<p>Alrite my fellow Rice peeps (jk btw) :), convice me to attend Rice over Cornell, NW, and the U of Chicago. All opinions are welcomed.</p>
<p>Rice has better weather, smaller classes, cheaper price tag, more student faculty interaction, the texas medical center, and me! What more could you want?</p>
<p>Visit all four in February. Unless you are a penguin it should take you about 4 seconds to decide.</p>
<p>i'm going to rice.. and i havent even visited the campus yet.. but have you seen pictures?? Rice = GORGEOUS!!! that won me over. plus the lower tuition, smaller classes (supposedly right?) and really nice weather (nice as in hot). those other schools are gonna have some pretty intensely cold winters</p>
<p>Academically, these are all top colleges, so there is no point in going into that. However, you will be spending 4 years of your life there, and here is why I think Rice is a better place to do that at:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Residential College System: I am a huge fan of this, it really fosters a huge sense of community and healthy competition, without having the exclusivity of frats.</p></li>
<li><p>Size: small, you will get to know everybody in your class and everybody in your college at least.</p></li>
<li><p>Weather: All those every colleges you were accepted at, during winter, think big coats and lots of freezing. At Rice? On a winter day you still see people walking around in flip-flops.</p></li>
<li><p>Price! Rice is like 10k cheaper than those other schools, trust me, your parents will appreciate that.</p></li>
<li><p>The students. At some of those schools, such as Chicago, the students do have a reputation for being quite a bit snobby. Rice attracts smart students that don't try to be elitist and brag about how smart they are. </p></li>
<li><p>Fun! I know this has caused some controversy on this board, but, I am a fan of Rice's loose alcohol policy, their unique party traditions and such.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>
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The students. At some of those schools, such as Chicago, the students do have a reputation for being quite a bit snobby. Rice attracts smart students that don't try to be elitist and brag about how smart they are.
[/quote]
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<p>I am not too fond of that generalization; intellectual snobbery can be found at every top school, though Rice arguably has the least.</p>
<p>Small, but not too small. (including grads about 5000). Lots of opportunities in the surrounding community for fun (ethnic restaurants, zoo, park, museums, reliant stadium, light rail just out front). Great faculty /student (1:5) ratio so more profs in your field of interest.</p>
<p>I think I would like to go to Rice (I also got into Chicago and Cornell), but how is Rice's national/internation reputation and grad school placement? Also, how hard is it to get into Houston without a car (for concerts, plays, etc.)?</p>
<p>It's easy to get to lots of stuff, including live theater, ballet, opera, movies, clubs, astros games, texans games and more via the light rail system, which is free for students. There is also a lot to do in walking distance (Rice Village, Museum District, Hermann Park, etc).</p>
<p>
[quote]
how is Rice's national/internation reputation and grad school placement?
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</p>
<p>In terms of Law Schools, I know numerous individuals who have gone on to Top 15 institutions.</p>
<p>You know of all those fine institutions, if I were you (which obviously I'm not but if I was) I would decide between U of Chicago and Rice. As a response to other people's negative reaction to coldness...HELLO that's what layering helps to accomplish. Actually those are the two schools I'm deciding between..so I may be a little biased lol. However I'm leaning towards Rice because I love the sense of community coming from a small high school. At U of Chicago, Cornell, and Northwestern, the student body is large and impersonal. Of course it depends what your social values are. Academically, they are all great</p>
<p>Rice is smallish, but twice the size of most LAC's. Good sized. Re: academics. Rice is very flexible with changing majors, double majoring etc. NW has frats/ U Chicago has a core curriculum that is required, Cornell is... well, a mix of lots of things. Other Rice pluses: Music school, fun traditions.</p>
<p>I can really relate to what you are going through Dog87! I also got into NW and I got into NYU & Brown, and I got wait-listed to Columbia. Right now, I seriously leaning towards Rice and Brown. </p>
<p>Are you going to visit NW on the 18th-19th for their "Preview"?</p>
<p>Oh Dog87! You do have quite a decision! Congratulations! I have to agree with bluedaisy1234. To go to Rice or be one of the "Chicago Boys". "Go West young Man!"</p>
<p>Thanks jenskate1 for the information on the light rail system. That is a major relief, because I had read that mass transporation in Houston is virtually nonexistant. Whew!</p>
<p>Dog, I think it's interesting how we're choosing between the same schools (except you got into NU while I was waitlisted). :)</p>
<p>Well, Houston is a very car dependent city, and the light rail system only has one line. It doesn't go everywhere, and certainly not to anywhere off the beaten path. It's not anything like NYC's mass transit. However, my point was that the light rail will take you to lots of cool places. And it runs right by Rice, which is convenient. Houston also has a comprehensive bus system, which is free for students, but it's doesn't run on a very steady schedule, and it take a long time to get anywhere by bus.</p>
<p>ElectronicError where in MA are you from? There is nothing in the world like the T, but you can survive with or without car. My D has a car and is seriously considering not taking it! Her parents would have just about died going off to college without a car.</p>
<p>There is also a shuttle on weekends from Rice to Target /grocery store, I believe. There are also enough kids with cars to share rides to places you can't get to with public transport, feet or bikes.</p>
<p>I'm from the Boston area ricemom so I've definitely grown to appreciate the T. I don't think that I will have a car at Rice, hence all my annoying questions on transportation, haha.</p>
<p>I am familiar with Boston. Sent you a PM.</p>