RICE vs MIT

College Search & Selection
1

I am making my college list and am trying to decide my top choice. I’m down to RICE and MIT and I can’t choose. I’ve decided to major in architecture. Both meet my requirements and I don’t care about the environment because I’m used to both. Although money is a bit tight, I don’t want money to influence my choice.
My characteristics are:

  • Science and math nerd
  • at the top of my class
  • good at handling stress most of the time
  • Friendly yet reserved
  • like to keep my amount of friends smaller than the average)
  • love music, visual art, architecture, and badminton (I play flute and piano and enjoy learning to sketch)
  • am in Beta, Mu Alpha Theta (math club), badminton club, STEM club, band, symphonic orchestra

Can y’all please tell me which school would better fit me and why? Also a preview of each school’s undergraduate architecture program would be helpful.

2

You’re putting the cart before the horse. Don’t waste your energy and time contemplating this question. Wait until you’ve received acceptances. This question may be moot. MIT is much more selective and its applicant pool is also overall stronger. Did you apply early to either or both schools? If you applied to Rice early and is accepted, it will be decided for you as its early program is binding. If you didn’t, you should apply to both RD, if they’re your top and 2nd choices respectively.

3

Well, I’m actually just a freshman in high school but I’ve always enjoyed figuring out my future even though it doesn’t always go my way. Even if I decided to change later, it settles my heart down to know even if just temporary. So I’d like to change my question then: If I do get accepted to both schools, which would be better for me? I hope I don’t sound disrespectful.

4

You might be surprised by how much you will change over the next two-three years. When you are a junior, you might have changed your mind because of your own growth.
So, why not keep the two schools as your future targets, get to know them better (visit, do summer camp, talk with graduates, …), but more importantly, enjoy your high school year.

5

@badmintonarchitect The first consideration in making a college list for all students is financial. How will you pay? Since you’re only starting high school, you have some time to talk to your parents about money.

The second consider for students interested in architecture is which undergraduate degree do you want? There are two paths to becoming a licensed architect. 1) An undergraduate Bachelor OF Architecture (BArch) or 2)An undergraduate Bachelor of Arts or Science IN architecture – or anything else PLUS a Master of Architecture (MArch).

Rice offers a 6 year BArch, which is highly rated. Admission is highly competitive. You must submit a design portfolio with your application.

MIT offers a Bachelor of Science in Architecture, and a Bachelor of Science in Art and Design. Both are 4 year programs. I don’t think either requires a portfolio, but you’ll need to check with MIT for details.

With a BS from MIT you could continue on to a MArch at MIT or any other MArch program. Admissions to MIT’s MArch is not guaranteed. The MArch takes from 2 to 3.5 years depending on your undergraduate degree and the MArch program.

There are about 50 BArch programs in the US, in varying degrees of selectivity. Some require portfolios; some, including some of the highest rated, do not.

There are dozens and dozens of BA/BS programs. They usually don’t require portfolios, though a few do. Selectivity varies widely.

You can also get accepted to top MArch programs with a BA or BS in anything, though the time that it takes to complete the MArch is usually shorter with a major in architecture or architecture studies. I can’t stress enough: the variation in time and money is very wide.

Over the next 2-3 years, I’d strongly encourage you to attend a summer career exploration program at a school of architecture. This is a good way to learn what architecture is really all about – both architecture school and architecture in the real world. It’s also a good way to build a portfolio.

6

@momrath, thank you. I do plan to go to a summer program near me next summer and I also plan to take an architectural drafting class that my high school offers. I’m only worried that if I don’t get accepted into Rice’s architectural school, what should I do from there? I haven’t done a portfolio before and don’t know what colleges will expect of us.

@makemesmart, I am a pretty stubborn and ambitious person. I really think architecture will be a good choice for me and I don’t mind the sleepless nights and challenges that I know will happen. As soon as I had considered the choice, it just clicked into my heart like a piece of a puzzle, if you know what I mean.

Thing is that for finance, if I go to MIT, then my parents wouldn’t need to buy a new house because my aunt has a house there but college costs more. If I go to RICE, then they will have to buy a new house although college will cost less. That’s why I said finance wouldn’t affect my choice for it will be around the same.

Could you tell me more about the different degrees? I’ve never thought about that before. Also, if in a few more years I don’t get accepted to either school, what are some other good schools for architecture?

