I’m from Michigan originally. All of my relatives, including both of my parents attended the U. of Michigan, except me. I attended college and grad school out of state. I now live in Texas.
Regarding the U. of Michigan, it is a large university. Ann Arbor is a fantastic college town. It has an east coast vibe, a large percentage of the students and faculty are from the northeast, especially New York. If you leave Ann Arbor, things get very blue collar very fast. I remember laughing driving from the Detroit airport a couple years ago looking at all the Trump signs everywhere. Do some google searches about Trumpy behavior in Michigan. The people are very nice, but it is a bit of a swing state, with obvious strong roots in the working class due to the automotive industry, and strong ties to the Democratic Party. But outside of cities like Detroit and Ann Arbor, it is a bit hickish. 5 minutes outside of the small city of Ann Arbor you will definitely see as many pick up trucks (all American trucks - no Asian trucks allowed - I jest … kind of) with gun racks as you would in Texas. When I was a kid I spent a lot of time at my grandmas house and her next door neighbors son became my good friend. I remember going to visit my Grandma as a young adult, and my former friend had a big red pickup truck with a Confederate flag with the words “Southern Comfort” written underneath the flag on the truck’s tailgate. So my opinion about U of M is that in Ann Arbor your child will feel very comfortable, but outside Ann Arbor, it may feel a little more uncomfortable than the greater Houston area would feel.
Regarding the U of M experience, about 60% of my friends from high school went to U of M, and the rest pretty much all went to the northeast or Chicago so I have heard a lot of stories about U of M, nothing bad. My brother has always said that going to U of M was “ok”. I think it can be tough getting what you need in a large public university …. It can be a little hard to get special attention if you need help with something.
Rice is the antithesis of that. It is a very small elite university with a gorgeous campus in a beautiful and safe part of a huge city. Houston is a vibrant and diverse city. Even though Texas is obviously a red state, many local politicians in Houston and Dallas are very liberal, and they have done a good job blocking some of the incredibly idiotic things the Texas governor has attempted to do regarding Covid restrictions/mandates, or lack there of. So life in Houston and Dallas lives very liberal, if that makes you feel any better. For example, there is a very large LGBT population in Houston, and the “gayborhood” as they call it, is right near campus. I do not have any connection to Rice, but I have multiple friends who have sent their kids there, and they have all been very happy with the university. Rice is a diverse university with a very strong reputation, and even though I am from a U. of Michigan family and I routinely yell “GO BLUE” to strangers in airports all over the world who are wearing U of M gear, Rice would definitely be my choice, without hesitation.