Rice vs UVA [bio[medical] engineering]

DD accepted to Rice University and UVA ( in-state) for Bio Engineering (Her choice of major for now is Bio Engineering/BME, but she is open to changes - definitely interested in the intersection of Bio and Tech/Informatics , Med school is an option too but not completely decided/set her mind on it ) . She has loved Rice from a while , for having the best of everything including higher ranking/prestige, small class size more individualized attention, the collaborative student body, proximity to the medical hub of Houston including Texas Medical center. The only con for us is the distance as we are Northern VA residents and of course the cost of attendance) . UVA has been her top choice public so far, a good overall school, in state and nearby to us.

Thoughts/feedback much appreciated. If there are any who had experienced similar dilemma in the past, please share your thought process. Any previous owls/wahoos - would love to hear from you as well.

No one can give you very meaningful feedback unless you define the cost difference and how impactful it will be on your family.

Your daughter is going to college. So that you are an hour away vs a flight should not be (imho) a reason to choose a school. We all need to let them go.

Now. Rice COA is 74k and uva is 45k. So roughly 120k if inflation at each school is the same (and you are full pay with no merit at Rice).

That’s a lot of $ that could pay for grad school.

Don’t know much about the major but US News says Rice is 11 and UVA is in other schools…they rank 13 and list 20 more.

If she may change majors, you may look at ability to change majors at each school and do they offer other majors of interest? You mentioned informatics so would she easily be able to transition in ?

Good luck

My D22 just had the exact same choice, except we are from TX so the location issue was reversed. Full disclosure: I’m a UVa alum who’s been singing the praises of Cville for her whole life. Both are obviously outstanding in many different areas - I’m not as familiar with eng/bio specifically, as D22 is interested in religious studies and sociology as potential majors. But she’s open to lots of things, so flexible curriculum and ease of changing major were a big factor. It’s slightly easier at Rice, with very minimal distribution requirements and no separation between different schools within the university. A poster on another thread has a story about a Rice student who changed majors five times, starting from humanities and settling in mech e. The two schools definitely have a different vibe also. UVa is preppier and Greek life is a noticeable presence, whereas Rice has a slightly nerdy vibe and the residential college system puts every student into a prearranged community.

In truth, financial aid was the primary deciding factor for us. We are not full pay, with a FAFSA EFC of 35k. Net cost at UVa OOS: 53k. Net cost at Rice: 18k. D22 liked both - I think she had a slight preference for UVa if the money had been equal, but with a 35k delta per year (which would have required significant loans), Rice was an easy choice for her. And after attending Owl Days and talking with lots of students and faculty, I will say that the level of financial support at Rice for student projects, internships, summer enrichment, study abroad, etc. is truly impressive. I doubt that any state school, even UVa, could hope to match that.

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My D is a junior bioengineering major (global health technologies minor) at Rice. She LOVES it! It seems like you have a good understanding about Rice and the setting/environment so I won’t bother listing all the things she loves, which are many of the things you listed. The residential college system ranks at the top of my daughter’s list!

Kids at Rice change majors a bit that first year or so but once things settled down I THINK my daughter’s class has less than 40 BioE’s in it. It’s a small class. That group takes a lot of their major classes together and has gotten to know each other really well. They get together socially occasionally and alot of the kids have created study groups as well. My daughter has a group of maybe 5 other students who she meets with weekly to go over homework in their shared classes. When Rice talks about it’s collaborative environment, they are not kidding! Because it’s a small department she has gotten to know the core faculty really well and they are very approachable and supportive.

My daughter expected to do research when she entered Rice and many BioE’s do. It’s not hard to do there at all. But covid delayed that a bit for her and then when she could again she had gone a different direction. She did an on-campus internship one summer where they designed medical devices for low resource settings working with students and staff in Malawi and Tanzania. She really enjoyed it and continued to work on her project as an independent design project this year for credit. The support she’s gotten from Rice has been amazing. There are several staff and faculty members that meet with her and help her on a regular basis and Rice got her a sponsor who pays for supplies that she needs. The experience she’s gotten has been great and she’s learned so much. My husband was an engineering major at a highly ranked school and says the practical skills and knowledge she has gained at Rice is WAY beyond what he learned.

As for the distance, we live in Wisconsin so it’s a long ways from home. The good thing about Rice is the kids are from ALL over the place so being far from home is not unusual. About 10% of the students are international and another 50% are from out of state, many from fairly far away. My D comes home for holidays/big breaks (they do a 4 day weekend each semester) and we go visit once a semester. But, if your child wants to stay on campus, many people do so she won’t be alone. For instance, my D always comes home for Thanksgiving but many of her friends stay and make their own dinner together instead. We have discovered a love for Southwest since you can have 2 free checked bags per person and they have a flexible cancellation policy. With a direct flight she can get home pretty easily and quickly. She was able to fly in one night this fall for a funeral the next day and fly out after to get back for an event she wanted to attend.

Cost is definitely a factor. My D could have gone to our highly ranked state flagship too which would have been less money for us. But she just felt a connection to Rice. In the end we decided we wanted her somewhere they not only offered her great opportunities but where she would feel comfortable taking advantage of those opportunities. For her that was Rice.

Let me know if you have any questions about Rice or the BioE department! Good luck in getting the decision made. Your D has great options!

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Thank you for your detailed feedback and sharing your experience. Really appreciate it.