Need help deciding (Rice vs Northwestern)

Dog87 · 03-26-2005, 03:26 PM

I got accepted to both of them already, Northwestern RD in Weinberg Arts and Sciences and Rice ID. They are both great. I got to visit. What are the pros/cons of these two FINE and EXCELLENT institutions. Thanks a ton!!!!! I am interested in pre-med if that means anything but am not in the running for Rice and Baylor.

simba · 03-26-2005, 03:36 PM

separated by 8k and 8 ranks

jenskate1 · 03-26-2005, 04:21 PM

I think Rice has the edge because of size and the resulting greater faculty student interaction. Additionally, the Texas Medical Center is THE place to be for volunteering, shadowing, research, etc. Plus, Rice may be cheaper for you depending on your situation.

Dog87 · 03-26-2005, 05:12 PM

I got to visit soon, when is that Owl Weekend thing, I probably should attend. I only have 2 reservations about Rice; distance, I live in New York, and its really far away, and underrated reputation in New York/North East (i know this must sound pretentious) but I mean I have worked so hard, and it is soooooo annoying i must say, when I tell ppl I got into Rice and they look at me like why would you want to go there or where is it? I have the utmost respect for Rice and that is why I am considering attending and I will defintely visit.

jenskate1 · 03-26-2005, 05:52 PM

Owl Weekend is April 14-16. I can totally understand both your reservations, but in the grand scheme of things they don't matter too much. Besides, it doesn't take that much longer to get home from TX than it would from Chicago.

simba · 03-26-2005, 06:01 PM

dog87: Ultimately you will have to decide on your own. You will never get an objective advise. You also can not go wrong with either choices. Both are fine schools. One is smaller, bit less expensive, bit less known and bit lesser ranking. The student body at NU might be slighly better than Rice. NU is a complete school (all depts. and very good and well known graduate schools). Rice is not. Both suck at athletics. One is in cold, colder and coldest weather one is in hot, hotter and hottest.

nspeds · 03-26-2005, 06:05 PM

In the calculus of graduate school admissions, Rice's reputation is well established; you cannot go wrong with either institutions - just as simba mentioned.

KrazyKow · 03-27-2005, 01:03 AM

Maybe you need to visit them both and do the "feel" thing.

bluedaisy1234 · 03-27-2005, 11:33 AM

you have to visit both. However, I have friends at Northwestern and many of them do not like the place. It's big and impersonal and the undergraduate programs are not as strong as its graduate programs. However, I have another friend over there that absolutely love it and find the courses very challenging. Rice, in my opinion is superior to Northwestern in many ways that I want to reserve. However, both schools present excellent opportunities. It will just come down to which school fits your needs the most. When you visit, follow your first instinct

anxiousmom · 03-27-2005, 11:51 AM

Rice's social scene is very different; more laidback, no frats/sororities etc. School is more supportive and much smaller. Visit.

Dog87 · 03-27-2005, 11:52 AM

Thanks for all the comments guys, but Bluedaisy, I am sure that if you go to any school, you will find some ppl that are not happy and some that are thrilled. It really depends on the person, the field they are studying, the friends they surround themselves with and on a bunch of other factors. However, you make the comment "undergraduate programs are not as strong as its graduate programs" which I find quite odd. Rice has the reputation for having extremely strong science programs, but its humanities programs seem to lack that reputation. Thanks for all the opinions and more comments are welcomed

jym626 · 03-27-2005, 12:14 PM

Yes, dog, they are both great schools. What is the most important thing to you in a college experience?? Does the size, the temperature, the presence/absence of sororities and frats or the familiarity of the name to others matter enough to tilt your opinion? In the south, you'd probably get greater familiarity with Rice than NW. If you apply to med school, both school names will be well known to the med schools.

One of the bigger differences is the semester system (Rice) vs the quarter system (NW) and the language requirement (NW) vs lack thereof (Rice). To, me, the quarter system allow you to experience more classes, but cramming a lot into 10 weeks can be intense. More to think about....

nspeds · 03-27-2005, 12:22 PM

Quote:

Rice has the reputation for having extremely strong science programs, but its humanities programs seem to lack that reputation.

That is incorrect, Rice's humanities programs, at least in the Philosophy department, are highly regarded; not only are the faculty reputable for their active involvement in research and publishing, but the philosophy department attracts numerous guest-speakers. The lack of discussion about the humanities college in Rice might engender the perception that Rice's Science's programs are stronger, which they probably are, but that does not render the humanities program weaker than other humanities programs at other universities.

http://philosophy.rice.edu/faculty.cfm

The credentials of the faculty are outstanding; having met one of them, I have no doubt that the philosophy department is one of the best (I know I am committing the fallacy of composition).

jym626 · 03-27-2005, 12:24 PM

oh, by the way, in the south, a lot of people confuse Northwestern and Northeastern

Dog87 · 03-27-2005, 12:43 PM

That is soo annoying i must say, but it happens with UPENN and Penn state, Michigan with Michigan State, and other schools.