<p>Wow! You have two extremes here.</p>
<p>I have a close family friend who just graduated from Cornell, and I’m a Rice undergrad, so here goes.</p>
<p>Cornell is an INTENSE school. Many classes are graded on curves, the general atmosphere is very intense. Sure, it’s a fun place to be and a great school, but it’s certainly more of a serious environment. Rice is a fun, collaborative environment. This is not to say that Rice isn’t academically rigorous, because it is. However, we just simply don’t have the level of pressure Cornell does. Cornell may be a bit better for your prospective career path, but I honestly don’t know a ton about veterinary sciences.</p>
<p>Ithaca is freezing, Houston is humid. </p>
<p>As far as the weather goes, the first month or so of school is absolutely awful (August 15ish->Middle of September). After that it’s beautiful. It’s 73 degrees outside and I’m in shorts right now. We had outdoor barbecues in February. Being from the Mid Atlantic, the heat wasn’t too much of a shock, and the amazing weather is worth it for the rest of the year. If you’re from Wisconsin, you will probably never have to put on a jacket. I’m not kidding. We had a “snow day” in January when it got to 34 degrees and they thought it might freeze overnight. No snow on the ground the next morning. Take it for what it’s worth. </p>
<p>Rice has an EBio major, which is probably more up your alley than Biochem. Many students majoring in EBio get internships with animal care places in the summer (my friend is working with primates, and another is interning at an Aquarium).</p>