<p>@prospie2018 There’s a lot to be said for co-op programs, and I have thought about how Rice may benefit from them, but you are right – engineering jobs are much easier to find in Houston, and Rice is extremely highly regarded by most employers in the south, southwest, and west especially. I can tell you that Mechanical engineering is very popular at Rice. Unfortunately, I don’t know much about Northwestern’s engineering program. </p>
<p>On the front of student life: the college system and the student happiness are very real qualities that are integral parts of the culture at Rice, and the students love it. I personally love going to a school where everyone has their college that they belong to, where I never ever feel stuck in one friend group, and where I am friends with an abundance of upperclassmen (very useful to tap for advice on all sorts of things as well). I feel that the college system provides all of the benefits of a fraternity or sorority without the elitism or exclusion that students worry about (I’m of course not making a general statement about all fraternities or sororities or their members). </p>
<p>Sorry I can’t do a great side-by-side comparison, but I would love to answer any other questions you have! And if I don’t know I can ask someone who would. </p>