7

Would a drafting class be sufficient for me to learn art? I started taking art lessons this August and it seems as if I will be quitting them because the teacher is not teaching me the basics that I need. I doubt I will be finding another teacher and won’t be taking art classes in school.

8

@badmintonarchitect, I think you need to delve a little deeper into the financial part of the equation. You have some time to do that, but since the choice of degree will impact the cost, you should understand the different degrees, how state residency works and what kind of financial aid may be available.

For both the BArch and BA/BS undergraduate degrees need based aid is widely available. Merit based aid less so.
Funding is available for the MArch but it’s often difficult to predict.

The BArch is generally 5 years. Rice’s is 6, as are a few other schools that offer co-op work plans. The BArch is an intensely architecture focused degree. You won’t have a lot of time to explore other academic disciplines or to participate in a lot of extracurriculars.

As I mentioned, there are about 50 schools of architecture in the US that offer the BArch. Some are art schools, some are tech schools, some are schools within larger universities. You can look at Design Intelligence for a ranking, but as with any college list you’ll need to include reach, match & safety schools.

The BA/BS+MArch can take anywhere from 5 to 8.5 years. There are a lot of variables depending on your undergraduate curriculum and your graduate school. The BA/BS allows for a wider and deeper undergraduate education – more room for experimentation, more time for a traditional undergraduate experience.

There are dozens and dozens of choices for a BA/BS degree, both in architecture and in any other major… A few good BA/BS Architecture programs that you could look at are Michigan, WUSTL, UVA, Northeastern, Cincinnati, Brown, Lehigh. There are many, many others, but that will get you started in learning about the options.

The schools that require a portfolio are looking for design, creativity, presentation and facility with various media, especially drawing. The pieces in the portfolio do not need to be architecture based. Most schools of architecture post detailed information on their websites regarding how to assemble a portfolio.

9

Hi badmintonarchitect -
my daughter is an architect design major (jr. yr) at our state’s largest University… She really likes it. She chose to get a Bachelors in architecture design - and then will most likely pursue a masters down the line. She wants to go to a top school for that.

There are maybe 200 kids in the program total, and 3 of them are from her high school. She took many art classes in high school, including AP studio art and it’s been a help. The other two kids from her high school now in her college program both took many CAD/design technical classes in high school; and those have been a help too.

My point: there’s really no right or wrong on going about this all. Get lots of experience in lots of areas; and take some summer camps. The nice thing about getting a BS in arch design is that the program is slightly flexible, and kids can change majors without too many issues in the first year or two. It’s not quite as focused at a BARCH degree.

10

While it is good to have dreams and ambitions, there is no reason to worry about which is your number one school now while you are a freshman in high school. When you are a junior try to visit both campuses and take a tour. When you are a senior, you will have to decide whether to apply early decision at Rice and/or early action at MIT or regular decision to both. Both schools are extremely selective and only admit a small percentage of applicants. You should also find some target and safety schools with good architecture programs to put on your list also. If you are fortunate to be admitted to both schools, you can compare their offers then. Meanwhile, concentrate on your high school studies and enjoy your time in high school.

11

Rice, unlike MIT, is not an acronym, so not all-caps.

Agree that you are getting way ahead of yourself, worrying about the decision you’ll have to make if you get into both MIT and Rice, when both are massively difficult to get into. Also, your chances of getting into Rice will be significantly greater if you apply ED, but if you get in that way, the decision will already be made.

If you’re a student with the critical thinking abilities necessary for both of these schools, then take a step back and look at the flowchart of decisions you’ll need to make over the next three years. I think you’ll see that you’re skipping way ahead to a decision that you’ll most likely never face. As Momrath pointed out, the question of whether you want a professional BArch program or not will be important in deciding where to apply. (And Rice is indeed one of the very top programs in that category; in addition to the overall quality of the school and program, the preceptorship year is a huge draw.)

Also, your perception of the financial situation, focused as it is on real estate decisions, might really be swerving around the core issue of affordability. Would you get any need-based aid at either of these schools? Run the Net Price Calculators for MIT and Rice (not because they’re your most likely destinations necessarily, but because they will give you a best-case-scenario view of your financial aid prospects - if these fabulously-well-endowed schools aren’t going to give you need-based aid, no place else will either.) Look at the out-of-pocket and have a realistic discussion with your parents about whether you should be pinning your hopes on elite private universities with little (Rice) to no (MIT) merit aid available.

