Rice vs. Texas A&M vs. UT

<p>Hey all,
Well, the deadline for selecting schools is coming fast, and I just wanted some of ya'll's input. </p>

<p>I've been admitted to all three schools Rice, A&M, and UT and am planning to major in chemical engineering. Of the three, Rice and A&M's atmosphere stood out to me, (UT was just a little busy for my liking, but I am still considering it due to its strong engineering program), and I have also been accepted to both A&M and UT's honor college. I was wondering which college ya'll would recommend as well as your take on some of the pros and cons of each school. </p>

<p>I’m searching for an answer for this question too, except I’m planning on majoring in electrical/computer engineering.
<a href=“UT/A&M/Rice for Computer Engineering? - State Forums - College Confidential Forums”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/texas-colleges/1637267-ut-a-m-rice-for-computer-engineering.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Have you visited any of the campuses before? Rice’s campus is smaller than those of UT/A&M (corresponding to its smaller population size), and the student populations of UT and A&M are different from each other. Also, the overall campus environments at each of the three campuses are very different from each other.</p>

<p>From what I’ve heard, Rice engineering is “weaker” than the programs at UT and A&M, though it definitely isn’t anything to scoff at. Rice does have more lenient general requirements, so that it offers more academic freedom than UT and A&M, so there’s another factor.</p>

<p>The residential college system at Rice (IMO) is a plus.</p>

<p>In the end, it really depends on the environment you’re looking for, as they’re all quality colleges. Don’t discount the financial costs of attending these colleges, though since you didn’t mention it in your post I figured it wasn’t that big a factor for you.</p>

<p>Tough choice simply because all three are great. Roll a dice. </p>

<p>I did visit all three colleges and I felt that I could see myself both at A&M at Rice. I do come from a smaller private school, but… I feel that I would still be able to find my niche at A&M. But I did decide today that Rice is where I’m going to go for the following reasons: The residential college system seems like an easy way to meet people and have a good time socially, and I’ll look forward to competing under my college’s name in intermurals (the food in these colleges is amazing as well haha), Academic Prestige, (I’m not saying A&M and UT aren’t prestigious, but being accepted into Rice is a little tougher, and thus, generates more recognition and respect within the community as observed from experience), the professor-student interaction (I sat in on Org Chem I at Rice, and while it was a bigger class, the teacher seemed involved with her students and passionate about their success), and the flexibility of their schedules, which you mentioned (For chem engineers at A&M, their curriculum was built to make chemical engineers to succeed in the industry right out of college, especially in the petroleum industry which is where most of them go (which isn’t a bad thing); I may want to go to med school as well as possibly graduate school, so I feel Rice’s curriculum offers me a greater chance to experience different things) It was tough turning down A&M because I did receive some nice scholarships, and it seems to be a great atmosphere for students. But ultimately, the professionalism and the many opportunities that Rice provides involving research/internships within the city of Houston persuaded me to commit to Rice. </p>

<p>Well done. It seems you really considered the many variables needed to arrive at your conclusion.</p>

<p>They are all great schools. However, Rice University is considered a “Southern Ivy” so it probably carries more prestige than UT or A&M</p>