<p>Hi, I am trying to make a tough decision between WashU and Rice</p>
<p>I am an international student from China. I was accepted to WashU, Rice, UCB and UVA. I love the opportunities that UCB and UVA have to offer but am more looking forward to smaller class size, individual attention and a sense of community. So I kinda crossed out UCB and UVA.
I am also waitlisted by Harvard, UPenn, Columbia, Brown and Amherst and took spots at all institutions but do not know whether I should pursue them. (Would love to receive some advice regarding wait list!)</p>
<p>I have yet to decide what to major in. I am very strong in all science subjects but also extremely interested in business, econ and political-science. I hope to know which school is better at the fields mentioned above. I am thinking about doing a double major or even a triple major, so the flexibility of the universities is definitely a huge part of my decision making.</p>
<p>Here are my thoughts so far. I collect these information on the internet so please correct me if I am wrong.</p>
<p>WashU
Haven't visited yet, going next Thursday for Multicultural
I heard it has very beautiful campus with cold but not extreme weather (which I really like). Great Bio-med, Bio and Chem engineering programs and the curriculum seems to be very flexible. I am also impressed by the abundance of opportunities that Olin has to offer to its undergraduate. The students are very intelligent but the competition, according to one of my friends there, is benevolent and not cutthroat.
Downside: Less name recognition in areas outside of mid-west. Its B-school, although very strong, is not regarded as a target school by major investment banks and consulting firms. The opportunities in St. Louis is not abundant if not extremely limited.</p>
<p>Rice ( I am still researching Rice,only limited information so far)
Haven't visited yet, going April 17th for admits day
Fairly hot but acceptable weather. Pretty but relatively smaller campus. Easy access to Houston which offers many entertainments and opportunities. Great name recognition in the South and even California--all my family relatives in LA know Rice. No idea about its name recognition in the Northeast. Smaller class size and more attention placed on undergraduates. Excellent engineering programs in most fields.
Downside: Tooooo far away from east coast cities where I really want to go. Poor diversity because around 50% of the incoming class come from Texas.</p>
<p>Sorry, this is a really really long post. I have so many things to compare. Any input would be highly appreciated. Thanks!!</p>
<p>@Inthenameof2400
Regarding the diversity of Rice: I know that about 40% of the student population at Rice is from Texas. There are a couple of things you should know about Texas. 1. MANY, MANY people in the major cities of Texas are from all over the US. We lived in Houston for 20 years and have lived in a Dallas suburb for 10 years. We rarely meet another family from Texas. Houston is the 4th largest city in the country. It is currently leading the nation in growth with 100,000 people moving there every year. I would bet that most of the students from Texas at Rice weren’t even born in Texas. 2. The major cities in Texas (especially Houston) are very diverse ethnically. The Texas Medical Center, Fortune 500 companies, and energy companies attract people from all over the world. Houston is a very international city and is second only to NYC for the number of foreign consulates located there. I think it would be very interesting if Rice indicated the ethnic diversity of that roughly 40% that is from the state of Texas. Especially given the Hispanic population at Rice, I would be very shocked if even half of the students from Texas are Caucasian. Geographic or ethnic diversity won’t be a problem at Rice.</p>
<p>I don’t think you can go wrong with either choice. Congrats and good luck.</p>
<p>@Inthenameof2400 WashU probably has slightly better name recognition in the northeast. I would argue that excluding August and September, Rice has better weather. The entire winter and spring is BEAUTIFUL and I will never move back to a city with freezing winters. Rice does not have an undergraduate business major (only a minor and a business school), but it does have a very popular economics program and an economic think tank right on campus (look up: Baker Institute). Political science is not extremely popular, but it is a decent program from what I hear and the Baker Institute is, again, a draw. In terms of career placement, Houston has the advantage of being extremely international and economically vibrant, but if your end goal is the east coast then that may carry less weight for you. I can also say that, with the highest regard for Washington University, you cannot get less cutthroat and more benevolent than Rice. Also as @parenting3 said, Rice is actually very diverse (see: <a href=“Office of Admission | Rice University”>Office of Admission | Rice University; ).</p>
<p>I did apply to WashU and was admitted, but my knowledge of it is obviously much weaker than a real student. If you have any other questions then I would be happy to answer them!</p>
<p>Reference: current Rice student</p>
<p>@jfking01 I heard it gets really hot and humid in Houston in the summer. Are the dorms air conditioned? Is the heat really worth it? Thanks.</p>
<p>@questiongirl123 It does get pretty hot and humid, but every building everywhere is air conditioned, or else no one would live in Texas. The first month or two will have 90+ temperatures, but I personally didn’t mind given that you don’t have to be outside in the heat that much and that the winter months are mostly in the 60s and 70s and sunny. Basically don’t let the weather deter you – if anything it is a draw in my opinion. </p>
<p>Hi, I just got off the rice waitlist. Can someone please tell me what pre med at rice is like? Right now I’m enrolled at wash u.
