Rice UniversityGreek Life Summary

Written by Eli Spector

Eli Spector

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Rice students love the fact that Rice has no Greek life. It is nearly unanimous amongst students that the residential college system is far superior to the Greek system because it offers many of the positive aspects of the Greek system while eliminating the negatives. The college system provides you with a small, tight-knit group of people from the time you enter Rice as a freshman. These people become a support network and a family. The colleges help you make friends and contacts with whom you share a common ground. The residential colleges also sponsor social, athletic, and cultural events. However, because of the random assignment, there is no degrading or stressful selection process to go through, and each college is home to individuals of all backgrounds, personality types, styles, strengths, and interests.

While most students feel very positive about the college system, many even naming it as one of the top reasons they chose to come to Rice, some students also point out that the system can limit students in their social life. By the end of your first or second year, your residential college may begin to feel a bit confining: knowing everyone, knowing everyone’s business, and knowing that they also know your business. Fortunately, you can branch out to people in other colleges by participating in extracurricular activities.