Turned down my Dream School (Duke) for Rice. Would like to know what's in store for me :)

Colleges and Universities A-Z Rice University
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Hey guys, so here’s the scoop,

So I got accepted to my dream school, Duke University and after an incredibly long month of consideration and decision, I decided to turn it down because it was far too expensive.
Fortunately, I received a merit scholarship from Rice University and that is where I chose to go to.

Not gonna lie here when I say that the decision was hard. I had actually spent the entire month of April believing and hoping we would be able to afford Duke (before my FA package came in) but when it came, although we got a significant amount off, my parents and I would have been in roughly 60k + in debt (in bank loans, etc) by my senior year if I ended up going. It literally took till the afternoon of May 1st before I realized that my dream school would most definitely not be worth the ridiculous debt and financial stress, especially since it’s only undergrad.

Although I’m still a bit bummed, I can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that my parents can now pay my tuition rather comfortably (I got $96k for all 4 years from Rice)
Choosing to keep my head up high can be hard sometimes because when I went to Duke’s Blue Devil days, I clicked immediately with loads of people and fell in love with every single aspect of that campus. Now that that’s all said and done, I am ready to see what Rice has in store for me. Now I come to you guys, specifically those who have been in a similar situation to share your story and how it turned out for the better.
Rice and Duke’s academics are fairly similar in strength so I’m not too worried about that at all, but if you have any extra information about how Rice does in the internship/networking/job field then I’m all ears. And since I am going into engineering, I know Rice fares a bit better in that field. So what I am seeking advice on is actually the environment/atmosphere of Rice.

Just a few things, I am a pretty social person and I heard that Rice lacks that in its student body? This is a stereotype obviously but I heard a lot of people come off as “awkward”?
So I was wondering if anyone has any words to say against that? How do socially adept people thrive there? Like I am looking for friends that work/study hard but know how to have a good/funny time, that’s what I saw in the masses at Duke and I would like to know how Rice fares.

I saw the campus, it’s nice (not a Gothic wonderland) but it’s still very nice :slight_smile: the campus is rather small though so I don’t know how I feel about that. But the dining options were EXCELLENT plus we’re in Houston so there’s loads of off campus fun!

And lastly, is the weather THAT BAD? Like every time I hear the about the humidity of Rice, it is accompanied by the word “unbearably” lol. I am from Texas but the region I am from has heat but RARE humidity. So I’m used to the blazing sun, just not the blazing humidity.

All in all, yeah I’m a bit upset that I didn’t end up getting what I wanted. But I know everything works out for a reason, I would rather have to “compromise” (I say that because who knows I may get there and love every bit of it and it turns out to be far from a compromise) for 4 years and coast the rest of my life (bc my undergrad is debt free) than have a pretty awesome time for 4 years and leave with $60-80k debt lol.

Anyways, I’m up for any advice! Thanks so much!

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it’s funny about not being able to afford schools. it doesn’t bother me that i can’t afford a certain car. or can’t live in a particular neighborhood. or can’t travel to X. I don’t even think about it. But it drives me NUTS that kids need to make their educational choices driven primarily by finances.

or maybe i’m just projecting because i just went through it with my own kid. :slight_smile:

That said, i actually think you are going to love Rice…there’s a strong sense of community and pride there (based on the families I’ve talked with) and folks rave about the campus and the academics. And Houston is more interesting than rural north carolina. just a fact.

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Thanks so much! Did your child have to choose for financial reasons also?

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We (she and I both) feel better now…but turning down UChicago (and a few others) completely based on finances was pretty darn tough. But on the positive side, much less debt! And those schools may not have been a good fit anyway. So there you go.

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Awwwww I can feel the pain 100%
I turned down Duke, Dartmouth, NYU, and UT Austin (Cockrell)

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Actually, I think it’s the blazing sun and the dripping humidity. Just sayin’ . . . :smiley:

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In response to the question about the weather, I live in Houston, and although it can certainly get hot in the summer, I wouldn’t say it’s unbearable, at least not for 90% of the year - and there are air conditioners everywhere because of the heat. I find it can get really cold in the winter. Keep in mind that I’m used to Houston weather though - the one time I’ve had to be somewhere where it was actually snowing, it was unbearably cold for me. So it’s probably going to be an adjustment, but I certainly find it preferable to the cold.

