Well its mostly for the fact that Cornell was #1 for undergrad architecture for a long time in the US and one of the top schools in the world.
For architecture, I don’t really trust niche ranking (though, for the past few years, Cornell was #1 and #2. I am not sure why Cornell dropped to #8 this year). Cornell’s #1 ranking mostly comes from the connection and the value I think. Whenever I ask architects, search on google, or ask AI, most of the time, Cornell is #1 for architecture undergrad. But I do understand your comment. Thank you!!
I have not. Visit Rice this past weekend was great! Visit the school of architecture and the campus. Was great even though it was pretty humid from the rain across Texas.
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In terms of rank, yea. its just one apart. But, the more I look into (and my mom also tells me this), that the difference between Cornell archi and other archi schools are pretty big.
I agree with your 2nd point. But that’s why I still can’t decide. From what I researched, Cornell has outputted so many famous architects while Rice, not as much. Just from that, even though I am aware that the rank differences are not that meaningful, Cornell seems more appealing in that point.
But I still think Rice has better environment and I agree a lot with your 4th point.
Thank you for the advice! I guess that’s also one thing. I am not guaranteed to be happy at Rice or Cornell. I might be happier at Cornell. Who knows? However, being 100% honest, I want to try out both schools for 1 week and choose. But of course, I can’t do that. Hopefully I’ll make a reasonable choice in the next 2 weeks.
I specifically asked
“Another question I would ask Rice would be what percentage of 2nd years are admitted to the BArch track and what percentage of 4th years are admitted into the preceptorship and eventually receive the BArch.”
this to a current student. Almost (99%) all students go do preceptorship and eventually receive B.arch. Only some students, who want to leave the school and is ok with just BA Arch graduate before the preceptorship and B.arch.
I’ll come back and update on my decision hopefully in the next 2 weeks! Thank you for your advice!
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I don’t think Cornell is better for engineering. They are substitutional. A magazine or website are just that. They don’t determine who is better.
You keep saying Cornell is #1. There are many rankings - I don’t often see them #1. And in your mind its #1 vs. #2 - that’s nothing.
QS World Rankings - Cornell #19, #5 in US
Niche - Rice 2, Cornell class-of-2028
Ingenius Prep - Cornell #3
College Vine - Cornell #1
Bold.org - Cornell #6
Mastersportal lists neither in the top 10.
College Advisor - Rice #1, Cornell #2
You keep saying Cornell is #1. Who says they are #1. There are so many rankings.
In the end, you have a clear preference for Rice - and yet you’re like - well Cornell is, in your opinion, a teeny tiny bit ranked higher - so I’m going to go there where it doesn’t feel a fit - jsut bacause of that.
Think about how silly that sounds.
In the end, you can go to Cornell and will end up working for an Oklahoma or Arkansas.
You’re putting way too much on Cornell is ranked a tad better - which means little - and all rankings are different. Several rank Rice higher - and none of it matters.
Good luck.
It’s great to know that everyone who wants to progress to the preceptorship and ultimately complete the BArch, is allowed to do so without facing secondary admissions hurdles. You might want to double check this with the department.
I mention this because secondary admissions seems to be a “thing” among quite a few BArch programs. This is different from the percentage who drop out on their own volition, for whatever reason.
I haven’t followed rankings since Design Intelligence imploded. Architecture is such a wide and varied (and increasingly specialized) field that it’s impossible to be “best” in all facets.
Related, but somewhat different from ranking, is name recognition which can have real influence on opportunities.
When you visit Cornell, you should ask if your idea of “minoring in engineering” is feasible on top of the BArch curriculum.
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I’m going to guess the answer is no. The Architecture curriculum and time commitment is intense. This would be the case at Rice as well.
Perhaps you’ll feel differently about it after your visit. While not in a city, there is plenty to do at Cornell if you enjoy the outdoors. There are 150 waterfalls within 10 miles of campus with lots of hiking. Greek Peak Ski Resort is 30 minutes away. And NYC is a 4 hour bus ride away. Rice has a much bigger reputation as a “party school”.
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Some students at Cornell suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and become depressed due to its intense winter months with diminished sunlight.
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I have one kid at West Georgia and another at Rice. Plus a third starting this fall at Georgia Tech. My West Georgia kid so far has the clearest path to employment after graduation, lol. Different kids need different fits. (And water is wet, lol.)
