<p>I was admitted to Rice and Yale and am in the fortunate position of making a choice between these two schools. I am mostly looking for advice based on academics. Both schools offered me similar FA.</p>
<p>I'm planning to major in chemical engineering, but there's a chance that I will switch my major. I did have some math/science EC's in high school, but nothing that really introduced me to the depth of an engineering major.</p>
<p>I'm also interested in creative writing, which was my main extracurricular in high school. Yale has one of the best English departments in the world, which is a strong attraction for me. However, its engineering department is weaker compared to Rice's.</p>
<p>I would appreciate any advice :)</p>
<p>Ultimately, it won’t matter. However, many chemical engineers at Rice go into the oil industry. Not sure about Yale chem E’s, not sure what is on the east coast for chemical engineering. If you can figure this out, you might have a difference between the two schools based on what kind of industry you want to work in.</p>
<p>my residential college is better than your residential college. la la la la</p>
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<p>rice’s engineering is better as you mentioned, so that gives it a pretty big leg up…
overall, i’d take rice because of the engineering, but im probably biased because im strongly considering going there.
anyway, the prestige factor is obviously huuuuge for yale but idk. i’ve picked against the classic “prestigious” schools every step of the way, but thats just me… i know it really matters a lot to some people.</p>
<p>they’re both awesome schools and i bet you’d be happy at either one, but rice may be the better choice in my opinion, because of its specific strength in your major.</p>
<p>besides that, they’re both great academically (albeit in different disciplines), so your decision could probably come down to something else. have you visited either school? I only visited rice, but i can tell you from experience thats its a really awesome campus.</p>
<p>USNWR Major Research University Overall Rankings
3… Yale
17. Rice</p>
<p>NRC ChE Graduate School Rankings
31. Yale
45. Rice</p>
<p>USNWR ChE Graduate School Rankings
23. Rice
41. Yale</p>
<p>I’ll be a freshman at Rice in the fall, so mine won’t exactly be an unbiased reply…haha</p>
<p>If I were in your particular situation, I’d choose Rice. Why? You’d have the ability to major in chemical engineering at a school with one of the best engineering programs in the country, and you’d still be able to try out for the Thresher or the Campanile to fulfill your desire to write. The option to start a creative writing club or contribute to a literary magazine would always be there as well. </p>
<p>Good luck to you as you make your final decision and congratulations on your acceptances! :)</p>
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<p>I’m in the same position as the OP, although more inclined to choose Yale, since I would be paying $1,600/year instead of $12,500/year at Rice (all need-based aid). I’m pretty sure I want to be an engineer, so I’ll probably end up at grad school. With that being said, I think I’ll like Yale more, in terms of undergraduate life and the small size of the school that fosters close contact. But I think I’m still a bit undecided about my feelings overall 
Northwestern is lingering in the corner too…</p>
<p>If you’re certain about ChemE, I’d choose Rice…being located right in Houston for ChemE jobs cannot be overlooked.</p>
<p>Yale if you aren’t 100% certain on ChemE.</p>
<p>Interestingly, Yale and Rice may have different focus in their ChemE departments. Assuming most ChemEs end up in oil industry may not be too accurate with the shifting focus of the area.</p>
<p>[Chemical</a> and Environmental Engineering | Yale School of Engineering & Applied Science | New Haven CT](<a href=“http://www.seas.yale.edu/departments-chemical-chemical-undergraduate.php]Chemical”>http://www.seas.yale.edu/departments-chemical-chemical-undergraduate.php)</p>
<p>[Rice</a> University - Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering - Home Page](<a href=“http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~che/]Rice”>Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering | Rice University)</p>
<p>Thanks for the responses. I’m not set on chemical engineering. However, if I do graduate with an engineering degree, I would like to look for a traditional engineering job.</p>
<p>Many HYP engineers seem to go into consulting/finance, but I have no interest in those fields. I think that’s my main concern in majoring in engineering at Yale. I’m not sure how well I’ll do with placing into a traditional engineering job.</p>
<p>^ If your plan is to study engineering and work as an engineer, I’d choose Rice.</p>
<p>
ChemE has become much more broad. It is now considered more generally “process engineering” and recently has incorporated more biology/biochemistry into the studies…hence a lot of department name changes to Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.</p>
<p>Yale. Rice is a great school. If cost were an issue I think you’d have more to weigh. No matter what you pursue, you’ll love Yale. If you are a Texan and considering location, you might weigh Rice more heavily…but there are TONS of Texans at Yale.</p>
<p>
you’re… 18?. You know this, how? Seriously, you have no clue what you’ll want to do in four years. Being any form of Engineering from Yale gets you a fast track into many financial jobs. I’ll bet most of the current Banking, college Engineering grads thought they’d for SUUURREEE have a traditional Eng. job when they were 18.</p>
<p>Anyway, to answer your question, I don’t see a lot of difference between a ChemE program ranked in the twenties vs. the thirties or fourties. I do see a very large difference in the quality of the English, and several other departments at Yale. All that to say that even if you were certain of your degree and career path, Rice is not substantially better than Yale in ChemE. If it were Berkeley or Stanford v. Yale in ChemE, different discussion.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies.</p>
<p>I have decided to attend Yale, if FA works out for me. I’m probably going to take classes in math/science/english before declaring a major, and the amazing English department at Yale is too good to turn down.</p>
<p>I can’t believe this is even being debated. I seriously hope this is flame. Yale v. Rice? Are you kidding?</p>
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<p>
What’s so outrageous about this thread?</p>
<p>Informative has very little accurate information to contribute.</p>
<p>@Informative: reallllly? i mean, c’mon, are you even being serious right now? they’re both awesome schools, you must be one of those people who seriously ONLY cares about prestige/rankings.</p>