As far as the stereotype of socially awkward people, I can’t speak for the whole student body, but of the people I know at Rice, who have gone there, and the couple who will be going there next year, I would say that most of them are actually quite social. All of the Rice people that I know are generally friendly - they run the gamut from quiet to outgoing. Of course this is a really really small sample size, but if it helps at all, I wouldn’t say that the stereotype holds true for the people I know. And from your description, you sound more social than I am, so I would think you’ll be able to find other people of a similar nature.

I know this is a limited perspective, but I hope that helps! I really hope you enjoy Rice - I can’t imagine how hard it must be to turn down your dream school, but I honestly believe that Rice has a great culture and hopefully you’ll be glad you decided to go. Hope to see you on campus next year!

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Thank you oh so very much! Your opinion helped a lot! :slight_smile: I guess the weather is not so bad!

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Rice is absolutely amazing. I spent three days there back in February, and the people weren’t awkward at all—the opposite really! All of the people that I met were generally very outgoing and a lot of the time pretty quirky. I like how people at Rice don’t take themselves so seriously; it’s a pretty laid back atmosphere.
I came back from that visit completely sold on Rice. If I hadn’t gotten into Stanford, I would have gone to Rice—and don’t get me wrong, I almost chose Rice over Stanford, but I’m from Texas as well, so I thought it would be nice to go to California for a change. Don’t underestimate Rice’s community… I really didn’t expect it to be as great as it was, and it makes me sad that I underrated it so much. As for the weather, I’m from south texas so Houston has great weather to me LOL
Also the campus isn’t really THAT small, but I guess that depends on your definition of small (Stanford definitely dwarfs Rice, though)

It’s a great place, especially when you find your group of people. I hope you come to love Rice as much as I did!!

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Nice to meet you fellow classmate! I am so excited that everything is finally over. I submitted my deposit about 2 hours before the deadline because I was undecided between W&M and Rice. Honestly, I always thought I would go to W&M, but I realized that Rice would be worth it. Now I just can’t wait to get there. The only thing I can say is that the humidity isn’t that bad. But of course, I love humidity so maybe you shouldn’t listen to me! See you around :slight_smile:

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Comments on internships:
Opportunities are everywhere. It’s up to you, however, to take full advantange of them. As a first-year engineering student, I have a software internship in the Bay Area lined up for this summer. I’m flying out there in less than a week–pretty excited.

Comments on social atmosphere:
Like any other school, Rice has people ranging the entire gamut from extremely quiet to extremely outgoing. Once you get here you’ll find people you get along with. While the student population is pretty small, it’s not hard to find people who are similar to you.

Comments on weather:
Yes, it is hot, and it is humid, and it is horrible. But during the hottest months (June-august) you’ll probably be working an internship in a different city anyway. If you’re CS you’ll probably be up in the Bay Area during your summers.

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You are going to have a great time at Rice. Take a deep breath and go with the flow. Now that the decision has been made, enjoy and make the most of everything Rice has to offer – it is a great school and has a tremendous amount to offer its students.

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Having lived in both Durham and Houston, I can say that both are extremely humid in the summer months, but Houston is about 5-7 degrees hotter. If you don’t plan on being in Houston during the summer, you’ll escape the worst of it. September and early October will be hot, though.

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Thank you and nice to meet you too! See you then!

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What are you planning to study?

Other than being on a much much smaller campus compared to the other school, you won’t miss a thing.

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^Smaller campus isn’t a necessary plus. After having been here for a year, I really wish the student population, campus, and facilities were larger.

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Freshman dorms at Duke have no AC. Talk about hot and humid!

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actually, we are the upcoming class that gets 100% AC fixed.

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BTW… all freshman dorms will have AC next year ! :). It used to be hit or miss on the AC front (some dorms had it others did not)… no longer the case for the lucky class of 2019!

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$7B endowment & their barely getting ACs in the dorms??!!