- Is Rice more cutthroat and less collaborative? (Premed)
- Wash U has free tutoring services. Does Rice have similar services?
- Research opportunities? How easy is it to conduct research?
- How is PreMed advising?
- Any other reasons you think Rice is better than Wash U?</p>
<p>Any help would be appreciated. I have until May 1st. </p>
<br>
<br>
<p>Well, for PreMed it is really hard to beat living near the largest medical center in the world (which is literally across the street from Rice and which works really well with Rice).</p>
<p>For my son one of the deciding factors was the college (dorm) system at Rice, no frats, which seems to help make for a happier, friendlier, kind of campus life which he really liked (1/3 of Wash U. undergrads are in frats).</p>
<p>For Biomedical/Bioengineering, a common undergraduate premed major, US News ranks Rice higher (<a href=“http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/engineering-doctorate-biological-biomedical”>http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/engineering-doctorate-biological-biomedical</a>) but overall they seem to be similar reputation and competitiveness and it is hard to go wrong at either of them.</p>
<p>As someone who just had to choose between Rice and Wash U, I understand your struggle! I made a million pros and cons lists to try and figure out where I wanted to go, but in the end, I had to look past stats and focus on my experiences at both campuses.</p>
<p>After you visit each university, try to think about which made you most excited, and which made you feel most at home. Statistically speaking, Rice and Wash U are so similar that it’s hard to compare. But once I stopped thinking about stats and reflected on my experiences, my decision was easy. </p>
<p>It’s easy to get caught up in comparing programs or locations or rankings, but honestly, I think the most important factor in your college decision should be where you feel you will be happiest! That’s where you’ll be most successful, despite how great the programs are. </p>
<p>I know that all sounds super cheesy, but it really is how I decided! I’ve spent months pouring over stats and comparisons, and it wasn’t until I really thought about where I just felt like I belonged that I knew exactly where to go. I hope that helps–good luck with your decision!!</p>
<p>I drove around the Rice campus this afternoon. It is such a beautiful campus and probably the prettiest I’ve seen so far. I saw a lot of diversity in the students walking around. If it wasn’t so expensive I would have it on the list of schools I would pay for. Best of luck with your decision.</p>
<p>Keep in mind too that tornadoes are not uncommon in the St Louis area. </p>
<p>Both schools are very strong and no easy decision to make. I do not know if Wash U has anything “political” in their offerings. Baker Institute at Rice is very good.</p>
<p>Some of your wait list options are also very good. </p>
<p>Rice University students are very happy and the value of that is immeasurable.</p>
<p>“Well, for PreMed it is really hard to beat living near the largest medical center in the world (which is literally across the street from Rice and which works really well with Rice).” - Agreed.</p>
<p>@quotable You would be extremely hard-pressed to find a school less cutthroat and with more emphasis on collaboration than Rice. Research (both summer and during the school year) is pretty easy to find even as a freshman, and I have heard professors in the CS dept say that they have trouble finding students for research because so many go to internships. </p>
<p>You just have to approach the professors during/outside of class and initiate conversation. That is great advice anywhere. Professors don’t just come up to you and offer research unless they know your name and know a little about you, and even then the students who express interest first are often the ones who the professor thinks will be the best. I’ve had some professors who offered me a research spot say they cared more about how much interest I showed in the subject during and outside of class more than my actual grade in the class. So definitely be an active student and raise your hand and go to office hours. Professor connections are invaluable!</p>
<p>Woohoo! Looks like I’m going to Rice. </p>
<p>@quotable Congratulations! What was the deciding factor for you?</p>
<p>I never answered @quotable 's question about tutoring. For anyone else looking at this (and for you, quotable to know going in), there is an awesome program present at each residential college called the academic fellows (<a href=“Undergraduate Resources | Rice University”>Undergraduate Resources | Rice University). They are great and a senior math fellow at my college helped me get through and do well in a really challenging honors multi class. Many engineering classes also have optional weekly TA tutorials that are really helpful in my opinion. </p>
<p>"@quotable Congratulations! What was the deciding factor for you? " - This.</p>
<p>@Faulkner1897 I visited and I could feel the happiness of the students and the campus was amazing. Also, the students were very friendly, a couple of them approached me and asked if I needed any help. I also talked to some students and they convinced me that Rice is just as good for premed and you can’t beat the quality of life there. This realization made it a no brainer for me! </p>