<p>Aside from what's been mentioned (which I would say is fairly accurate), I'll give you my perceptions as a Rice Freshman. Remember, each of these are individual perceptions, which will be different for different people (obviously), but may not be what you will perceive. </p>
<p>First off, the Rice stereotype:
I live in the fourth biggest city in the country, yet I can go weeks without leaving campus. Even when I do leave, it takes 30 minutes to go get gas, and an hour to move a mile on the 45 or the 59. I was either a dork in high school and am still a dork, or I was a dork in high school and now i pretend to be cool. If asked where I'm from, I respond with my college and not my hometown. To relieve stress I run around campus naked twice a month. If I go to the library at midnight, there's a good chance I might not be able to find a free computer, in which case I can always just go to the pub. The pub is heaven on earth. I worship the baseball team, play drinking games in class, and firmly believe that Martel is not a college. I was a pre-med until orgo made me its two semester *****, now i'm an academ. Beer bike is the biggest event of the year, yet 90% of people pass out before the races even begin. I think it's cool to cuss at the top of my lungs and call it a cheer. Even drunk or stoned, I'm still smarter than you. I don't throw out the line that "You'll be working for me some day"... because actually, your boss will be working for me someday. Step aside, I am an Owl. [from Recreational</a> Tomfoolery: Texas College Stereotypes.....]</p>
<p>Intensity: academically, everyone here was at least in the top 10% of their graduating class (many of us were Valedictorians), so we know how to study, and we study hard. People really do homework Friday and Saturday nights. So we're serious about it. Athletically, I feel like a lot of people have an athletic interest in some way (because a lot of us played some sort of sport in high school). School spirit regarding athletics is lacking at best.</p>
<p>Politics: I think the general philosophy of the school is politically left, and most of the professors are certainly liberal. I would say that we are more liberal than most state schools, but more conservative than most schools of our caliber. I would say that the average student is fairly moderate, though you'll find people from literally every political direction.</p>
<p>Style/dress: We're generally what most people would call normal. We're not overly showy in our appearance (with some exceptions), but we're pretty casual (for a lot of the year, average dress is shorts and a T-shirt compliments of 90+ degree weather)</p>
<p>Personality: Confident, quirky (most people have some sort of idiosyncrasy about them), motivated, and ambitious. Everyone here is really nice, respectful, and polite. It's hard to find something bad to say about Rice students)</p>
<p>Involvement in extracurriculars: most people take a couple extracurriculars on during the year, whether that be a religious organization, some sort of club, intramural/club sports, or student government (both university and college)</p>
<p>Dating: Apparently, the average Rice student goes on like 1.5 dates per year (at least that's what my O-week handbook said). I'm not sure exactly what you mean by "dating," but I think the general feeling is that it doesn't happen quite as much as other schools. I know a fair amount of people with boyfriends/girlfriends, but it's not something that people feel obligated to do.</p>
<p>Drinking/Social life: On the weekends, there's always a party you can find (I think), and if you want to drink, it's not hard, and it's there. It's really easy to do it if you want, but it's equally easy to not do it. I don't drink, and I can honestly say that no one has ever offered me a drink.</p>
<p>Background: honestly, it's hard to tell, because that's not something that's really discussed. We're all at Rice, and we're achieving based on our present merits, not our past lives. I don't even really know the socioeconomic status of my roommates. Nor do I care. </p>
<p>Academic interests: Rice students are informally divided up into four groups of students: archies (architecture students, of which there are 25 per class), musies (music students), academs (social sciences and humanities students, which has the largest number of graduates), and S-E's (natural Sciences and Engineering students, which has the largest number of incoming freshman). A lot of engineering/science/premeds become academs after finding some of the related classes difficult (such as Organic Chemistry). You'll find people from all sorts of different majors here, and while Rice has traditionally been very strong in the Engineering, the other programs are outstanding as well and are continually getting better.</p>
<p>I hope that answers your question. Rice was my number 5 choice going into the weekend I got my decisions letters. The reason why I came here really was the people, and I don't regret that decision at all. Rice is very diverse in many ways (not just ethnically), and so whatever your personality is, you'll find people who share that personality (though it may take a few weeks to find those people, as it did with me). Just be patient, but more importantly, be yourself!</p>