<p>There is a significant difference in the <em>climate</em> between Dallas and Houston. Dallas tends to have a greater number of hot (>100 degrees) days with low humidity. Due to the humidity, Houston tends to have hot days (upper 90s) with noticeably uncomfortable humidity (the humidity tends to keep the summer high temps below 100).</p>
<p>Dallas is colder during the winter as Houston benefits by its proximity to the Gulf of Mexico.</p>
<p>Houston receives approximately 10 more inches of rain each year with Dallas receiving an average 37 inches of precipitation while Houston receives an average of 48 inches.</p>
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<p>IMHO I felt that a school with a smaller undergrad enrollment was better suited for me than a large school. The very low student:faculty ratio at Rice can be very attractive to many undergrads who want to develop closer relationships with their faculty. </p>
<p>For grad school, Berkeley is hard to beat in engineering. Most programs will promote significant faculty/student interaction that is not typically found in their undergrad program. Engineering grad school at Rice is nothing to sneeze at, depending on the area of concentration.</p>
<p>Best of luck to you!</p>