My son is premed sophomore at Rice. He is majoring in Cognitive Science (on the neuroscience track) and is minoring in biochemistry. Rice just started offering a neuroscience major this year that looks really solid. He is using AP credits for the two gen chem and two gen bio classes. He has taken gen bio lab, two physics, org chem 1, and statistics premed requirements at Rice so far. He is currently taking an advanced biology class, org chem 2 (with lab), and cognitive psychology for further premed requirements. I think that covers it. He is very happy with his courses and professors. He has made lots of friends, many of which are premed who he tells me are quite happy as well. Since he began he has also found several clinical volunteer and research opportunities. His first semester freshman year he started several hours a week at a federally qualified outpatient health center directly helping patients with setting up social services and follow up clinical services. He also started at an AIDS hospice clinic at the same time several weekends a month. He did these throughout his freshman year and into this summer. He started a very nice clinical research position with a Baylor Med School MD/PhD working at TX Children’s Hospital this summer and has carried this on into this Fall semester. Moreover, he has just secured a new volunteer spot (3 hrs a week) as an ER patient discharge advocate (I think that’s what they call it) through Baylor Med School/Ben Taub county hospital Patient Discharge Initiative. He has rejiggered some of his volunteer time in order to make this all work and still keep on top of his academics. My point is that if you pursue them the volunteer and research opportunities are readily available. His closest premed friends have had the same success at securing volunteer and research spots. Houston is a very big city and Rice has a wonderful reputation and history of providing volunteers, premed researchers, and part time employment to hospitals, clinics and local med schools. As you may know, the TX Medical Center complex is directly next door to the Rice Campus.