<p>Yes.</p>
<p>The biggest problem is that the prestige of Ivy-League schools is well-entrenched. Many highly qualified students see non-Ivy schools (excluding Stanford, MIT, CalTech, and so forth) as “Ivy-Safeties”; that is, schools from which they can transfer to an Ivy League after one year. Rice also has to maintain its retention rate.</p>
<p>There are many problems to be dealt with, and it is unfortunate that the preponderance of them are not Rice’s fault; the prestige-driven mindset of most students, in addition to the further entrenchment of Ivy-League schools as the ‘gold standard of education and prestige’ will continue to exert a negative effect on schools like Rice.</p>