It’s great that you are planning to do a summer intensive. Beyond that, I’d suggest putting your energy into learning more about schools that aren’t super-reaches, that you could still be happy to attend. There are some excellent programs that may be more attainable, both admissions-wise and financially. If a “dream school” works out, great, but identifying those is the easy part. Find matches and safeties to love, and your journey to college over the next few years will be vastly happier and less stressful.

12

Yeah, I agree with the above advice. You’re totally putting the cart before the horse. You have at least 2 years before you start looking seriously at schools, and at your age, that’s a LONG time. Get the best grades you can, and for goodness sake…go do teenager stuff! Just don’t blow anything up, OK? :slight_smile:

13

I agree with the above advice - do a summer program, and talk to the people running that program. They may be biased toward their own program, but they will also have valuable information not only about Rice and MIT, but other options as well. Placing MIT as a backup plan if you don’t get into Rice’s Architecture program is a bad idea, because admission is a long shot for even the absolute best of students.

I would also talk with your parents about where you would be living. If your parents plan to have you live with an aunt at MIT (has the aunt agreed to this plan?) or purchase a home near Rice so you can communte, you might consider the impact that will have on your college experience. College isn’t 100% about studying, it is about experiencing life. There is value in living in the dorms, and participating in campus activities.

14

Thank y’all all! I will try and take y’all advice on this subject. In fact, I’ll be going on a tour of MIT this weekend.

15

Other schools to consider:

Cooper Union in New York City

Cornell University

Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY

Webb Institute on Long Island (Glen Cove) is 100% Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering. Only 104 students = all fulltime. Great employment prospects.

16

@explorer731, I think you may have misread the MIT OPE Code.

Architecture is at the top of the alphabetical list of all majors. An MIT BS in Architecture would be a strong foundation for many fine MArch programs, including MIT’s own. There is, however, no guarantee of admission into MIT’s MArch program.

17

You are a freshman, for goodness sake! You haven’t even gone through one semester of high school, and you have no idea what you will like next year, much less in three years.

More than that - you have no idea what either college is like, nor do you have any idea what attending college is like. In fact, you don’t even know what high school is like.

There is absolutely no point in “choosing a college”, especially one with an acceptance rate of under 10%, since the are most likely not going to choose you. You don’t “choose a college” in your freshman year, and then automatically attend that college when you graduate.

There is absolutely no point in trying to find the best “fit” for you among colleges. At this age, and at this stage in high school, there is no college fit for you, because colleges aren’t set up to teach 15 year olds. That is what high school is for, and that is where you should be putting your focus.

If you think that you want to be an architect, you should be putting your efforts into exploring architecture. Take classes, do extracurricular activities, tour cities, go and intern in an architecture firm. Few kids your age continue to like the same thing through their high school years.

If, in a year or two, you still want to be an architect, then you start plotting out your path. This is where college comes in. However, here is a secret - your path to being an architect could go through any one of dozens or even hundreds of colleges.

The secret to having a great career in architecture doesn’t start by making it your goal to “study architecture at MIT”. If that is your goal, you are most likely going to fail, since you are most likely not going to be accepted to MIT. Your goal should be “be an architect”. There are many paths to achieve this goal, and attending MIT is just one possible one, and one of the paths that you are less likely to take.

So long as you think that “research” is asking a bunch of strangers online to do your work for you, you are unlikely to do well in high school, and your chances of succeeding in a college like Rice or MIT are virtually nonexistent.

If you want a preview of a college program, how about actually checking it out yourself? The information is easily available online. In fact, colleges spend millions making sure that this information is easily available for high school students who may want to attend that college.

18

Both are great overall and for your specific interest. Both are expensive and difficult to get in. If you want to improve your odds of getting in, ED at Rice would help. EA at HYPSM is almost always a waste unless you are hooked. You may end up not getting in either via RD. Rice has merit scholarships so may become more affordable.

Your parents shouldn’t have to buy a house near Rice, it’s a residential college system with guaranteed dorm for 3 years, majority prefers all four years on campus if they get a spot.

No matter MIT or Rice, living on campus as an undergraduate is part of learning and once a lifetime experience.

19

OP can EA MIT and ED Rice at the same time. The only downside is that in the rare event he is accepted to both MIT and Rice in early round he has to give up MIT.

20

Odds of such luck are less than 1%.