<p>Rice vs. Ivy
I plan to major in engineering and have to give an answer soon (within a week) due to athletic recruiting. I have been offered a spot at Rice and a spot at a major Ivy league and realize am lucky to have options. I am from the south so would be closer to family if I attend Rice. The money is somewhat close to the same, but definitely better package is from Rice. I am so torn and am interested in advice from others, especially others who have been in my shoes (or their parents) and chosen Rice or chosen a major Ivy having come from the south. I am naturally introverted/shy and do not make friends easily, do better having shared activity like sports. Some of my friends say I am crazy to not just choose the Ivy, but I picture being homesick or feeling out of place there. I spent 2 nights visiting on campus and did not feel at home. At Rice, I felt more comfortable--but I realize deciding based on 2 nights on campus is not much information for a major decision. Other friends say Rice is the way to go b/c the package is better and the engineering is great, plus I would get to live with or near other athletes, unlike at Ivy.</p>
<p>PROS: RICE
Athletes room together/near each other = more cohesion (at Ivy they do not)
There was camaraderie and a sense of fun at Rice
Engineering is very strong major there--great for jobs in Texas
Near home (1 hour quick flight or 1/2 day drive)
More kids who are smart but are also southerners are at Rice
Jobs in Texas after graduation (I am from the south and may want to settle here)
Easier to land internship in my hometown (this is an assumption--not sure if it's true)</p>
<p>CONS: RICE
Name is not as big as the Ivy
Humidity in Houston + Smog/pollution in Houston (not great for my sport)
Have worked incredibly hard in h.s. and have a shot at the "best" (Ivy)--Rice is not same caliber
I would be there as a recruited athlete, so certain responsibilities and pressures beyond academics
Lots of kids have cars/live off campus</p>
<p>PROS: IVY
I love the coach - a really nice person
It is one the most recognizable names
One of my parents is from that part of the country/have family within a few hours
It is not in Houston
It might be easier to make good grades in engineering courses there
Degree may ultimately be worth more (income/grad school admission) than Rice?
Most kids live on campus and do not need cars</p>
<p>CONS: IVY
Would not live with other athletes so would have to work harder to make friends
I did not feel comfortable w/ the kids I met (the other athletes)--different cultural background (they were from the northeast/prep school/etc.)
Kids did not seem as carefree, relaxed, happy--but I only met a handful
Far from home (3.5 hour flight)
Cold weather/short, dark days in winter (I am used to sunshine)
It might be harder to find a job in my home state (in the south) with a degree from Ivy than from an elite southern school like Rice--anyone know if this is true?
Harder to find summer internship in my home town from Ivy than from Rice--true?</p>
<p>I know this defeats the purpose of your calling it ‘Ivy’, but which school is it? There are large differences in campus, weather, strength of engineering etc. between them</p>
<p>Regarding this portion of your post, I think a gut feeling is as good as any towards making a decision. </p>
<p>There is no bad decision here (atleast that I can tell given the limited info). One might be slightly better than the other objectively but not enough to conclusively and definitively say that you should pick Ivy over Rice or vice versa. Go with the place that you think will make you happy - you will not regret it.</p>
<p>I’m a Rice bioengineering grad now in graduate school with other bioengineers from Yale and Harvard. Can’t speak for Princeton, but frankly I run circles around the other two in terms of general design knowledge and practical engineering considerations. Not trying to brag, but I’m just not impressed with their programs. Rice’s engineering program is very fun, DIY, and hands-on (see the Rice youtube channel for example team projects).</p>
<p>FWIW I also turned down a few ivies for Rice. No regrets. At a top-10 school for grad school now and can definitely say that I’d still prefer the Rice undergrad experience.</p>
<p>Can someone address this “con” listed for Rice by the OP:</p>
<p>RICE:
Lots of kids have cars/live off campus</p>
<p>I thought that most kids live on campus except for 1 year? I realize the on-campus percentage might not be as high as HYP…but my impression of Rice was that you didn’t need a car and that most students do live on campus.</p>
<p>Anonymous: Rice is part of Conference USA. You will be competing against N. Texas, Memhis, MTSU, UNC - Charlotte, etc. I bring that up because these schools, while fine schools in their own ways, are not in Rice’s league academically. Make sure your coach will truly allow you to be a full time engineering student. What I mean is make sure he will allow you some slack for the occaisional late afternoon lab, that he is efficient with his practice times, and when you travel out of town to Charlotte or Memphis the team doesn’t take excessive amounts of time to travel. I think you can discern this by looking at your potential future teammates majors, and whether and who receives academic awards such as Academic All-American. Another question to ask is what are the graduates doing 1, 5, 10 years out?</p>
<p>You will only be an athlete for 4 more years, best case.</p>
<p>Best of luck to you. You have some exciting options. I think that whichever option you choose, if you work hard at it, understand that there WILL be emotional troughs, you will have an amazing experience.</p>
<p>The cars portion is true - unfortunately, Houston is a total sprawl and getting around pretty much needs a car. I didn’t have one myself but a couple of roommates and friends had cars and we just rode with them for dinners etc.</p>
<p>A lot of people (including upperclassmen) live on campus. Not sure where the OP comment is coming from on this.</p>
<p>anonymousgal - Go with your “gut” feel about which school you think you would fit in. I have 2 kids at Rice that had great offers from other schools. They probably would have done well anywhere but they really liked Rice. At Rice, you have a built in family with the residential college system. Most kids want to live on campus unless they get bumped off (you’re guaranteed 3 years on campus). They have no problem getting around campus and Houston since they always have friends with cars. They also are involved in a club sport and still manage to get good grades. They’re both in engineering program although the one that is in BIOE has lots of projects.</p>
<p>I have lived in Houston for half of my life, and I have never seen/smelled/witnessed any major pollution. Either way, at Rice, it feels like you are in a secluded, green environment -There are so many trees! It feels fresh.</p>
<p>Rice provides public transportation passes for travel around Houston (passes and rail). Bicycles are efficient as well.</p>
<p>There is a lot of off campus housing very near Rice that does not necessitate a car.</p>
<p>Rice is awesome for engineering. However if you read the athletics forum on CC, you will find that most D1 coaches are going to frown on that choice, and or you may find that you yourself have to make the choice… team or major. Do you have a sport that conflicts with the end of the semester?</p>
<p>Keep in mind that right now, you don’t have a guarantee of choices… wait for that letter of acceptance :-).</p>