Rice University
Reviews

Drinking Is Popular, but You Are Never Forced to Drink

Since Rice is a wet campus, it basically means that the authorities would not bug you about having alcohol in your room. Unless you are making a scene or someone complained, then drinking is a very visible culture at Rice. There will be private parties or public parties that have drinking, but no one would force you to drink. When other people offer you a drink, they are usually just trying to include you into the party instead of forcing you to drink. I give it a B+ because most people drink responsibly and look out for each other. However, there are just enough of those irresponsible people for it to not get an A rank.

Wow

We've been ranked as having one of the most beautiful campuses in the US. The architecture has a somewhat consistent theme, but the buildings are varied and interesting. There have been a lot of capital improvements over the past few years and many of the buildings on campus are brand new. Students have access to some top-notch facilities.

Balance

Usually when you get a university of this caliber, its focus is relatively narrow and other parts of the college experience fall by the wayside. Conversely, at bigger state schools that fulfill the valuable social component of college, the quality of one's education suffers.

Rice is absolutely unique in the way that it harnesses the best of both worlds. A Rice student gets a a top-notch education from a world-class research university. For many students, it'll be one of the hardest things they'll ever do. At the same time, they can take advantage of a social scene that is flourishing, varied, and most importantly, all-inclusive. Rice takes the best parts of college and puts them together in a way that you'd be hard-pressed to find anywhere else.

Rice students are the happiest students around.

Great Options

There are sooo many places to live off campus. If you choose to go this route, you will need a car otherwise it's too inconvenient. Most students choose to live on campus because it's so amazing, but those that choose to live off have lots of options and actually can save some money. Rice is in a really wealthy neighborhood and people will even rent out rooms in their houses. There are lots of good apartment options as well

Rigorous

Being a physics major at Rice is challenging, but rewarding. The workload is consistent but the number of physics majors is relatively small so the professors are VERY accessible. Making a personal connection with professors makes all the difference. Our physics department facilities are state of the art. Lots of cool research going on at Rice.

Good Process, Nice Endowment

I come from a single-parent lower-middle-class household and am the oldest child. That being said, most people here are from upper-middle-class and higher families. Rice gave me a good financial aid package without which I would not be able to attend. Even so, it is expensive for me to attend and not sure the cost is worth it. The process was fairly complicated but everything worked out in the end.

Amazing, of Course

The classes are usually small, the professors range from super helpful to super harsh, and the workload is a doozy - but why would you be at Rice if you didn't expect to work hard for it?

Humidity

The humidity is as bad as it gets, but that really only lasts for about a month at the beginning of the year. The rest of the year, you can wear shorts while your friends at New England colleges are shoveling their way to classes!

Lots of Internship Opportunities

I'm a freshman, so I haven't had a ton of time to get into my major, but I'm impressed by the amount of internships available.

Amazing

I wouldn't trade my experience at Rice for any other college experience. The community here is incredible. Everyone is really caring, and supports each other. This is fostered by the residential college system, which is one of my favorite things about Rice.

Incredible. Just Incredible.

People are judged here based solely on what they do. It's awesome.

Great Classes, Great Profs

Every semester here, I have had at least one professor who has been absolutely brilliant, as well as several who I consider to have changed my life. That makes for a more-than-fair trade-off for the handful of very mediocre classes and professors I have had.

It's Awesome

I've never been so happy! The classes are challenging, but the students are not competitive and are more than willing to help you out if you need it. Weekends are the best! Our motto here at Rice is "work hard, party hard!"

So Much to Do

Houston has so much to do! The Rice campus is located near several city hotspots such as Rice Village, the Medical Center, and the Museum District. Because of its location downtown, there are lots of free or discounted opportunities for Rice students.

Food Is Amazing

The food tastes great, and each dining hall has its strong points. There's tons of variety. Meals are all-you-can-eat, which is wonderful (but also wonderful for the Freshman 15).

Tetra points are useful for the other locations on-campus and cut down on the amount of cash you need.

Late-night food is great off-campus, so most students do that. There's not a whole lot of choices on campus, but the Hoot is great.

Excellence in Education

Rice University offers a wide variety of excellent and challenging courses to pursue. With attentive and enthusiastic professors, a moderate workload, and a wide variety of options in undergraduate research, students are assured that they are receiving one of the best educations available.

This Is Texas!

Weather is warm in the summer, cool in the fall, winter, and spring. We rarely get snow, but even the threat of snow can cancel classes. The weather is great great during the school year, but always carry an umbrella in your bag, just in case.

Most of the Dorms Are Nice

The newest dorms on campus are the nicest. And they are distributed differently in different residential colleges. At Baker, freshmen have equal chances as upperclassmen at getting great rooms. And Baker is at the heart of the campus.

Computational and Applied Mathematics

The professors are great and very approachable. The department also has lots of money to offer students for summer internships.

Amazing

The engineering and chemistry departments are simply amazing. Biology/medical connection with the TMC also provide a plethora of professors to talk to and do research with. Classes aren't easy, and there is plenty of work to do, but it's all very rewarding.

Top Notch Academics With Wonderful Profs

One of the main reasons I chose Rice was because it has such a good reputation for its professors being helpful and eager to teach. I have yet to be disappointed! The academics are Rice are some of the best in the nation, but that does not always mean that the teaching environment is the best. Rice, however, has gotten the best of both. Professors are eager to answer questions and help you with anything you don't understand. The advising system is great too. There are professors from your field of study assigned to you that you can make appointments with and PAAs (peer academic advisors) that are available anytime for you at your college (which is the community you live in). There are many great class options, and many people are eager to experiences areas of study outside their majors. Overall, the atmosphere for learning and expanding your understanding is superb!

Treated Like Kings

The H&D here is amazing… there are many serveries on campus that serve different styles of food and are all within 10 minute walking distance although usually people eat at their own residential college. The chefs offer cooking and baking classes free of charge and every so often will surprise us with a no-cost chocolate banquet or full-scale thanksgiving dinner!

It's a Quirky Family!

The eco-evo department at Rice is very close-knit and interactive. After my first year, I knew nearly every student, professor, and even a fair few of the graduarte students! Professors know the name of each student and jump at the chance to help them get research positions, recommendations, and other academic/career opportunities. Of all the biological science departments, Eco-Evo is by far the most accepting and laid back. Make no mistake, its still just as rigorous.

Travel and Transportation

The on-campus transportation is very efficient and expedient. For the metro system in Houston, buses sometimes run a bit late but are more or less predictable and trustworthy.

Intra-Murals Trump Varsity

Most students are really into intramural or college sports. There are a lot of Division 1 varsity teams on campus, but the games aren't widely attended. Students are much more competitive with each other on campus then any other "rival" school.