^ such an ignorant comment. Please ignore that. You seem to prefer Vassar and the advantages that a LAC offers.
The weather in Houston is very hot and humid from April through September with June-August being very hot. That said, the rest of the year is fine and can be gorgeous. You could plan to go elsewhere during the summer months.
I am not personally familiar with Vassar, but, even in Texas, people have heard of Vassar. I would imagine that Vassar has terrific name recognition on the East Coast while Rice has more name recognition throughout the South and West.