<p>Hey, I just met with my college councilor the first time the other day, and the assignment she gave me was to create a preliminary list of the colleges I like, with the top one being where I want to ED. I realize I have a while to figure it out, but why put that off to later, when I can figure it out now? Things that you should know about me to give me advice are:
-I'm hoping to be either a Math or Bio major, maybe both, and I'm considering doing pre-med, not sure now though.
-I'm a gay student, and I think I would enjoy a more liberal school.
-I'm from New England, and am really excited to get out of the cold and go somewhere nice and warm :)</p>
<p>Which would you recommend? Rice or WUSTL?</p>
<p>Also, I'm visiting WUSTL in about a month, and will hopefully visit Rice over the summer.</p>
<p>WashU is not warm. Rice would be better in that respect. Both are excellent schools. Rice has D1 athletics, although they are not strong in many sports. WashU is D3. If that matters to you, it’s something to consider since it can be fun to go to the games. Rice has a great campus and Houston offers a lot of cultural events that are easy to get to.</p>
<p>Can’t give you much advice on this, but as someone who’s lived in STL her entire lifeSt. Louis is NOT WARM. Houston trumps STL in this category. Winters can be pretty depressing (like now).</p>
<p>Well, where I live it’s about 18 degrees, so it would still be improvement lol. I know that Houston is warmer though. I was thinking more about what the overall campus culture/ vibe is like? I realize it’s hard to just describe that, but can anyone point out differences between the two? I know Rice is Residential system, and WUSTL has frats. Overall, which would provide a more liberal environment, especially one where a gay student might want to go to college. </p>
<p>My daughter had a number of gay friends at Rice (especially in the music school, which is top rated). I think Rice is very gay-friendly. I also think WashU is very accepting but I don’t have personal experience.</p>
<p>Have you had the Big Money Talk with your parents yet? If not, do that before you even consider applying ED. If you need to be able to compare financial aid packages, you do not want to apply ED anywhere.</p>
<p>My son attends WashU, and he grew up in NJ. While St. Louis gets as cold in the winter as NJ does, the winter is shorter. Spring came to St. Louis a good month earlier than in NJ, and fall lasted longer. Summers in St. Louis are definitely hotter than in NJ. I’m sure Houston is hotter still. </p>
<p>My son says WashU is pretty liberal, although there are a diversity of political political positions represented. </p>
<p>Both are great schools, and you couldn’t go wrong either way. WashU is larger than Rice. WashU has more out-of-state students (90%) than Rice (55%). </p>
<p>They’re both really terrific schools and have a lot in common. The differences are somewhat subtle and so it becomes a very personal choice as to which one is more appealing to you. I know both schools well as one of my sons just graduated from Rice and another one is currently a junior at Wash U. Both schools have students who are bright, down-to-earth, friendly and just plain nice. Both have beautiful campuses with really nice facilities located next to a large public park and a zoo. Rice has an incredible new fitness center while Wash U has a gorgeous new student union. Both have light rail next to campus.</p>
<p>In terms of some differences – there are a lot of pre-med students at Wash U, which I think makes it a little more competitive if you want to be pre-med. Rice is located next to the largest medical center in the world, with 2 med schools and 13 hospitals, so it has countless opportunities for internships. Rice has a residential college system with each student assigned to a college for all 4 years which serves as an instant family and includes freshmen through seniors. Wash U has the South 40, which is an area of campus that houses primarily freshmen. My Wash U son also made great friendships with his floor-mates, but it’s a very different feel than being a part of a residential college for all 4 years.</p>
<p>Also, while my Wash U son thought he couldn’t wait to get out of Houston, he’s come to realize that St Louis doesn’t offer as much as Houston. As the 4th largest city in the country, Houston has a lot more to offer in terms of cultural activities, sporting events and abundance of restaurants. He now appreciates it.</p>
<p>You really can’t go wrong with either school. They’re both really wonderful. Good luck to you.</p>