cornell and she told him that the students at Cornell are more concerned with their grades and the students at Rice are more concerned with learning.</p>