Northwestern vs Rice

NWNewStudent · 04-06-2009, 12:56 PM

I was accepted to both NW and Rice but NW cost $8000.00 more after reviewing both FA. Just wonder whether NW is worth my parent to pay that much money more for me to educated there. I know both schools are great for me (plan to double major in politial science and economic). Can any current student/parent shed some light for me?

Sam Lee · 04-06-2009, 01:38 PM

That's a tough one. The amount isn't huge but not small either. It depends on how burdensome the extra is to your family. I really don't think anyone can answer that better than you/your family. You may as well assume the education is about the same though NU has the edge in terms of course offering and breadth. NU also has more firms to come to recruit but you won't get that advantage if you don't do well here. So, again, nothing is certain. Good luck!

monhylyum · 04-06-2009, 05:21 PM

I'm a current Rice student, and one of the reasons I chose Rice over other private schools is that it's the cheapest private school -- but still with great education. I have a lot of friends at Rice who double major in poli sci and econ. And I don't know why, but there seems to be a lot of people at Rice who got into Northwestern.

Unless you really can't stand hot/humid weather, I recommend Rice. The campus is beautiful, and people are really friendly and welcoming. Hope you are gonna make a wise decision.

NWNewStudent · 04-07-2009, 03:48 PM

Thanks for sharing on both NU and Rice. I will major in politcial science and plan to pursuit law school afterward. I wonder how both schools educate their students toward law school and how successful their graduates get into law school. I know NU has law school and Rice does not. Should I select NU based on the assumption that NU will educate me better toward a good law school?

nixnoxsox · 04-07-2009, 07:31 PM

I don't go to Rice or Northwestern, I just live in Houston and I know a lot of Rice students. I know that Rice does prepare you for law school, although it doesn't have a pre-law track per se.
Rice has a beautiful campus, nice, nerdy students, and great political science classes (says one of my friends). The only thing that sucks is that it's in Houston's medical center, which is really tricky to navigate. Rice is like a little tree-lined haven in the middle of Houston. And it's a smaller school than Northwestern - only a couple thousand students compared to 8,000.
It really depends where you live right now or where you want to live in the future. I personally hate Houston's humidity and lack of seasons (although it snowed an inch in December!) and that's why I chose Northwestern. But then again, I got waitlisted by Rice and I'm planning to go to Northwestern. I'm a bit biased.
Hope this helps!

Sam Lee · 04-07-2009, 10:16 PM

Law school admission is a lot about LSAT, GPA, and prof rec. Prestige of the college plays a lesser role than LSAT/GPA. No school teaches you LSAT; you just study on your own or go to one of the commercial prep courses.

NU has a legal studies program.
Undergraduates, Center for Legal Studies, Northwestern University

Quote:

The Legal Studies major is an adjunct major, which means that it does not replace any other major or major requirements; it complements other majors, and may be taken only in conjunction with a department major. The major and minor are not situated in any one school, but are open to students in all schools. Because demand for the required Advanced Research Seminar may exceed the enrollment limits, admission to the major is by application only.