Can anyone help me decide between Rice vs Michigan for engineering?
I know the schools are very different, but I dont know if I have a preference between big and very small - would’ve actually loved a medium size.
I’m used to cold weather, but I dont know how bad Michigan actually gets and if it ruins the students time at the school or not.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
What type of engineering? Both are excellent choices but are very different in size, locale, weather, etc. Rice does not have the Greek system but is organized around residential colleges instead. Is cost a factor for you? Would the travel expenses to school be substantially different? Can you visit either one or both for admitted student days?
They are both outstanding but very different; you can’t make a bad choice, assuming costs are equal. I think you should do accepted student visits if you can and go where your heart and gut tell you.
Mechanical engineering. I dont even know if I would rather have Greek like or the residential college system! I think it just depends on how much I like the people that I am surrounded by! If I am happy with my friends, it wouldn’t matter if it was in Greek life or not. So maybe my question should be more - what are the people like at Rice? Michigan is big so I assume everyone is different, but with Rice being so small, it’s more important.
Also - how do students handle the Michigan grey winters?
Congrats on the great options! Those were my D’s top 2 choices as well and she choose Rice but it was not an easy decision at all! She flip flopped for weeks and while we totally let it be her decision I was flip flopping in my mind along with her. Some things she did to help her was to make a pro/con list for each. She also had days where she would pretend in her mind she had made her choice and sort of try it on for a day to see how she felt. Not sure any of that was super helpful but’s it worth a shot. It’s a hard choice because the schools are so different but that makes it almost harder to compare them. She loved things about both of them. A couple of thoughts:
How do they stack up financially and are finances a big issue in your decision?
What is the distance from home for each? Does that matter to you? Are both relatively easy to get to? We are much closer to Michigan but it is a longish drive. It’s probably faster and easier for my D to fly to Rice, though there is the cost factor of flights. Having Southwest as an option from where we live in nice because of their flexible cancellation policies and 2 free checked bags.
Have you visited both? We did admitted student days at both which helped my D get a feel for what campus was like at both schools. Both did a great job at these events!
I don’t think weather ruins the time the students have at either campus. Students at both schools love their schools and campuses. You get used to it and deal with whatever you have. Rice will be really hot and humid for the first month of so that you are there and then it gets nicer. Right now it’s perfect (60’s - 70’s) and considering I am looking at snow out my window I’m a little jealous. She says everyone on campus is just so happy when the weather is nice, which luckily is fairly often during the school year. But, summers in Houston are pretty brutal (if you think you ever might stay there - a lot of kids do for one reason or another) and they do get quite a bit of rain during the school year. My D has learned to love the warmer weather and can’t imagine coming back to the cold. In fact, I think Michigan might have dropped on her potential grad school list just for that reason. BUT, that’s just her and if you like everything else about Michigan I wouldn’t let cold winters stop you!
Rice students have an strong affinity for helping other students, especially prospective and new students. You’ll see that if you come for Owl Days. I think that translates into a very, very collaborative environment and a willingness to help after graduation with jobs and advice. But, Michigan has an amazing alumni network that is obviously a lot larger.
Do you have any thoughts on whether you would like to do research or what ever activities you’d like to be involved in during college? If so, are those options at both schools? That’s something you might want to ask other student about at both schools to get honest answers. D could have stayed involved with her sport at Michigan (at the club sport level) so that was a big factor in her decision.
How important are school sports/spirit in your decision? Michigan will totally win out here. D was interested in that big sport atmosphere and football games at the Big House. She’d been to one and knew how much fun that was. Rice is D1 but tiny for D1 standards and sports are less supported by students. Because it’s a smaller school and the way the residential college system works, D knows a lot of athletes on various teams and does support her friends. But she is more likely to go to a volleyball game, soccer game or track meet to cheer on her friends than she is a football game. I think women’s soccer and volleyball might get some of the bigger crowds.
Is Greek life at all important to you? There is no Greek life at Rice. They have the residential college system instead.
You have great options and will get a great education at both. Michigan will give you the traditional Big 10 college experience. Rice has the residential college system which is integral to the Rice experience. Rice is obviously a lot smaller and there are advantages and disadvantages that come with that. Michigan is in a great college town where Rice is in a large city (though campus is very self contained and in a very nice part of town). Kids leave campus for food and to explore Houston. There is one bar on campus for undergrads and it’s student run. There are huge parties and events on campus very frequently throughout the year (google “rice publics”) which translates to the social life is more campus/student centered and not so much “let’s go to the bars” centered like it is at some other schools. D loves that but I assume it’s a negative for some.
