<p>Being a California native, I have no idea what to expect of Texas, except for the obvious cowboy, racist, conservative stereotype. I'm wondering if I should even consider the school, being a liberal bay area native. Can anyone tell me if I'll have a hard time fitting in considering my background, or if the school is pretty diverse...</p>
<p>Ah, come on man (?), don't be too harsh on the Texans :P Well, here is my take, maybe it's wishful thinking: think of a Pontiac Firebird. Now, if I only told you I had a Pontiac, you might have one thing on your mind. Now, if I told you I had a Firebird, you would have something completely different (and more accurate) on your mind. That, i think, is the difference between saying Rice is in Texas and Rice is in Houston. So...um, I hope I got my point across, I'm sure that is a strange way of saying it.</p>
<p>Wwwwwow. We have <em>got</em> to work on this whole Texas stereotype thing. I can't meet three new people up here without one of them asking, "Why don't you have a Texas accent?"</p>
<p>No, that whole "except for the obvious cowboy, racist, conservative stereotype" thing is completely false with regard to what Texas is like. You get a lot of that in the rural areas, we'll admit it, but aside from the fact that we've got really good Tex-Mex, all that other crud is completely false. One thing I've heard from a lot of people who migrate to Texas is that the people there are uncannily friendly, and at first, it'll weird the newcomers out that when they're walking down the road and pass another person, that person will smile and say, "Good morning!" in a bright and cheery tone. If you're not used to that sort of thing, it might throw you for a loop at first.</p>
<p>But really... at Rice, you'll fit in just fine. It's a typical academic environment, so you'll have the liberal-leaning politics of academia to cozy up to. It's just another big city, really. You'd be hard-pressed to figure out that you were in Texas if you were dropped in the middle of Rice's campus.</p>
<p>Don't knock it 'til you've tried it! ;)</p>
<p>aibarr is 100% percent right.
texas isnt like its made out to be, and houston even more so.</p>
<p>Yeah, you guys have really said it! My family's originally from the Northeast, but we love Texas! The bit about people here being exceptionally friendly is certainly true. Please don't be influenced by negative stereotypes-- they're created by narrowminded people with an elitist complex. I don't mean to seem overly defensive; it's just that I don't like to hear a whole state labeled inaccurately.</p>
<p>Houston is incredibly diverse. I think that in my almost seven years here, I've heard plenty more heavy Indian and Chinese accents than southern drawls, and most of the drawls come from people who used to live in Louisiana, it seems. I know a couple cowboy type people, but they raised animals in a school club, I suppose like my mom did in Indiana. Where I live is pretty conservative, but I am in an middle class suburb, so that's to be expected. Austin is the most liberal of Texas cities, but perhaps Houston is second.</p>
<p>Houston is awesome because Chinatown is awesome and has good tapioca places. It depresses me that there don't seem to be any in Pittsburgh where I'm going to school.</p>
<p>Rice is very diverse and liberal. There are kids from all over. There are quite a few Texans, but Texans are great. You generally won't find the SMU-type Texans at Rice. My D said she would never come back to Texas for college (she went to boarding school her last 2 years of high school). Turned out Rice was the perfect fit for her and she loves it and Houston. There are lots of cultural offerings near the school, students get free light rail passes, and the residential college system is great.</p>
<p>From what I've heard, Houston is becoming loaded with gay people, so apparently its not that conservative.</p>
<p>I was born in New York, but I've lived in Austin, Texas most of my life. Don't listen to stereotypes; if anything, being liberal in Texas is so much fun because you either laugh at conservatives or befriend them. At the end of the day, nice people are nice people, no matter their political ideology. However, people to tend to say "ya'll" sometimes, but that's slang everywhere, not just Texas. I have family in CA, and my cousins associate Texas with cowboys and horses, which annoys me to no end, buy HEY, who cares about what they think anyway. </p>
<p>While Austin is more liberal than Houston, Houston is the 4th largest city in the US and there's tons of stuff to do there.</p>
<p>I didn't mean to bash on Texas at all, I just dont know much about it. I don't actually believe the stereotype. Thanks for the input, I've heard that Rice is somewhat of a party school, is that true?</p>
<p>No prob tee06- I love CA too! Awesome weather. </p>
<p>I can't say for sure about Rice being a party school, because I'll only be a freshman at Rice in the fall. However, there are parties at every school, the top-notch colleges included. Rice students seem to work hard and play hard. </p>
<p>Search for jenskate's posts about this topic.</p>
<p>Rice students are as bright as they get!</p>
<p>From reading other people's opinions of Rice, I don't think it's as bad as the Texas' stereotype.</p>
<p>Rice seems to be ethnically diverse. The student body is filled with Asians, Hispanics, and Caucasians. African-Americans, Native Americans, Multi-cultured students, and international students are not in short supply, either, compared to the average. Am I right? </p>
<p>As far as political beliefs, I think it's moderate, more toward the liberal side but accepting of conservatives. Houston, especially the area around Rice, is great since Rice students have several perks making it easier to enjoy the restaurants, shops, and pastimes unique to Houston. I like the size of Rice, too, being that it's in a major city. 2,900 (approx.) students is a good number.</p>
<p>If I'm wrong about anything, please feel free to correct me?</p>
<p>On a side note, I don't think people in Houston have thick accents. The members of Destiny's Child are from Houston and they don't have noticeable accents.(A little corny to think of this, I know. LOL)</p>
<p>Just out of curiosity, exactly how many Texans are there in Rice's student body? (what percentage, I mean)</p>
<p>I think it's something like 50-60% Texans.</p>
<p>i think it's less then that. collegeboard for last first year students last year says that it's 46% In state, 54% out of state. But I'm sure a lot of kids come from neighboring states as well.</p>
<p>if Rice was located in a blue state like California, it would be such a popular school and it's acceptance rate would drop to single digits.</p>
<p>I agree that it would be alot more popular if not located in Texas, just because people go "ewwwwww Texas!" Can't say I like it here, but it's because of the freakishly hot and humid weather. Lucky people who live in the north and go to school at Rice get the best of both worlds.</p>
<p>Does Rice have air conditioning?</p>
<p>yes. its texas, its a must-have.</p>