@Wammy I just stumbled on this thread, but my oldest is about to graduate from Rice. She has several archi friends. If you’re thinking the program is more chill than the one at Cornell, that might not be accurate – Rice is a GRIND, and definitely in architecture. I believe the culture for archi is to spend 24/7 in the studio with very little break – no matter which school you go to – and that’s most assuredly true at Rice. (Engineering is also rigorous. My Rice kid is a humanities/social sciences double major, and she also does a ridiculous level of work.)
It will be a rigorous program no matter where you go, and IMHO, you will get equal or almost-equal prestige between these two programs. So I would pick the one where the location/weather/food/activities/vibe/whatever appeals to you more.
Mine has had a little different social experience than LatteNights’s son – there IS drinking culture, but she is mostly hanging out with her theatre friends and doesn’t partake much. It hasn’t bothered her at her particular residential college, but I know it’s different at all of them (there are 11, soon to be 12).
Good luck with your decision!
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If you want to keep that option open, then you need to follow the engineering course schedule as well as the architecture course schedule in your first year, so that you will remain on track for on-time graduation for each possible major. This may require taking more than the normal course load.
In fact this is a little anecdotal, but in my circles one of the biggest single reasons (aside from coops and such) for graduations in more than original planned years is kids switching between relatively high-credit, highly-sequential specialized pre-professional degree programs. So, between programs like BSEs, BArchs, BFAs, BSNs, and so on. Going from one of those to a traditional Arts and Sciences sort of degree is usually less of a problem among the kids I know about. But between those, well, it can get really hard not to have to add at least a term and possibly a whole year, even if you switch relatively early.
And that can be the right decision in many cases, but it can also potentially have costs, including out of pocket and opportunity costs. Just something to keep in mind.
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Thank you to everyone who left comments and shared their thoughts. Reading all the advice really helped me make my decision. If you don’t have time to read everything, here is my choice:
Rice
Here’s why: (for those who commented and anyone facing a similar decision)
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I visited both campuses, and both are great. Rice is smaller, and everything is within walking distance. Cornell is much larger and gives off more of a college town vibe. Personally, I found Cornell more visually beautiful, but there are a lot of slopes and hills, which made the tour pretty tiring.
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In terms of architecture, I preferred Rice over Cornell. This was mainly because of the Preceptorship program (9 to 12 month paid internship in cities like NYC, LA, Seattle, San Francisco, and more), the small studio size of around 24 students per class, and the overall environment. One advantage of Cornell’s studio is the large open space, which makes it easier to connect with peers and share ideas. However, came off as a con for me. I felt like if I wanted to leave at 2 am but others were still working, I would feel pressured to stay. While both schools are competitive, from talking to many students, Rice seemed slightly less competitive and more collaborative overall.
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Other factors like distance from home, social life, and hobbies also influenced my decision. Rice is much closer to home, while getting to Cornell took almost an entire day of travel. That distance would make it hard to visit family often. Socially, I am more introverted and prefer a smaller, close knit environment, which made Rice feel like a better fit. Hobby wise, music is important to me, and Rice has an excellent music school. Houston also has strong music opportunities as a major city.
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There were also some other small factors.
- Some tuition difference. However, it wasn’t a big difference.
- Weather, which I prefer colder weather, so I liked Cornell’s climate more, but that’s fine since I alr live in hot climate.
- More friends and connections at Rice
- Better food options in Houston (ik Cornell has great dining halls but I mean outside campus)
Once again, thank you to everyone who helped. I really appreciate it.
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Congrats! Thanks for coming back to share your choice and your reasoning. Go Owls!
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Congrats! Hope you have a wonderful experience.
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Go owls!!
Congratulatiuons. It’s a great school.
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Congratulations! Solid reasons. And YAY for choosing Rice, lol. I hope you love it. I can tell you that my D22 is so, so sad to be graduating next weekend – she will miss it so much.
You probably mentioned it upthread, but I don’t remember what kind of music you wanted to get involved in. Mine sang with the Rice Chorale for all four years. The director is a bit quirky (as are many choral directors, lol, but he’s so kind), and they do mostly high-level classical stuff, which my kid loved. It’s a class that meets from 4 to 5:30pm (I think?) on Mon and Wed. There is also a band/orchestra for non-music majors to join, plus a whole lot of a cappella groups. And lots of student-run musical theatre.
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