Rice University Top Questions

Here's your chance: Say anything about your college!

Adam

Rice is awesome! The Residential College System is very unique, and happens to be my favorite aspect of the university. Everyone should come visit campus if you are able to and see what Rice is really like for yourself!

Adam

Rice is awesome! The Residential College System is very unique, and happens to be my favorite aspect of the university. Everyone should come visit campus if you are able to and see what Rice is really like for yourself!

Jamie

The dorm system is unique in that it resembles the Harry Potter rooming system. There are different dorm buildings that have their own unique history and traditions, and there are some small rivalries during activities like Beer Bike. This school is also unique in that it is a small school in a big city. This means that students can easily contact their instructors and be known while experienceing the cultural eventsonly available in a big city.

Max

I love Rice and never regret coming here. We've got an amazing dorm culture, small size, and a beautiful campus with 100-year old buildings. Some of our Professors are famous and their research is being used all over the world. Rice students do live in a bubble, yes. You have to push most of them to get "beyond the hedges" and many students are much more academically focused than socially focused. That's Rice. Something that I've got to mention is a few of our traditions. Rice's biggest tradition is Beer Bike, a day in the Spring where every student on campus wakes up at 5AM to cheer their college on in a University-wide competition. The week that leads up to Beer Bike is called Willy Week (after our founder, William Rice) where colleges play "jacks" (Ricespeak for pranks) against each other. Willy Week is nothing less than a pump-up week. All the colleges blast loud music, have special events, and college pride shoots through the roof. Each college has a team that chugs beer (chuggers) and then rides bikes (bikers) around a specially built campus track. At the end of it all, we have a campus-wide water balloon fight. We're such a small school that we can actually do things like that. We've also got the infamous Baker 13. On the 13th and 31st of every month, an adventurous group of students run around campus to each college completely naked with cans of shaving cream. When they come to your college, you throw water balloons at them. The goal of the naked runners is to get inside your college and spray shaving cream everywhere. You wouldn't expect a small, southern school to do this, but we certainly do. I love Rice and never regret coming here. We've got an amazing dorm culture, small size, and a beautiful campus with 100-year old buildings. Some of our Professors are famous and their research is being used all over the world. Rice students do live in a bubble, yes. You have to push most of them to get "beyond the hedges" and many students are much more academically focused than socially focused. You should expect that given our ranking and reputation. But we know how to party and drink. Like what seems to be every elite college's motto, Rice's motto is Work Hard, Play Hard. If you think about it, it fits us though.

Ja'Lisa

The orientation for freshman and first-time transfer students at the beginning of a new semester is awesome. I do not think that any other school could have offered an experience that could compare to it. It was that great. We spent a week getting to know people and playing games. They gave us a family and friends before the school year started. This orientation happens right before school starts and I feel that it is better when it is done this way. It was one of the most exciting times of my life.

Haseeb

Nothing much about it is unique. All the colleges are the same with different benefits. I personally do not find anything unique, but different yes.

Kathryn

Rice's living arrangements are carefully constructed using the college system to create a very close-knit community. We are a small school with a big reputation for academic excellence.

Jessica

The college system by far makes Rice unique. It is this system that makes the student body very inclusive.

Alicia

The college system! There's an instant community for every student, if they want it. Plus, we're wacky in some ways (Beer Bike, Baker 13, dressing up statue Willy)...

William

Rice is a really cohesive community because of the residential college system. The residential college system makes life interesting and creates a strong focus on an enjoyable undergraduate experience.

Melissa

Residential college system, 5:1 student-faculty ratio, Houston as the 4th largest city in the country, Rice baseball, unique college traditions like Beer Bike and Night of Decadence, Orientation Week (or O-Week), literally across the street from Texas Medical Center (world's biggest medical district), emphasis on undergraduate research, completely undergraduate-oriented, flexibility of majoring in cross-disciplines, excellent graduation school acceptance rates (92{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} medical school acceptance last year), prestige in Houston, laidback and collaborate rather than competitive atmosphere

Rice

This is absolutely mind boggling in the sense that I cannot imagine who could have spent all this time doing this.

Harper

Rice is amazing!

Rox

Rice is fantastic, the people are great, and it doesn't snow here!

Elizabeth

Rice is place full of crazy, caring people. If you come here, prepare to be challenged. There are a lot of ways to get involved, and whatever interests you have or what personality you have, there is a niche for you.

