<p>I visited as a junior and found WashU to be much more uptight than Rice. My friend who has visited Ivies and other top schools like WashU found that Rice was much more laid back. The atmosphere is just more inviting. Perhaps Rice is just a better fit for me.
At WashU (premeds especially) everyone was so focused on their academics to a point where it seemed like there was unhealthy competition. I understand that premeds will always be under pressure but Rice students seemed much more chill (obviously i suppose it depends on the people you meet, not all premeds at Rice are laid back and not all premeds at WashU are crazy). I also think St. Louis is a very different type of city. A person like me would be more stressed at WashU, but again that’s just me. WashU certainly felt more stressful in terms of atmosphere.
Sorry, but it’s really hard to explain.</p>