Again, you have great options and I am sure you will love whichever you choose. Let me know if you have any questions! Good luck to you!
3 Likes
Rice is super diverse. My D texted me her first week there and said she was having so much fun learning about her new friend’s cultures. She currently lives with a group of 8 kids and they are literally all from different backgrounds. I think Rice works hard to build a diverse student body but they also have an environment that encourages the kids to be “nice”. It’s hard to explain, and obviously it’s not some sort of nice utopia, but the kids are super collaborative and MANY volunteer in many, many ways to help their fellow students.
You will find a variety of kids at both schools.
2 Likes
Congratulations on your fabulous choices. FWIW I consider Rice to be a mid-size university (over 4,000 undergrads plus grad students) rather than a small school (which I generally think of as a LAC with 2,000 - 3,000 total students).
This is a case when two reasonable people could make two different decisions and both be thrilled with their choice. As everyone has noted Rice and UM are both academically excellent but will be very different experiences so, assuming finances are similar for both schools, it boils down to personal preference. Think about what you want for your college years (ex. Greek Life, big time sports, residential house etc.).
If possible I’d try to visit both during accepted student days and hopefully one school will feel right to you. If you can’t visit I’d do things like look at the school newspaper online, read some good college guide books (ex. Fiske, Princeton Review), check Niche, join online accepted student groups etc. to try to get a better feel for the two schools.
1 Like
@happy1 native Houstonian here…I agree, Rice is definitely not considered a ‘small’ school. Campus is fairly large in size (absolutely gorgeous!), D1 athletics. It’s also located in the heart of one of the best locations in town-tucked in the shadow of Rice Village (upscale shopping & eating), Museum District and the Houston Medical Center, minutes from NRG (home to Texans, RodeoHouston).
Not near the size of Michigan, but definitely never considered a ‘small’ school.
1 Like
Both great schools and engineering programs. Michigan will have more to offer as long as small class sizes are not important to you. A wider variety of engineering clubs, the opportunity to take a few classes from the top ranked Ross business school-which many engineering students enjoy. Top sports teams and events which really bring the student body together. Many prominent engineering professors and incredible job opportunities. Strong alumni network. Amazing facilities- the new Ford Robotics building is worth checking out. The weather is cold, but Ann Arbor is one of the top college towns in America so it more than makes up for it and many students will visit nearby ski resorts a few times a year which is fun.
1 Like
Also, yes you are correct in classifying Rice as a small college with @ 4,000 undergrads. Typically up to 5,000 students is considered small, medium 5,000-12,000 or 15,000 and large above that.
Rice has 7,643 total students per the most recent common data set.
1 Like
According to Rice University’s own admission page “Rice is a small community of scholars”. As I mentioned above Rice is @ 4,000 undergrads.
I was presenting a fact from the common data set.
Debating is not allowed on CC so it is time to let the OP decide how to classify the school.
Your reply was misleading as I gave the approximate undergrad student count at Rice and you corrected to include grad students without letting the OP know.
1 Like
Rice has about 1000 per class undergrad but has about 3600 graduate students in many disciplines including those getting MBAs and masters and doctorates in other disciplines. It does not have a medical school or law school.
1 Like
Let’s move on from debating the size of Rice…the OP has sufficient information on that topic.
Actually there’s a piece of relevant information that hasn’t been presented. Not offering an opinion or discussing size, just presenting information.
A year ago, Rice announced that it it would be increasing enrollment by 20% over the next 4 years. To that end they brought in a freshman class of 1226 this year. They will do the same next year. By fall, 2024, their undergrad/grad enrollment will be about 8000 and undergrad will be just shy of 5000.
Just information.
8 Likes
We’re from CA (SF Bay Area). D18 adjusted without an issue, but everyone is different. Cimate change has seemed to help.
There’s so much to do, that various campus events/clubs/Greek life will keep you busy. The basketball team usually makes a run during March Madness and the hockey team is a very big deal too. Michigan is playing in the Frozen Four (final four) beginning next week.