Rice's Culture

Colleges & Universities Rice University
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<p>Relevant background info: I’m a high school senior in NJ looking towards Rice as my most probable undergrad university; I am already accepted. I am planning a major in Engineering, most likely with a bio tie-in.</p>

<p>So far, I’ve had a very positive image of Rice: good work/play balance, nice weather, beautiful campus, nice people. Recently, however, I’ve been reading more and more online about Rice and was shocked at what I read. Consider Wikipedia’s description of Rice: <a href=“Rice University - Wikipedia”>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rice_University&lt;/a&gt; (scroll down and read COLLEGE SYSTEM, BAKER 13, and NIGHT OF DECADENCE).</p>

<p>I understand that Wikipedia is written by the general public and this article could very well have been written by (what seems like, from the content) a Rice student who’s biased in his/her own ways. But these descriptions of Rice have had a profoundly negative impact on its image IMO.</p>

<p>My question is: Does anyone know a good, accurate description of Rice’s CULTURE, quality of EDUCATION, and RESEARCH prevalence? By the description on Wikip., it seems like Rice is party party party and promiscuity-- however, I think there’s a lot more to Rice than that. My hopes are that whoever wrote that article is only describing the worst of Rice (as every college campus has its bad students).</p>

<p>So-- CULTURE, EDUCATION, and RESEARCH. And hopefully a rebuttal on that Wikip. article (because reading it could leave a potential undergrad jaded). An actual Rice undergrad’s opinions on this would be excellent, but anyone’s knowledge on the matter would be much appreciated as well.</p>

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<p>Jenskate can probably fill you in better - I’m just a parent. But have you visited??? DD works hard there, attends lectures, shepherd school of music performances, local plays and plays at other places, films, discussions, plays a club sport plus some intermural sports, jello-wrestled for a fund-raiser, parties a little, is bicycling for beer bike (students chug water), studies hard, has liberal friends, and has a wonderful time there. I haven’t read the Wikipedia’s description, but I do know that a whole lot of studying gets done there, plus lots of fun things. As for drinking - yes, there’s some, but many don’t and there is lots to do if you don’t. As for sex, it’s college, and I’m sure there is some sex. Probably not as much as many students would like. I would recommend you visit if possible. (Just a note; we read the Princeton Review “student says” about Rice, and my daughter really did not want to apply because it made Rice sound a horrible, snooty place. Luckily, it was not accurate. Please don’t believe everything you read.)</p>

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<p>NOD is just one night a year. It sounds like good fun - not a major orgy. Baker 13 is just kids having fun streaking. We did it when we were teens back in the 70’s. It’s just a few kids - and not a big deal!</p>

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<p>For clarification, I am planning to visit during Owl Weekend 2005.</p>

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<p>Cg - this is the first part of an e-mail i’m going to send you when I finish answering you other q’s, but I thought i’d post it here too, so that others can see it.</p>

<p>First of all, congratulations again on your acceptance! This must be a very exciting day for you!</p>

<p>I guess I will start with your first question, about the accuracy of the wikipedia article, and more broadly about the culture of Rice. Although this may not be what you want to hear, I found the wikipedia article to be EXTREMELY accurate. Usually when I read something there are at least a few things that I don’t agree with, but this all seemed true to me. The college system is definitely something that distinguishes Rice, and most people really like it. I am not necessarily the biggest promoter of the college system (I think it can make people with less popular opinions feel isolated) but it does have some advantages (I have gotten to meet a lot of different types of people, I can live with and learn from upperclassmen, and it makes the student body seem a little smaller and more personal).</p>

<p>Baker 13 is really, really not a big deal. It’s generally like 6 fat, ugly guys. Just stay inside; they’ll be gone in 5 minutes. Yes, it’s a big deal on halloween, but no one will make you participate if you don’t want to - most people do not participate.</p>

<p>NOD is pretty sketchy, I’ll totally give you that. But if it makes you feel uncomfortable to have several options. First, don’t go - I’m pretty sure some of the christian groups on campus have alternative activities, or just get some friends to come over and watch a movie. If you’d like to at least check it out, you can be security - loads of kids do this, and it’s a really good way to see what’s going on without being scantily clad or feeling pressured to do anything you don’t want to. You can also sign up to be caregiver (which I did) This means that if someone is very drunk and needs to be watched to determine if they need further care, you will watch them and call EMS if necessary. I didn’t have to watch anyone, so I wouldn’t worry about it much. Plus, NOD is only one day - or 4 days of your college career. I wouldn’t let 4 nights deter you from coming.</p>

