What are the best residential colleges at Rice and why?

@Runnergirl1226 The above post is definitely accurate in describing Baker’s facilities, but I do want to add that usually, incoming students are placed in the older wing of Baker or in an area called “Lower Fourth,” or “Lo-Fo.” (Of course, there’s always the possibility of being an exception, but since rooms are chosen by seniority, I think you can comfortably expect old-wing or Lo-Fo). You’re more likely to be in Old Wing than Lo-Fo, as there are usually only a few rooms for new students there (and they have a reputation for typically going to more extroverted students who enjoy that building’s more spirited atmosphere). If you’re in old wing, that means that you and a roommate would share a room attached to the hall, and you would have communal bathrooms. I’ve also heard from a friend living in old-wing Baker that having a pitcher with a water filter is a good idea. That being said, even though the rooms are older, the communal facilities for the college (like the servery and common areas) are pretty nice - Baker has its own well-located servery open on weekdays! Baker definitely has the most variation in room style of any college, though, so during your time there, your room style might change a lot from year to year. Congrats on getting your college assignment!

@rice2021 To add to JAMCAFE’s post (which is pretty spot on), Duncan also has Fridays in the Quad (FITQs) on certain Fridays where people just hang out outside at whatever event is being held, which has included dog petting, bubble soccer, and DIY sundaes. Duncan also has Donnybrook, which is like capture the flag with nerf guns. And more recently, Duncan’s been starting to become more competitive in IM sports.

And to echo JAMCAFE’s post, the rooms are quite big and are widely considered among the best to live in (tied with McMurtry since they’re twins). However, the rooms are really bland looking and can look almost prison-like with no decorations.

I am fascinated to hear about the variety of the housing at Rice, and by the fact that the students apparently have no say in where they are assigned, but it works out OK?

My question: If an entering student needs access to kitchen facilities, because of dietary restrictions, what would he need to do?

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The university housing promises to help with special dietary needs if prescribed by a doctor. I suppose if not prescribed by a doctor, the student can mention the need to have regular access to a kitchen and they’ll ensure the student is conveniently assigned a room close to a kitchen. The communal kitchens come equipped with refrigerator, stove, oven and microwave.

Anyone on here have inside pics of Sid Richardson corner suites?

I found a dorm tour on YouTube titled, “Sid O-Week Tour”.

This is really helpful info guys! My son is applying ED to Rice. He is a recently realized gay student and concerned about housing. Do some of the colleges have more singles or suite style arrangement? He is a legacy at Hanszen so that is one option for sure. A single or suite would be ideal…but he is easy going…he can make the best of any situation…he doesn’t care about the age of the building

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Students don’t get to choose their college unless they are a legacy. If they are a legacy they can choose to be in the same college as their legacy affiliation or they can say they do not want to be in the same college. Then they take pot luck like everyone else. The students respond to an extensive questonarie about their living preferences. There are lots of LGBTQ kids and organizations at Rice. I believe the questionnaire asks if the student wants to live with a gay roommate, straight roommate, or doesn’t care one way or the other. My daughter and the other 4 girls in her suite are straight, but her roommate is gay. None of them care about that. They get along fine. Each college at Rice is different. My daughter is in Martel and it is mostly suites with 2 or 3 double rooms attached to a common living area. There are a few suites with single rooms but the upper classmen have preference for the suites with the single rooms. I can’t speak to the set up in Hanszen.

Thanks for the info. Everything I have read about the LGBTQ environment at Rice is amazing…

I reopened this discussion since the residential college assignments for Class of 2023 just came out.

Really, what determines the best college is whether the mix of students works with your student. You can have the nicest facilities, the best activities and still not feel the fit is right. It’s also a moving target for that reason. Each year the composition of people changes. A house well run, with supportive housemasters, and good mix of students is far more important than the food and facilities. The older houses tend to have more space, bigger rooms, I noticed.

My student was heavily involved with 3 colleges while he was there. So it’s not like you are stuck with where you are assigned. He had the best opportunities at Lovett, for a variety of reasons. But again, these things are individual, and change year to year. You don’t get to choose anyways unless you have some directed reason ( Legacy, special need).