<p>Wash U and Rice are both great schools and both have a similar laid-back, friendly, collaborative vibe. But if you’re seriously thinking about majoring in engineering – then Rice wins hands down. Rice’s engineering program is far superior to Wash U’s. Wash U’s engineering school is going through a lot of turmoil and restructuring and just got a new dean. I have a son who’s an EE major at Rice (and who considered an acceptance to Wash U) and another son who will be attending Wash U next year (not for engineering). I’d say it’s a toss-up if you were majoring in anything else, but for engineering – choose Rice.</p>