<p>So here's the deal: I've narrowed down my final list of colleges to Rice and UNC Chapel Hill and I was hoping that all of you smart CC posters could give me some insight into the two schools.</p>
<p>I'm looking for a college experience where I learn a lot (duh) but I can also have a good time and won't be stressed to the point of suicide. I'm thinking about majoring in chemistry or biochemistry, and then going to med school or grad school, but I also want to enjoy my time in college. I'm looking for somewhere where there's a good sense of community, lots of things to do and in general a nice place to be.</p>
<p>There is about a $6000/year cost difference between the two (Rice being more expensive) and I don't qualify for FA. Although both my parents went to Rice and would be more than happy to pay the extra money, if I got to UNC I will get the difference between the costs for tuition for grad/med school.</p>
<p>DISCLAIMER: I understand that this is an extremely personal decision and I should make it based solely on my own ideas, but I am not going to be able to visit the schools until mid or late April, so I want to get a head start on comparing them. I really fell in love with UNC when I visited in August, but it has been so long I don't really remember why I loved it so much and am starting to feel very confused/anxious about making this decision. Any insight into either school would be greatly appreciated!</p>
<p>Rice is certainly the better school, but UNC is also very good for Bio. I would wait until you receive information about scholarships and honors before deciding.</p>
<p>Considering money, I would pick UNC. If the dollar is not an issue, Rice, for sure.</p>
<p>I think they are not entirely comparable in all areas, as they are two totally different school. They are both excellent schools, but I don’t know if there’s a clear-cut winner. Rice is better in certain areas, but UNC is better in other areas. Wicked, you should do some research and take it from there. Good luck! :)</p>
<p>i disagree…I think they are the same academically. They have the same reputation, at least. UNC will provide a MUCH better social life if you want more time to party, join clubs/activities, etc…Rice has a more “scholarly” atmosphere if you’re looking for that. small town vs. big city…personal choice. </p>
<p>but go to UNC
after all…it is number 1 (i think) on the princeton review’s “happiest students”…can’t beat that!</p>
<p>Send a PM to Ldmom06; her D was in the same situation several years ago and turned down Rice to come to UNC. She can give you real world comparisons and also share what made her D select UNC.</p>
<p>dude you are like my twin. seriously. i’m deciding between UNC and Rice, probably chem major, don’t want a stressful/uber-competitive school, loved UNC when I visited in August … O_O really weird haha. so, bump =D</p>
<p>Rice and UNC are very different schools in a number of ways. The most obvious is size.The entering freshman class at UNC is about the same size as the total undergrad population at Rice. UNC’s campus could easily easily fit the Rice campus within it’s boundaries several times over. Rice is one of the few schools I have looked at lately with more men than women in its classes. Then there is Chapel Hill or Houston. For a private school Rice lacks the real geographic diversity that most other “name” privates do with 52% of its population coming from Texas. These are all the obvious differences.</p>
<p>The biggest difference between the two schools however is the one thing that both people trying to compare the schools say they want to avoid.</p>
<p>Rice has a much more competitive environment than UNC which most people at UNC describe to be cooperative. I don’t think you can say that Rice is as cut throat as places like JHU but the intensity level is certainly there.</p>
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<p>You seem to have described both schools in your question. UNC will certainly provide you with a good education, will prepare you well for med school but not stress you “to the point of suicide.” Houston certainly can provide you with much to do but if you want a complete undergrad experience then UNC seems to be the obvious choice.</p>
<p>I have attached some data from Rice that shows the demographics of the class that entered last fall. You can use it to navigate through the diversity and facts and figures about the overall undergrad population as well as the class that is now freshmen. You might find some of your answers about Rice contained within if you do a little digging.</p>
<p>Thank you all so much, your posts have been really helpful!</p>
<p>eadad - you’re posts have been <em>extremely</em> helpful. One of the things that worries me the most about Rice is how competitive it will be. My interviewer told me that he found his undergrad at Rice to be harder than med school, which I found somewhat alarming (he went to a very good med school), but unlike JHU (an option I eliminated because it sounds like such a stressful place) I have never talked to/seen any posts by someone who does not enjoy their time at Rice. Do you think that the more competitive environment at Rice signifies that it is better academically than UNC or that it just attracts more competitive people?</p>
<p>Please enable the PM function so that I can respond to your question via PM or PM me with an email address and I will tell you my thoughts on this.</p>
<p>Three years ago, my son was all set to attend Rice until he won the Morehead Scholarship at UNC, which changed his mind. We had a very positive experience when we visited the Rice campus, and I think the Residential College system there is a real plus in making it easy to make friends and build community spirit. I have a close friend whose daughter just graduated from Rice last year. She was the valedictorian of her HS class and made a perfect 1600 on the SAT. She majored in engineering at Rice, and found the academics pretty challenging. This formerly straight A student suddenly started making some C’s! She told her mom that in order to continue making all A’s, she would need to study 24/7 at Rice, which was something she wasn’t willing to do. (She wanted a social life, after all Anyway, she did end up graduating with fairly decent grades and had multiple job offers from several oil companies. She really enjoyed her time at Rice and was quite close to her fellow Residential College dwellers. I have another acquaintance whose son is a sophomore at Rice now and also loves it. So, I think your perception about most kids loving Rice seems to be true from my experience, but I do think you would find it pretty rigorous academically. Houston has more “big city” perks than Chapel Hill, but I thought the area right around the Rice campus was very pleasant and college-like, so you would have the best of both worlds. There were lots of quaint shops and restaurants as well as a major medical center adjoining the campus. I will see my friend on Monday, so if you would like, I would be glad to quiz her a little more about her daughter’s experience as far as competiveness is concerned and send you a PM. I do think the general stereotype of a typical Rice student is more “geeky” than a UNC student… </p>
<p>As for UNC, I admit to being biased, but I don’t see how you could go wrong there! I think my son had wondered if he would be academically challenged there, but he has found plenty of interesting and challenging classes and professors. He has also met many super-smart kids who are highly motivated and very active on campus. UNC can pretty much be what you want to make it, in my opinion. If someone just wants to slide by not putting themselves out too much, they can do it there if they do some research to find the easier classes (which would probably be harder to do at Rice). However, there are plenty of classes and majors which I’m sure you would find as rigorous as you would want. My son is double-majoring and works hard, but also has time for sports and a social life. He has said numerous times that he has no regrets about ending up at UNC rather than Rice. As Eadad has mentioned before, the college town atmosphere of Chapel Hill also can’t be beat! </p>
<p>One other factor which may or may not play any role in your decision is the sports/school spirit aspect. Football and basketball are major social events at UNC, and most students are very spirited. Sports is much more on the “back burner” at Rice. I think the students at UNC are on the whole very bright, happy and well-rounded.</p>
<p>If you have any questions that you would like for me to ask my friend about her daughter’s time at Rice or for me to ask my son about UNC, just send me a PM, and I would be glad to follow up. In short, both schools are well respected academically and seem to have happy students (although perhaps a little more stressed at Rice), so I would say you have a good dilemma. Best of luck to you!</p>
