<p>Most of the posts between now and next spring are all about "How can I get in?" Unlike some other specific college threads where there are questions from people trying to decide whether or not they want to go there, here it is (obviously?) a foredrawn conclusion that Rice is the be-all, end-all. </p>
<p>So, is there another side? What are the downsides? What are the things about Rice that students don't like? When is Rice not the right choice for a student who gets accepted?</p>
<p>A student who wants to be around a specific demographic (i.e. Catholics, preppy students, etc) would probably not like Rice because of itās extremely diverse environment in which everyone talks to and hangs out with everyone else.</p>
<p>Distance from home and weather may be factors in a studentās decision against Rice as well.</p>
<p>Otherwise, I personally canāt think of anything, although Iām a bit biased of course. Rice is the perfect school for me.</p>
<p>The college system may feel confining depending on your tastes and interests. Another thing is that Rice is also located in a relatively unintellectual corner of the US. East Coast schools have an advantage that they are near to each other, and Stanford has Cal and the UC system. Riceā¦ not so much, but maybe thatās not such a terrible thing after all.</p>
<p>As Rice is a small school, the career fair is not very good. It predominantly caters to consulting firms and oil and gas. I have heard that they are improving it though (started with a major renovation of the career services building).</p>
<p>You need a car in Houston to go anywhere or get anything done. One can survive by using the shuttles and walking to the village, but a car makes bar trips, dinner etc. easier and gives you so much more variety. I didnāt have one but a few friends did and that was great. Usually one or two cars per friend group is nice.</p>
<p>All said and done, Rice was the perfect place for me.</p>
<p>I read that some people donāt like it because it feels like āsummer campā too much. I personally donāt see this as bad at all, but certain people might not like that vibe.</p>
<p>Listed as some of the worst things about Riceā¦</p>
<p>-humidity during the summer is nearly 100 percent, so get ready to shower often.
-Studentsvfocused on their future careers than engaging in the moment.
<p>How is the neighborhood around the campus? I have always heard itās not located in the best part of the city.</p>
<p>Oh yeah I forgot parking, the fees are really high and the lots arenāt always convenient. I personally donāt mind this too much cause the placement of the lots are what allow for a āwalking campusā and smaller feel.</p>
<p>@MaterMia - The neighborhood seems to be a rather wealthy, safe area even though itās located in the heart of the city. I see lots of nice houses around. I wouldnāt recommend running the outer loop or walking to the medical center alone at night, but thatās no different than anywhere else.</p>
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<li>I totally disagree with whoever said students were too focused on their careers; Iāve found that Rice students in general are very eager to try new things, socialize, get involved in clubs, go out, etc. I guess ātoo focusedā is a matter of opinion, though.</li>
<li>Re: the āsummer campā comment, Iām assuming thatās meant to describe to O-Week?</li>
<li>Also disagree with the Chief Justice system being a negative. If youāre hosting a party, your CJ is probably one if your friends and the notification probably consists of you saying āhey man Iām having a party tonight.ā College self-policing is THE REASON cops stay out of on-campus parties.</li>
<li>I also like the same party themes every year. The week leading up to 80s party every year is the quite possibly most excruciating wait Iāve ever had to live through. </li>
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<p>The neighborhood Rice is located in, West University, recently was awarded the #1 neighborhood to live in in the south. Itās gorgeous, and great for running in.</p>
<p>As for things Iāve found lackingā¦
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<p>Exactly. The cops will come only if it becomes painfully obvious that lawbreaking is going on. The CJ, RAās and Masters are a āsafety netā who help stop obvious law-breaking before the cops show up. By letting the CJ know, they can come help keep the place in control. (and by control, they keep people inside, people with drinks outside and make sure no one needs medical attention. They do not arrest/bust you).</p>
<p>I have not heard the summer camp comment before, so I cannot comment on itās veracity.</p>
<p>The parties can be repetitive, yes. This is good for parties like Casino, NOD and 80ās. It is not so good for some others that arenāt as much fun/tend to have fire alarms go off every year.</p>
<p>Some students are very focused on their careers and academics. This is to be expected as Rice is a University, after all. That being said, there are multiple parties on campus almost every weekend and tons of stuff going on.</p>
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<p>West U and Rice Village is a really nice, upscale area. The houses along Rice, Sunset and University Blvd. are really nice, large and expensive.</p>
<p>Can someone talk about the residential college system? Does each college have a āpersonalityā? Do you like the system?</p>
<p>Iām a prospective Rice/Baylor studentā¦what is pre-med at Rice like? competitive?</p>
