For showing interest, if Rice comes to your school or area and you can go to an info session, go. If you are invited to one virtually, go. Request an interview when you apply. Doesn’t matter if you get one, you are showing interest by requesting it. Tour if you can but it’s not required. I don’t think you need to relentlessly bother the admissions office just to check the “shows interest” box. They just want to see that you seem interested in the school. Honestly, I think having a strong and genuine “why Rice” essay is more important. My daughter actually showed very little interest because she decided to apply last minute and she was accepted.
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How much is the savings? Rice is special.
No matter where you go, you have to work super hard to get to med school. You’ll get more personal attention there but is it worth that much, I can’t say?
I can’t speak to UT Austin but I know Rice has a very comprehensive premed advising program. Research opportunities abound as Rice is right across the street from the Texas Medical Center where many hospitals are located. Many students at Rice are premed and most are accepted to medical school. https://oaa.rice.edu/sites/g/files/bxs3031/files/inline-files/2020-21%20Pre-Medical%20%26%20Pre-Dental%20Guide%20for%20Rice%20Students_0.pdf
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Summary
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Rice 75K, UT Austin 25K
@Houston1021 Thanks. I completely agree with your post and that is why I am in dilemma. I spoke to a Rice Alumni who graduated 10 years ago as pre med, took a gap year, did Med school at GW, now a second year Surgery resident in NJ area. Her exact words “Pre med at Rice is a joke, no research opportunities and no help”. Spoke to a current Rice Baylor first year student, his words “Rice is a great place, very good research opportunities and lots of help”
Now my thoughts "Even if all the help is available at Rice, I will have a rice.edu email, so hard for me to get on to IRBs, research papers due to HIPPA since UT Houston and Baylor emails will not align with my rice email. Whereas with UT Austin same email as for UT Dell med school and it will be easy for physicians to include my name on papers. This is my thought process.
The conversation with above two students sent me into a spin. Your thoughts? Thanks
Also @Houston1021 how easy is it to change majors at Rice? Thanks
At Rice you can major in anything you like (with the exception of architecture and music which require a portfolio or audition). You do not have to declare a major until the end of sophomore year. It is easy to declare or change majors.
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Perhaps some premed folks can chime in here to answer @confident2021
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Thanks for that clarification, that was another deciding factor for me.
Physicians/scientists/researchers routinely collaborate from different institutions all around the world on research. I don’t think differing emails are relevant.
(Edit: I’m a physician so actually it’s not relevant)
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Thanks.
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My daughter will also be a pre-med and got in to both Rice and UT Austin. We are heavily leaning towards Rice, especially for the opportunities it provides for pre-meds. A family member is a doctor at the Texas Medical Center across the road, and tells us that Rice students are heavily involved in research and other opportunities at the medical centers.
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I would recommend talking to more recent alums or current students. I’m not sure the experience of a student who graduated 10 years ago is the best indicator of where the pre-med program currently stands!
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Thank you. Yes I intend to talk to one more current premed student who is a senior. I would appreciate if I could get pointers to any more current students that I can talk to.
For those of you wondering about grad school outcomes at Rice this site has some great info and you can sort it in many different ways. For instance, you can isolate all students pursuing an MD after Rice. Then it will show you their major at Rice and where they are going to med school.
http://studentachievement.rice.edu/admission-to-graduate-and-professional-schools/
There is a similar page for employment outcomes as well:
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@Houston1021 Does Rice have study abroad program?
yes - all schools give access to study abroad.
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Thanks @tsbna44
@Totoros can you PM me seperately if you don’t mind so we connect since we may be together.