Parent of a Rice senior here - I can’t really speak to WashU at all (I’m friends with an undergrad alum and a law school alum, but from many years ago in both cases), but here are my thoughts re: Rice.
- I think you’ll have chances to meet people outside of your college. D22 has a great group of college friends and has been involved in her college’s leadership structure, but she also has friends from clubs and a campus religious group.
- Rice does have fewer Humanities majors vs. STEM, but the quality is very high. D22 is a Humanities major and has been raving about a particular upper-level class with only seven students, but they are so passionate about the topic that all seven have stayed after class to continue the discussion multiple times this semester.
- Housing for four years depends on your college - some have more room than others. D22 actually stayed on campus all four years due to a medical situation (long story), but it is sometimes possible to do so anyway. If you do go off, you are virtually guaranteed the chance to come back as a senior, which people almost always do.
- St. Louis vs. Houston is a wash - both are large and interesting cities with plenty to do, and both have humid weather that I absolutely hate.
- Law school is also a wash, as no admission committee is going to question the quality of your education from either place. GPA and LSAT will be more important.
- As you may have gathered from your visit, Rice is a fairly nerdy place; D22 once exclaimed with excitement, “Dad, it’s like everyone here is neurodivergent!!!” (thus also revealing that Rice students are the kind of people who think about neurodivergence on a random Tuesday). My sense of WashU from afar is that the student body is a bit wealthier on average and a bit more mainstream in tastes and sensibilities, though it’s large enough to find one’s people.
In the end, these are both great choices and there’s no wrong answer. I’d go with your gut feeling.