<p>I think I can offer a unique perspective: back in 2008, I got into both of these schools and was in a similar predicament. I’m now a semester away from graduating from UT Austin’s aerospace engineering program (yes, the honors one).</p>
<p>For me, it came down to cost–flat out, Rice is NOT worth the extra money, from an investment standpoint. Indeed, it is lower-ranked (yes that does matter) and Rice will not get you a better salary–UT has better career-oriented resources and a wider footprint among prospective employers. Rice is, no doubt, a BEAUTIFUL campus, and like you, I felt I wouldn’t get along well at a 50,000-student school. Three years later, I can tell you that school is what you make it–UT can offer you as anonymous or as personalized an environment as you wish to make it; perhaps at UT, you just have to try harder not to blend into the crowd of students.</p>
<p>Don’t sweat the honors program–it’s a joke; I don’t even list it on my resume, because UT doesn’t require anything special from its “honors” engineering students. It’s a meaningless title. As far as research, I’m sure there are great opportunities at both schools–at UT, it’s not hard to become involved, although paid undergraduate research is elusive; “research” mostly means doing grunt work on your own time for a professor. As far as the “great deal of well-paid job offers,” that’s not a given ANYWHERE, but UT is as good a place to put on your resume as any (outside of MIT/Stanford/Caltech, perhaps), and I can tell you that with a high GPA comes opportunity. It’s got an extensive alumni network, so you’re much more likely to meet a Longhorn fan than an Owls fan in the professional/recruiting world. I’ve had coworkers from Rice–they’re great people, but it’s sort of sad knowing that they pay three times as much in tuition to end up in the same place…</p>
<p>If you’re concerned about the rigor of the programs at either school, well, you probably should be. I’ll likely graduate with a 3.8+, but it’s a LOT of work; it’s not uncommon for people here to pull all-nighters, so if you want sleep, don’t try to graduate early (that was my mistake!). I’m sure it’s hard at both schools, and when you choose engineering for a major, well, you’re choosing a much more difficult path than nearly any of your peers. Personally, although UT has afforded me a couple engineering internships and an engineering job here on campus, I’m defecting to the financial sector this summer and am rather excited at the prospect of getting away from engineering altogether–it’s really for the people who love it unconditionally.</p>
<p>So, my vote = UT Austin. Rice is great (and congrats on your acceptance), but it’s just not worth the money in my book, and certainly not worth the debt. Let us know what you choose.</p>