Rice University Visit Report by Delos

Visit Activities:

Admissions Interview: Yes - We had a little mixup on the admissions interview, so the staff arranged for an interview with an engineering dean. Very accommodating.

Information Session: Yes - A good overview from the admissions officer; mostly information also available on the website, of course.

Campus Tour: Yes - Our tour guide was a student named Graham. He was outstanding. His enthusiasm for Rice was infectious.

Classroom Visit: Yes - Sat in on an intermediate Spanish class, where the professor even gave him materials to follow along. He enjoyed it.

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Campus:

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All the kids we met were friendly and helpful.

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Sandra in the Admissions Office is the classic mother hen who is great at making her visitors feel welcome.

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Stunning might be the best word. We kept remarking that we had never seen such a clean, orderly campus. You could barely find a blade of grass out of place. Every academic building was spotless.

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See above. We were convinced they had an army of gnomes working overnight to scrub everything.

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We only saw one room, which was pretty standard. The high mark really has more to do with the college system itself.

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Rice is "behind the hedges." The campus is a well protected bubble.

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Stunning. More trees than students, huge green expanses. Meticulously maintained buildings. But perhaps just the slightest sense of order trumping creativity.

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Off-Campus:

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The humongous Texas Medical Center is to the east; Rice Village shops and restaurants and nice residential areas to the west, south and north.

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Rice is south of downtown, easy access by light rail from near campus. Houston is big and offers everything culturally and recreationally. The climate is a challenge; often incredibly sultry.

Campus Visit Notes for Rice University

Visit Description:

We had never been to Houston (or Rice) before. When we arrived late on Thursday we were greeted by temperatures in the 80s and extraordinary humidity and downpours that came in waves. But the next day the rain stopped and the humidity fell, and eventually the sun came out. We wondered how people handled August and September if it could be like that in late October, but we come from a much cooler climate.

Weather aside, Rice itself was a gorgeous place, and the students we met were obviously very happy there. The college system and Rice's great academic profile were what attracted us in the first place, and our visit confirmed our good impression of both.

The campus was preternaturally clean and orderly. We parents are grads of sprawling, chaotic state schools and it was a little jarring to us. Moreover, we had just arrived from a visit to MIT, which could not have been more different in character. But our son didn't seem as taken aback by that as we were, and we all agreed the place was beautiful. Also surprisingly green. I guess all that rain and humidity helps.

All the people we met were friendly and helpful. The facilities all seem new, even if they are not. The engineering and computer science facilities are top notch, and our son was impressed by the "exciting" research he was told about.

Our overall impression was that Rice is an excellent University where students work hard but are very happy. Our son will definitely apply.

Hotel/Lodging Recommendations or Comments:

We stayed between Rice and Hobby at a chain motel which was fine but its location was slightly sketchy. We would stay at a hotel nearer the Med Center on another visit.

Dining/Restaurant Recommendations or Comments:

Tried some Texas BBQ at a local place, Demeris - so-so. Had a decent meal at Prego in the Rice Village.

Other Comments (Transportation, local attractions, parking, etc.):

Houston didn't seem too difficult to drive around, but we weren't on the road in any rush hour. A good nav device helps.