<p>I am planning to magor in Bio/Bio eng/Premed and didn't get any scholarship (previously this was my deciding factor). Is there any big difference between these schools apart from the tution fee?
Appreciate any input from current students/alumni/parents.</p>
<p>Both are really great schools and are comparable academically. I have heard that Wash U is very cutthroat-competitive for premed, though, so you might want to check that out. I think the main difference is the vast research/internship opportunities you could have at Rice since it is located next to the largest medical center in the world, with 13 hospitals, 2 medical schools, etc. The opportunities are endless and there is a wonderful collaboration between the institutions and Rice.</p>
<p>There's a thread in the General forum about this... just ignore the parts about Northwestern :)</p>
<p>This is a fairly commonly asked question. One of my closest friends at Rice transferred from WashU last year, and he loves the social atmosphere at Rice so much more; he says that it's so much less cliquish because of the college system, and that people go out and do stuff on Friday nights a lot more often. He's also been a lot more able to take an active role in college government and all that jazz.</p>
<p>i'm graduating w/ my BS bioeng next month. i gotta say that Rice's bioe is an awesome program. really does well in preparing you for the next level. don't know much about WashU other than that it's at least $10k more in sticker price and therefore, for a slightly lower ranked bioe program, you'd be paying a lot more.</p>
<p>if you plan on doing research, it's probably way easier to get that here because of the size of the UG population.</p>
<p>houston's also an awesome city if you venture beyond this lively campus and so i think if you're deciding between the two, i'd pick Rice w/o a question.</p>
<p>Our S2 is looking at the same decision (although not premed--just anticipating bioengineering). We are originally from St. Louis and he loves the city. BUT, he thought WUSTL was more preppy and fratty than he'd like. </p>
<p>Rice's residential colleges are the real thing, while WUSTL is still working to get theirs clicking. (Plus, Rice is quite a bit smaller to begin with, which is good or bad, depending upon your viewpoint.)</p>
<p>So too, the impression that he had is that engineering is more central to the school at Rice. Despite a strong program and history, it seems to be swimming against the tide at WUSTL. </p>
<p>Finally, St. Louis v. Houston. If you don't go to medical school, the local recruiting is going to be much better in the bigger, more economically vibrant city.</p>
<p>Bottom line though, is that you won't go wrong at either school. Although I've emphasized the reasons he is leaning toward Rice, S2 will be doing OWL Days and if he doesn't have a great vibe on that visit, he will revisit WUSTL before making a final decision. (WUSTL does have one big advantage for him--you can occasionally get real winter weather there!)</p>
<p>Good luck. You have two great choices, which is a fantastic position to be in.</p>
<p>pianogirl and stevedad -- I assume you've seen this info about bioeng at Rice already, but just in case I thought I'd give you the link: <a href="http://cohesion.rice.edu/Engineering/bioe/emplibrary/Translational%20Bioengineering%20at%20Rice.pdf%5B/url%5D">http://cohesion.rice.edu/Engineering/bioe/emplibrary/Translational%20Bioengineering%20at%20Rice.pdf</a></p>
<p>i want to go into econ/business, and i really like both schools</p>
<p>can anyone compare academic quality/job opportunities for that? thanks!</p>
<p>im premed too, and i didnt apply to washu, but i kinda feel like washu is waay more competitive and not as fun as rice, and its a little overrated in my opinion</p>
<p>rice, on the other hand, i think would have a much better environment for ur undergrad experience, and i actually think its way underrated... so go figure</p>