<p>In general, Rice culture does involve more drinking (and binge drinking) than I ever expected, and to be blunt it has been my biggest disapointment in the university. Essentially, anyone who wants to drink (regardless of age or current state of sobriety) will be served alcohol at all campus parties. And a lot of people have no concept of their limits. That said, I do not drink, and I do have friends who don’t drink. We are not losers or social outcasts. There are usually plenty of activities going on that do not involve alcohol, but a lot of activities do include drunk people. I am not sure if there is more drinking at Rice than anywhere else, though…
The only problem with the drunkeness is that sometimes people are loud pretty late at night or do really moronic things like pull the fire alarm at 2:20am (like last night…grrr…). It’s frustrating because the university seems really nonchalant about it. However, drinking is not a must at all. A lot of the parties can be fun even if you aren’t drinking - if you come here, definitely go to Sid’s 80s party - dancing on a table in a funny outfit to music from a live band is plenty of fun sober. And the body art party is pretty awesome too - it’s run by the architecture students, and it’s half an open house where you can see their projects and half party, plus you can get painted. Like, you can take off your shirt and they will paint you with a cool design (again totally optional - I was wearing expensive undergarments when I went, and so chose not to get painted - girls have to leave their underwear on, opf course). Even knowing what I know now about drinking at Rice, I definitely still would have come. You are a step ahead of me, you can make an informed decision, where mine was somewhat blind.</p>

<p>I hope that helped…please ask if you have more questions about that - it’s important to come into this with your eyes open.</p>

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<p>Hey, CgBALIU!</p>

<p>I got accepted from NJ and want to go to the Owl Weekend </p>

<p>because I am considering to enroll, too. Just wanted to hey hello </p>

<p>to a fellow New Jerseyan…lol</p>

<p>p.s.- I never been to Texas so I’m not sure if the Texan style of living
will suit me tho…that’s the only reason that’s holding me back from
sending my deposit to Rice…</p>

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<p>CgBALIU My son is bioengineer, who also went to hs in NJ. Loves Rice. Works very hard and has a fantastic circle of friends but does not feel the need to party that much, and there is no social pressure to do so. Although it is well-known to the public, Rice has an incredible reputation in academic circles. My son obtained a summer research internship at a top children’s hospital (back up north) at the end of his first year. He and a second year student from Harvard were the only interns in the program who were not rising seniors.</p>

<p>Husky Sky: You will not be required to buy spurs or a pick-up. The style of living at Rice is similar to the style of living at Princeton.
Send the money.</p>

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<p>“although it is well known…”
whoops. typo. Meant to say not well known to the public.</p>

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<p>wobudong,</p>

<p>You can edit your post by using the “edit” link at the bottom-right-corner of the post you wish to alter. After editing, you may also delete the post used to correct the other post by clicking the “edit” link and, when the subsequent page has loaded, selecting the “delete this thread” radio button, which should be located at the top of that page.</p>

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<p>nspeds: Thanks. Old dog. New tricks.</p>

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<p>yeah, NJ representing!</p>

<p>Husky Sky – what are you planning to major in? Also, I think Rice is cast in a very stereotypic light in the NE. Are you going to Owl Weekend? That should provide a very good insight into life at Rice.</p>

<p>wobudong – “i don’t understand?” (if you don’t get it, don’t worry about it haha) What year is your son in right now?</p>

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<p>CgBalIU~~ </p>

<p>Hey~~ Yea… I want to go to the Owl Weekend and probabaly end up attending. But I still need to finalize it with my parents.! I applied as an English major, but I do want to double major in Economics, IR, or Physics… I’m sooo glad to meet u!
“I think Rice is cast in a very stereotypic light in the NE.”- I agree… My friends(who are going to the Ivies) always make fun of me, saying that they can’t picture me in cowboy boots…xD </p>

<p>wobudong - Thank you for your comment!! I still need to convince my parents because they consider the prestige of a college as one of the most important factor… Could you talk a little more about Rice’s reputation and the recognition factor(in both east/west coasts) from a parent’s perspective, please? Thank you!!</p>

