I am choosing between Rice and Notre Dame and I have no idea which to pick. My family went to Notre Dame, but I think that I might fit in better at Rice. However, I could definitely find people that I would like at both. I’m not studying business or science or engineering. I didn’t get the chance to do an overnight or admit day at either school.
Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated!
Have you even set foot on either campus?
@Youdon’tsay I’ve been to Notre Dame several times over the years and did a tour when I was looking at schools. I was scheduled to go to an admit day at Rice, but there was a situation with my family right before. I did get to go to a local admitted student reception for Rice and had a great time.
Rice is definitely not the same as Notre Dame. You’ve got more than a week; any chance you can get there on just a regular day, not an admitted students day? I know others who are doing that because of the cancellation earlier this week of the big Rice event due to rain.
Notre Dame is more well-known
Nobody here can predict which school you will “fit in better” at, especially if you have never visited Rice to offer your impression of the school.
You are familiar with Notre Dame. You think you would like another school better. You liked the kids at Rice. Trust your feelings. Rice is a great school too. Be happy.
Go to Rice. Known for a great student body and excellent academics.
Are the costs the same?
Which is closer to home?
Rice and Notre Dame are close peers.
Differences:
Weather – Hotter heat and little or no snow or ice in Houston; colder cold in South Bend and rarely triple-digits or mid-90s with awful humidity.
Culture/Environment – South Bend could be described as suburban, while Houston is a large city and metroplex. There are invariably more opportunities for cultural enrichment in Houston – museums, fine dining, concerts, opera, etc. – than South Bend. Chicago, however, is not too far away from Notre Dame.
Dorms/Living arrangements and social scene
Academic strengths (though both are very good overall, they do have different strengths)
Much bigger sports scene (and sports culture) at Notre Dame. Rice does have a top baseball program, but overall there’s no comparison.
Just in case you aren’t aware ND has curfews. The opposite sex has to leave the dorm by midnight during the week and 2am on weekends. They also don’t have air conditioned dorms and none of their dorms are coed. Is Rice like this?
I would say South Bend is more on the rural side vs. suburban. Chicago is 2 hours away - that’s not close. If the town is important to you then Houston definitely beats South Bend.
Also, South Bend get’s really bitter cold in the winter. 18 degrees is common… and the campus is much larger than Rice - 11k students vs. 3k so you are outside quite a bit more walking between classes.
Another thing that may be important to you is how close the airport is. O’hare is 2-3 hours away and Houston’s airport is within a 1/2 hour from Rice.
@newjersey17 Actually about half of ND’s dorms are air-conditioned, and in some of the older dorms without AC they have study rooms and lounges that are. Also, I would hardly characterize South Bend as rural. As far as airports go, yes Midway and O’Hare are 2+ hours away, but there is a regional airport in SB about 10 minutes from campus. Many of my daughters’ friends fly in and out of SB.
My D stayed at ND for two weeks in the summer and there wasn’t any air conditioning in her dorm. She didn’t like that. 
Thank you for telling me that other dorms have it. Interesting! Yes, SB has a regional airport but it costs more. Some students aren’t aware that an international airport is far away and it can be a cost factor.
To be honest my D liked ND more than Rice but she disliked NDs town so she would have picked Rice over ND. However, WashU beat her to it. WashU has the best of both Rice and ND. She didn’t think she’d get into WashU. So that was a surprise.
However she will probably go through this all over again when she has to pick grad schools. So her favorites are WashU, Rice and ND. They are all great choices.
It’s a personal choice. If it were my decision, I’d pick ND.
@cantdecide12345 which university did you choose?