<p>I've never really considered applying to Rice before until I found out that each year 2 students from my high school that are admitted to Rice are given a full-ride scholarship. I've been looking at east coast schools and didn't think that I would ever want to live in Houston, but am thinking that Houston + full-ride may have the potential to be better than east coast + $40,000 per year. So, what do you guys like about Rice? Why did you attend or why are you applying?</p>
<p>(and of course I know Rice is difficult to get into, and its definitely not guaranteed that I'll get in or get the scholarship)</p>
<p>Also, if you think that Rice=Houston, you are misinformed. Rice has its own culture and, really, the main thing that is noticeably "Southern" or "Texan" about Rice is the weather. I am from the Northeast and I don't find Rice to be any kind of a huge culture-shock.</p>
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Also, if you think that Rice=Houston, you are misinformed.
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<p>Suppose Rice did = Houston. Would that necessarily be a bad thing? Consider the following:</p>
<p>-Both Rice and Houston are vastly underrated and underestimated, especially by people on the east coast. For example, how many northeasterners know that Houston is home to more Fortune 500 headquarters and foreign consular offices than every city on the east coast but New York? Or that the greater Houston economy is larger than the GDP of entire countries like Austria, Poland, and Saudi Arabia? </p>
<p>-Both Rice and Houston are among the most culturally, ethnically, socio-economically, and politically diverse places in the country. If there is any culture shock on behalf of northeasterners, it likely has less to do with being in Texas, than being exposed to the wide spectrum of diversity in Houston that they are simply not accustomed to back home.</p>
<p>-Both Rice and Houston are among the most affordable places in the country, especially when compared to their northeastern counterparts. It is no secret that Rice is an absolute bargain, while Houston has quite possibly the lowest cost of living of any major city in America. </p>
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Rice has its own culture and, really, the main thing that is noticeably "Southern" or "Texan" about Rice is the weather.
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<p>LOL, you say Southern and Texan as if they were a bad thing. These are part of what make Rice the unique place that it is.</p>
<p>I have to admit, Rice was a school I least expected myself to attend. Why? Because I didn't know what I was doing during the college admission process. My spontaneous decision to attend Rice was probably the best decision I've ever made. What I love about Rice is the residential college system. The best way for me to describe it is to refer to a mixture of Harry Potter houses and camp. It's so easy to make friends at Rice because each college fosters family-like bonds between students. A student's college pride (Baker, Hanszen, Jones, Brown, Martel, Will Rice, Wiess, Sid Rich, and Lovett) is what makes Rice different from other universities. </p>
<p>Furthermore, I decided to attend Rice because of the financial aid offer. Rice is generally financially generous towards students because it has such a large endowment. The endowment keeps the tuition low and affordable for most students. And if your family income is less than $30,000, Rice does not give you any loans -- only work-study and grants.</p>
<p>Rice also caps total student loan obligation for all students at $14,525 (less if your parents earn between $30 and $60,000). And outside scholarships reduce this amount dollar for dollar. :)</p>
<p>I only wish Rice=Houston. Sometimes i feel as though rice is its own insulated little island. and Houston is amazing! yes there are some bad parts of houston, and rice is on the "nice" side of town, but houston is an incredibly dynamic city. rice village/the museum district is not everything that houston has to offer. houston is HUGE. there is SO much to do here...but for many rice students, or people who come thru this city to visit, it is easy to write houston off as "ugly" or "polluted" or whatever. my personal favorite houston spot: buffalo bayou. you can even try canoeing there. :)---><a href="http://www.houstonpress.com/2006-07-20/news/dark-water/%5B/url%5D">http://www.houstonpress.com/2006-07-20/news/dark-water/</a></p>
<p>EVERYTHING!
No, but seriously. I love it for the following reasons:
1. Beautiful campus (in my opinion, of course)
2. I got a good scholarship deal: I'm paying only like 3K per year.
3. I personally like the smallness of the campus, and that also means the number of undergrads.
4. I know there are many other reasons that dont come to mind right now, but yeah, those reasons as well :)</p>
<p>I only have two complaints about Rice (and its not a big deal, actually) First, we have a bad football team, and secondly, we have no men's soccer team.</p>
<p>The football team is only kinda bad this year. Last year we went to a Bowl game. And don't forget that we are still div IA, which is more than you can say for almost all "prestigious" private schools like Rice. Men's soccer would be nice; maybe we can get it when we increase the enrollment.</p>