Bryce

Basically, visit the campus. If it doesn't feel right, don't spend the next four years there. But other than that, I'd recommend it to anyone. I loved every minute of my four years there, and if I thought I could, I'd spend another.

Tara

There is not a lot left to say.. I love Rice. I love the opportunities it gave me and the education. I cannot say enough about the school and the people. I truly had an amazing time and I am so sad to be done!

Rick

I really wish someone would replace President Leebron. His long-term plan, his "Vision for the Second Century," is aimed at creating a school I would not have attended. Screw national rankings. Our advertising motto is Unconventional Wisdom, but every day Rice seems to become more and more Conventional.

Andy

Women's track is awesome. :)

Ian

Rice is great!

Ryan

No Holds Barred: Rice students are good at making their ideas happen, whatever they are. This year we had two new magazines produced by students: Catalyst, the undergrad science journal, and Open, the sex magazine (both were well-done and tasteful).

Dawson

Rice is for scholars.

Charlie

It's true, Rice boys are nerdy and awkward. For girls, we feel that either the boys are undate-able, taken or gay.

Courtney

I'm so glad I chose Rice, because Texas offers the kind of diversity that no school in the northeast really does. It's an incredible feel of intellectual interest and passion for sports, the arts, and science.

Amy

Rice is an amazing place! At first it can be intimidating and scary; you may feel like you are being asked to do more than you are capable of. As time goes on, however, you realize that you ARE capable of this and more, that you ARE more then you ever thought you were...Rice really brings you to yourself. If you come with an open mind and a spirit for adventure, no doubt you will find happiness and fond memories in such an amazing university!

Jo

Rice people can be socially awkward, but we are all really fun. Other people say that we have "Rice speak" sometimes because we have so many crazy things that people not from Rice could never understand. However, they are all really awesome things! We really do work hard when we have to, but we can still go crazy, especially on the weekends. Everyone at Rice is truly nice, too!

Ame

wet campus yay! Also we have some great traditions.

Danielle

-The guys at Rice are huge babies. For the most part they're pretty much mama's boys. I have had a couple of great boyfriends, but it's pretty unlikely that you're going to meet someone great here, unless you're the kind of girl who likes dating guys who play X-Box constantly and will weep on your shoulder at the slightest provocation. The smart guys are often really arrogant, and they sort of all feed off each other. -If you smoke pot, you can find a community at Rice that will enjoy that with you. However, if you do that, or especially if you use other substances or smoke cigarettes (oh god people HATE cigarettes at Rice) you will be judged within an inch of your life. Same if you enjoy sex and don't act like a meek virgin all the time. I'm not saying that it's cool to be a major whore or to abuse substances, but it's hard to avoid being gossiped about if you're planning on doing something outside the relatively goody-goody norms. -There are always those few girls who really like to talk shit on everyone else. Find out who these girls are and avoid them like the plague. For every great, supportive, amazing friend you will have here, there's going to be some bitter daddy's girl who will try and get you down. It comes with the territory at a small private school. Just be warned.

chris

smile.

Alex

In light of Rice's elite academic standing, it has very down-to-earth and humble students. Although we aren't crazy about sports, we are crazy about our college system. Our traditions and unique system make way for an incredible college experience.

Natalie

Christian ministries at Rice: there are suprisingly a lot of Christian groups to get involved with, if this is of interest to you. Ranging from the Catholic Student Association to Baptist Student Ministry to Campus Crusade to weekly Bibly studies at yoru college to prayer groups. One thing I love about Rice is taht a person who doesn't take the middle road, but instead takes the high road of integrity and sticks to their guns in regards to dating, drinking, hooking up, etc, YOU have an opportunity to shine brightly (Phil 2:15). Although located in good 'ole conservative Texas, Rice is a world unto it's own. I wouldn't trade my experiences here for anything. I know this is exactly where God wanted me these past few years.

Alison

Rice is great! Not everyone is an awkward loser!

Jacob

I'd recommend the school. I think its a great, supportive place in a cool city with its own little universe. Not perfect, but what is.

Carson

I love Rice, and I don't at all regret coming here. I've also yet to meet anyone that regrets coming to Rice. We all love it here!

Alex

Your list of majors doesn't include Architecture Majors!! I feel that, as an Architecture student, Architecture is a vital discipline, especially for Rice University, and that Architecture is a major contributer to the functioning of society and the spaces that one traverses.