<p>I know it's very difficult to compare schools like this, but i just wanna know...
US news ranks Rice along with UCLA at 19th in the Engineering department. UT-A is much higher (at 11) - moreover, i'm an in-state student.
For the record, i also got into Purdue(it's ranked 8th by US news).
I don't understand why the more famous universities are ranked lower; I'm not going to go only by the rankings, but they are making me hesitate in choosing Rice.
I'd like to know which university is more respected; being an Indian, I know that there will be more people like me at UT-A and UCLA than at Rice (which is a rather small university). However, Rice does have a rather sizeable undergraduate Asian population, and I do believe the quality of life at Rice is higher (according to Princeton Review). I didn't manage to make a visit to any of the schools' campuses, and I won't be able to either.
It's a very tough decision to make. I didn't really picture myself coming up with a School X vs School Y thread, but this tough situation has left me with few other choices. I would really appreciate your inputs.
PS. I think Rice is the front-runner for now.</p>
<p>Go to Rice! Engineering rankings are not of GREAT value.</p>
<p>Rice...all the way!</p>
<p>The reason UT's engineering program is ranked so highly is the faculty quality. UT has the 4th highest number of faculty in the National Academy of Engineering after only MIT, Stanford, and Berkeley. Even on a percentage basis, it has a greater % of faculty with this honor than Rice. In fact, nearly all of UT's academic programs are ranked much higher than Rice. Remember, the USNWR overall undergrad rankings don't evaluate faculty quality at all.</p>
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Remember, the USNWR overall undergrad rankings don't evaluate faculty quality at all.
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<p>Actually, that is allegedly what the Peer Assessment score is for, and it counts for a quarter of overall ranking and ALL of engineering ranking.</p>
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Rice...all the way!
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:D :D :D</p>
<p>JWT86, I agree with you that Austin is better in engineering, it's a great program with tremendous faculty, but we're talking about undergrad here. I think Rice's small environment would be great for an undergraduate education. I'd go with Rice.</p>
<p>What kind of engineering are we talking, b/c Rice certainly has areas in which it is very strong (electrical, computer, bio) and areas of relative weakness (e.g., civil, which only graduates a handful of students each year now). UT has more breadth and probably has stronger faculty & resources across the board, but Rice is certainly no slouch in its areas of engineering strength.</p>
<p>I'm looking mainly at computer engineering or Aerospace maybe...i'm not too sure what I wanna do :-P. I applied to the Aerospace Dept at Austin, but I do believe that I can change my major later on.
I know Rice gives a great undergrad experience, but some people have told me that being an undergrad in engineering from Austin looks better than coming from Rice. Of course, if I do plan on going to grad school, it may not make much of a difference (I am deeply confused about everything right now...)
I don't think UT considered me for any scholarships because I haven't yet filed the FAFSA (that's due to some complications...I plan to apply for aid)
Thanks guys, you really have helped confuse me further! :-)
Please don't stop!</p>
<p>bump..........</p>