<p>I have younger brother who's a rising senior. He's thinking of applying ED to Rice, but my parents are hesitant considering the binding nature. He's interested in studying math/applied math, computer science, and economics. We live in Massachusetts, and UMass is a very affordable school. I think both schools offer distinct experiences, but I'm curious to know how people would compare these schools, especially since UMass has a strong CS program (top 20 in grad rankings). Our parents want to go the affordability route, but I think the overall undergrad experience at Rice is better. My brother's interested in working in tech after graduation, preferably in San Fran, Boston, or NYC. The cost difference wouldn't be too bad, i.e. Rice may be more expensive, but our parents can afford it. It's more of whether the cost is justified.</p>
<p>Does he qualify for financial aid? I would apply Regular Decision if your parents have financial concerns that way they will be able sort out the finances if he is accepted to both.</p>
<p>He’d qualify for a bit of aid, but overall, it will not be a factor that will rule out the school completely. They can afford Rice.</p>
<p>Although barrk123 is probably the expert regarding Rice, it does have a highly ranked computer science department.</p>
<p>I was debating on whether to include that in my post :)</p>
<p>Rice is great for CMPSC but UMass- Amherst is no slacker either. UMass goes UWash and UMD. </p>
<p>If you are asking whether he should attend Rice if he gets accepted, then the answer is yes. Rice University is an elite private school which is on the same level as some IVY leagues.</p>
<p>I think the CS department at both schools are tied (at least based on rankings), so I don’t think there’s not too much of a difference in that subject. I really do like Rice’s CAAM major, the computational and applied math major. Beyond that, the residential college system and the campus as a whole were more attractive to my brother.</p>
<p>Rice’s strong residential college system is a big part of undergraduate student life. The joke used to be that every Rice student was the smartest person they’d ever encountered – until they got to Rice. There’s some truth to that; it’s an extremely talented population, quirky but not snobby. Class sizes will be much smaller than at UMass. FWIW, Princeton Review ranked Rice as having the happiest students last year.</p>
<p>rice is hands down the best way to go and is worth it 100% .</p>
<p>Rice and its residential college system really make it sound like a great school but I would not say this is a slam dunk. UMass is a sleeper choice because its CS program is so strong. If this were my son it’d be very hard to pass up that in-state tuition versus private unless aid was very good at Rice. The other thing obviously is location. Houston is a long way from MA so travel expenses and logistics that come with a cross country college sojourn are considerations as well. And then job location after graduation is an issue too. I suspect that generally it’d be companies in the southwest versus northeast that would be most readily available for Rice versus UMass.</p>
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<p>Top employers know Rice. I wouldn’t worry about that. </p>
<p>I would send my child to Rice before I’d send her to UMASS - it seems more personal without sacrificing the quality. It would be worth it to me. </p>
<p>I can’t tell your parents how to spend their money though. People have very different value systems.</p>
<p>I agree with ClassicRockerDad regarding national employment visibility for Rice. Among San Francisco/Silicon Valley area technical recruiters Rice is well known. Major high tech companies recruit at Rice for local positions. That, to my knowledge (based on companies with which I’m familiar), is not the case for UMass Amherst.</p>
<p>Private school s a luxury item and only your parents will be able to make that call about finances, since he will get a good CS education at either. The private school may likely offer more opportunity for undergraduate research and for close ties with professors. Also maybe more flexibility for double majoring.</p>
<p>It doesn’t sound right that they can afford Rice, yet may qualify for financial aid. Tell your parents to run the Net Price Calculator (google it) for Rice so they have a realistic estimate of what they will be expected to pay. He should not apply ED unless they have agreed to pay that cost.</p>
<p>Rice is insanely difficult to get into.</p>
<p>^Agreed. You will need some top-notch stats to get into Rice.</p>
<p>I think the overall college experience at Rice is so much better than UMass that if there is any way your family can swing Rice, they should do so. Also, the majority of students change their major, so don’t hang it all on the intended major.</p>
<p>If finances and distance are no obstacle (and you get in), I’d say go to Rice, not knowing much more about Rice than has been stated here. But if there’s any question about either (or if you don’t get in), I’d say go for UMass. My son will be a Junior this fall. He started out in Mechanical Engineering but switched to applied math after he decided he didn’t really like engineering. Overall, I’d say he has had an excellent experience at UMass. It’s a big school, although certainly not as big as some. Some of his intro classes were large, but many of his classes have been smaller. He’s made some good friends and met an interesting variety of people. Two hours from home is far enough to feel you’ve gone away to college, but not so far that you can’t run home for the weekend occasionally. Amherst is a great college town and the 5 College Consortium enables you to take classes at Amherst, Mt. Holyoke, Smith or Hampshire if you want to. Oh, and the food in the dining halls is great.</p>
<p>Listen, if you can get into rice and that your parents can afford it, and you don’t go, it would be a huge mistake! Rice is one of the best colleges in the country (It’s actually often referred to as “The Harvard of the Southwest”) and it also offers a unique experience! Not comparable at all with UMass. And it has 100% of financial need met, so if your parents cannot afford it, it shouldn’t be a real problem…</p>