<p>I personally really love the residential college system and firmly believe all schools that have the means to support it, should have one. Each college DOES have a personality and a lot of college-specific traditions (e.g. NOD at Weiss). Each of them are very unique and have a lot of interesting elements. The system is best compared to the House system in the Harry Potter novels (really, it is!) except that there is a lot of diversity in each college. Since college assignments are random, you enter a social family full of people from all majors and backgrounds in your first week at Rice that you stick with throughout your 4 years. Also, since the process is random, it doesnāt foster the same genuine competitive nature between colleges that you would expect from Frats and Sororities. This is great since you get that playful competitive feeling during events like Beer Bike, but avoid the discrimination between people of various colleges. This means you can spend time at any of the colleges and have friends from all the colleges without having to go through the Romeo and Juliet dilemma of belonging to different houses.</p>
<p>The Rice Baylor program is amazing and personally is a much better path than going to any other school imho. I am and engineer so I am not in it, but I have a close friend who turned down Yale and a lot of other schools for it and is happy with her decision. The pre-med environment is surprisingly collaborative. Since Rice boasts a very high admit rate to med schools (90%+) there is no reason for this competitive nature as in other schools. Also, since the worldās largest med center is literally across the street, internships and opportunities are extremely easy to obtain.</p>
<p>I would choose Rice for sure if you are Rice/Baylor. You literally get the best of both worlds - best student life, and excellent academics with guaranteed admission to a great med school. Good luck with your decision!</p>
<p>I live in Los Angeles and Iāve always wanted to live in a cooler place with four seasons. I fell in love with Rice despite Houston not meeting these standards. Did anyone else sacrifice this (wanting different weather) to go to Rice? I will hopefully be visiting in the summer and I can really make my decision then, but i was curious if anyone else was like me.</p>
<p>When I was younger, having grown up in Texas, I wanted to go to a school that had actual winters. Then I realized that Iād rather just visit the snow and live in a place where I donāt have to shovel. Plus the amazing experience I had at Rice is way more important to me than weather concerns.</p>
<p>Thereās a line of trees planted by the rec center that change colors. I tell people we put them there to placate the northerners, but they are pretty.</p>
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<p>I did. Absolutely cannot stand the heat (and by heat, I mean anything over 80).</p>
<p>Hey I know this is late but just wanted to throw in my opinion</p>
<p>pros
<p>Overall, I just feel like the college system has prevented me from really finding my own niche at Rice where I can explore my own interests. While I like a lot of the people at my college and appreciate the diverse group of people I get to talk to, I donĀt feel like I have a group of friends that I really connect to. </p>
<p>I donĀt mean to sound like a downer .I really just wanted to let you know that although the college system is great for a lot of people and is pretty cool, I donĀt particularly like it, and I know other people who are very frustrated by it. Just make sure you take a moment to do some thinking when anyone tells you that Rice college system is awesome and perfect. Feel free to PM me with any questions ļ.</p>
<p>My only complaint about Rice thusfar is that if you get a great FA package, they will NOT negotiate in any way regarding the use of outside scholarships. You canāt use them for ANYTHING (other than to reduce Riceās out of pocket award).</p>
<p>Oh and some colleges are in a bit of disrepair.</p>
<p>Having completed two years at Rice thusfar, the majors complaints I have (in no particular order):</p>
<p>1.) The food lacks variety, and gets very old by Sophomore year. That said, most college food isnāt great. </p>
<p>2.) The residential colleges vary greatly in terms of living quality. Students pay the same price whether they live in Wiess College or Hanszen [arguably the best and worst living arrangements on campus]. </p>
<p>3.) Career fairs are a bit limited to oil/gas and consulting for sure.</p>
<p>4.) Because Rice is small, there are often limited sections for classes, causing scheduling conflicts down the line. (e.g. There is only 1 section of a major requirement for my major next semester, which is causing me to skip out on a class Iām very interested in). </p>
<p>5.) Students donāt go crazy about varsity athletics. The $$$ teams (Football, Basketball) are not top-25 type programs. Baseball is awesome though! </p>
<p>6.) The party atmosphere can be incredibly repetitive and low key for those students who come in expecting a state-school type atmosphere, or who have a lot of experience with those type of things.</p>
<p>7.) Thereās a certain lack of casual dating/casual hookups at Rice. Students tend to hook up while intoxicated at parties, or be in committed relationships. You will find a lot of people who donāt have the most well honed social skills.</p>
<p>This is just my honest opinion. I love my school, and wouldnāt trade it for the world, but honesty is pretty important in the college choice process.</p>
<p>My son has been admitted and we have his financial aid package in hand, but we are nervous about committing to paying that much possibly every year, and just hoping that the aid will go up when the savings run out (and the tuition goes up 2-3,000 a year each year the last ten years or so). Did you or anyone else see that your aid package went up as savings went down (and wages stayed about the same?). And no outside scholarship will make things better unless it is worth more than tuition, since they would just reduced the tuition grant. He has better deals with other schools (Baylor, TU).</p>