<p>I have been accepted to both and feel like I have an impossible decision to make! I am pre-med and any insight on either school regarding the advantages/disadvantages etc would be much appreciated!</p>
<p>For some reason, Stanford’s medical school placement record for its undergraduates seem to lag behind its peers including Rice, which I think has upwards of a 90% med school acceptance rate for its premeds.</p>
<p>Stanford is superior to Rice in almost every other metric that would impact the quality of your undergraduate education and experience though. I vote for Stanford.</p>
<p>Have you visited the schools? At this level, I tend to think personal fit should be the most important factor affecting your decision. Where do you think you’ll be more happy for the next four years?</p>
<p>Are there any other factors you’re considering? Is money not an issue?</p>
<p>Go to Stanford. You’ll enjoy it there more than you would at Rice. Several Rice kids I interviewed weren’t happy at Rice. Stanford isn’t all that lively as a place and environment, but I most positively sure that you would enjoy it there more. As to the quality of the program, I think they’re both great for premed.</p>
<p>I have never met anyone who was unhappy at Rice. It offers an incredible college experience. It is a perfect size, a nice campus and the medical center complex offers a lot of research opportunities. I have a daughter who graduated from Rice and a son who graduated from an Ivy, and while both loved their schools, Rice offered the better experience overall. That said, Stanford is incredible and would be hard to turn down.</p>
<p>At the risk of stating the obvious, Rice has a LAC-like feel due to it’s size and the residential college system and the culture is distinctly Texan since 50%of the student body is from there. Stanford is much larger and more diverse with all the associated pros and cons. It’s on the quarter system which also has pros and cons. And as far as the medical sciences go, the research opportunities on campus are in a class by themselves. But if research isn’t your primary interest then that isn’t definitive. You can decide for yourself how much prestige matters to you.</p>
<p>So what this really comes down to is fit: Which one is most likely to bring out the best in you?</p>
<p>You would get an excellent education at either. I know graduates of both places and they all enjoyed their time as undergraduates. Stanford is certainly better known and more prestigous, although I don’t consider that a major factor. </p>
<p>But, for most people (at least for those of us who are not die-hard Texans), the choice between Houston and Palo Alto seems pretty easy. If money is not a factor, I suspect that 9 out of 10 people would choose Stanford.</p>
<p>Same choice problem for DD: Rice, Yale, Dartmouth, and others. Day after tomorrow will probably add others. I fear for the cold of New England and the distance of Cali, in her decision. Like OP, there are no bad decisions, but it is not easy for a 17-18 kid to choose.</p>
<p>If your a pre-med, did you apply for the Rice/Baylor scholars?</p>
<p>We never visited Stanford. But I NEVER saw such a batch of happy, research-involved kids as I did at Rice! Good luck - you have great choices and either will be great.</p>
<p>I graduated from Rice last year, and I would probably say 99% of the students at Rice were happy. Princeton Review does place Rice at #1 for Best Quality of Life. The four years I had Rice were amazing. I honestly don’t think I would have been happier at any other university (accepted to Columbia, Princeton, Notre Dame, and Texas), from the moment I stepped on campus and was greeted by O-week advisors to the moment I walked out the Sallyport on graduation day. Rice is across the street from world’s largest medical center, so opportunities in the field are plentiful. I don’t think I would say that Stanford is “superior” to Rice in every metric. And honestly, I think I learned more outside of the classroom at Rice. It’s very easy to get involved with student organizations and gain leadership experience. Volunteering is big at Rice and Rice really makes an effort to connect students to the city of Houston. I can go on and on about Rice, but don’t have much time right now. If you have any specific questions, feel free to PM. </p>
<p>Stanford is an amzing school as well. I have quite of few friends who are there now for graduate school.</p>
<p>One more thought: If you like the ‘smaller school’ feel of Rice, you can get it at Stanford by enrolling in SLE (Structured Liberal Education). It’s a residential ‘great books’ program for freshman housed in FloMo (best dorm dining facilities on campus). The 100+ freshmen fulfill their humanities requirement by attending the SLE-only humanities classes at FloMo (which are integrated into theater trips, weekly films, discussion groups with faculty from various humanities disciplines, etc…) and take two other classes with the rest of the university. D highly recommends it. She visited as well Rice but felt the culture wasn’t a fit for her.</p>
<p>Stanford. ,</p>