<p>I got into both, but I'm torn. I want to do something with economics (and possibly business) and it seems that no matter what I look at UVA has Rice beat. That being said, I also love the other social sciences (sociology psychology etc) as well is literature and art, so I definitely have a liberal arts bend. The small class sizes at rice and the residential college systems also seem awesome (though apparently I have to get on the waitlist for housing =/ ). UVA also seems to have better job placement and overall opportunities, however, I'm not really a frat person and from what I've heard the campus is kind of dominated by frats. I won't be able to visit either school as the payments are due before I'll be done with finals.</p>
<p>Let me tell you that as a native Virginian, I probably don’t know anyone who would choose UVA over Rice. The academics at UVA are great for a public institution and their graduate programs are phenomenal, but for UNDERGRAD Rice is far and away the best choice. Also, Rice has a fantastic liberal arts scene with the Shepherd School of Music, Architecture School, Social Sciences etc…</p>
<p>Also, frat life is HUGE at UVA. Some people try to play it down but I have visited a number of friends at UVA and the frat life dominates the scene. Just seems like for what you are looking for Rice is the obvious choice. Both have beautiful campuses by the way!</p>
<p>One of my good friends here is a NYU transfer, and I know of at least two more! They’re all happy with the decision, but of course this is one of those things that comes down to the individual - where you think you would be the happiest. I will say that Rice has a great network for transfers, and it’s easy to make friends and to integrate yourself into the culture (ex. that first friend I mentioned ended up being president of her college). The econ and math/econ departments here have some strong hiring networks - a lot of people go into consulting because Houston is home to a lot of consulting firms, but that wouldn’t be your only option.</p>
<p>That being said, UVA is a good school, too.</p>
<p>I was deciding between UVA, Vanderbilt, and Rice as a high school senior. I ended up choosing Rice because of how much it focuses on undergrads, because of the residential college system, and because it’s smaller size allows for a more intimate and personal atmosphere/education. It’s where I saw myself as a happier person who was developing in all aspects of life.</p>
<p>Although I can’t speak for UVa, all my expectations (and more) for Rice have held true. Furthermore, Rice social sciences majors have tons of internship and research opportunities. And you would be on the waitlist for housing, yes, but chances are you’ll be able to get on campus for your second semester at Rice, and if that doesn’t happen you’ll be practically guaranteed on campus housing for the remainder of your Rice career if you desire it.</p>
<p>I am also very close to the person silentsailor is describing; she would tell you that the opportunities to take hold of your life, get involved, and do something are just tremendous at Rice, unlike anywhere else (except she would put it more eloquently than I because she’s an English major). She actually founded the Rice Transfer Student Association, and as silentsailor said, became president of her college, as well as several other major things.</p>
<p>As I mentioned in my post to your UVA forum thread, Rice, which is an incredible school, does not have an undergrad business degreee.</p>
<p>^ True story. We have a business minor, but that’s it. I forgot to mention that both schools are excellent. I had a seriously hard time turning down UVa, so don’t regret whatever choice you make as you really can’t go wrong.</p>