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<p>jenskate
Thanks again for your frank and factual commentary. Just the fact that you were there at a party and that it is organized to have security and caretakers speaks volumes of reassurance to me. The sex and booze are everywhere! I commend how Rice has handled this over the years by giving people the opportunity to teach themselves moderation and self-control while providing a save environment for fun and stress release. One thing you said about someone stumbling into your room bothered me. I wondered if you were just new and didn’t have the habit of locking your door at the time. Do they have escort services for people that need to walk at night? I liked Tulane’s explanation of security and safety for its campus. Now there is a jovial culture!</p>

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<p>I think that is the most important aspect of any community; any legitimate force that seeks to enforce the virtue of moderation leaves its constituency ill-prepared for situations where self-moderation is required. Individuals need to exercise moderation by their own will, instead of seeking refuge in controversial laws.</p>

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<p>Ricemom - the person who fell into my room was someone I knew well, not a random stranger. But it was my fault it happened, my door was not properly latched. I was there though, so it wasn’t like i just left my door wide open or anything. As a general rule i do lock my door.
We have a shuttle system on campus that runs until around 10 or 11, and after that there is al ate night van, and you can call them and they’ll pick you up. The campus is pretty safe, but since we are in the middle of a city, it’s prudent to use some common sense.</p>

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<p>CgBalIU - yeah at first I shared the same concerns that you had. First of all, I don’t like drinking but many of my friends do and at parties it seems I’m one of the only ones who remains sober while the others make a complete ass of themselves. However, like Jenskate pointed out those parties exist once a year and you can avoid those nights quite easily. Though I am not a student I have become quite obssessed with Rice since tenth grade so I can tell you that Rice contains MANY MANY research opportunities for undergrads. The only thing I do not really like about Rice is that the colleges usually keep to themselves and rarely reach out to other colleges. Of course that could be just a sterotype…but like you I will find out during O-week. </p>

<p>Husky sky- hey some of my Ivy-league bound friends make fun of me too!! (well all in good laughs of course.) for some reason Houston, TX is not looked upon highly in AL…which I think is a complete joke!</p>

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<p>Dd just called from “Beer Bike” (she’s a biker, not a water-chugger), and says the weather is great and they are having lots of fun! Re: res colleges. My daughter has friends in many of the colleges. I think the colleges are only insular if you don’t participate in the many intermural, club sport, arts, interest group, etc. etc. activities.</p>

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<p>D also called from Beer/Bike and is having fun. She sounded tired. She has cooled off somewhat on the residential college system, but loved it as a freshman (she is a soph). Part of her deal is that she spends so much of her time at Shepherd (music) and the rest with bf who is in another college (at Rice). She is moving off campus next year and while she hasn’t gotten a place yet, it sounds as though there are lots of options. She likes the culture of Rice, as does her bf who is from NYC. She wound up getting very involved in the Episcopal youth ministry- which surprised me. She has met wonderful friends there and actually does some community service. She also likes the “outer loop” whichi is a 3 miles running/walking path around the whole campus. It is really hopping most of the time on nicer days. Good luck, all.<br>
P.S. Wouldn’t be too quick to dismiss the pick-up truck idea!!!</p>

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<p>Don’t be too quick to dismiss the cowboy boots and hats either. When they are in they are in, and it is really fun to wear them walking down the street in Paris or London. It was a big challenge to get a cowboy look for my D when they decided to “play up” the stereotype for a special trip to CT. I have lived in 5 states and the most cowboy boots I have ever seen were not in Texas but California’s inland empire. My children’s elementary school was across the street from a cow pasture and the traffic was backed up when school let out by all of the SUV’s pulling horse trailers that came to pick up the kiddies. They have cities built with briddle paths for people to ride their horses. Gosh, I just have not seen that in Texas.
I lived in the NE for several years and experienced some of the most backward ignorance ever. I worked in a couple of Harvard teaching hospitals and told my husband if I ever became seriously ill to put me on a plane to Houston! If you can’t convince your parents, just wait a generation and wish for better for your children.</p>

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<p>Husky: My son passed on Yale and Duke, and a couple of “top 25’s” that offered free rides, in favor of Rice. We got over the “prestige” thing after dropping 150k for another child on a perennial “top 5” and being disappointed with the quality of undergraduate instruction. Most of the faculty seemed to have more important things to do than to inspire undergraduates. No such feelings about Rice, which continues to exceed expectations.</p>

<p>I do not have much personal knowledge about Rice’s reputation among grad and law schools, except that 70% of Rice grads are offered admission to their first choice. The med schools that I have been around consider Rice grads to be the creme. </p>

<p>In the past, prestige has not been a priority at Rice. Hopefully, it never will be.</p>