<p>@Hegemon91:</p>
<p>Well, a nobel laureate does not equal excellent teacher… some noble laureates can’t teach well at all. </p>
<p>FWIW, buckyballs were discovered at Rice… third form of carbon that basically spawned the nanotechnology revolution was discovered at Rice.</p>
<p>Rice has the Baker Institute of Foreign Policy, which has some of the world’s leading oil, foreign policy, and economic experts as fellows.</p>
<p>Does UChicago have a 9 story research center that collaborates with the world’s largest medical center? No.</p>
<p>Does UChicago have one of the country’s best music and architecture schools? No.</p>
<p>Both schools have their own strengths; UChicago’s is in the humanities/social sciences/physical sciences. Rice’s strengths are in the natural sciences/engineering/architecture/music.</p>
<p>For a school of its size, Rice offers a lot (keep in mind UChicago has at least twice the number of students Rice does).</p>
<p>Again, the OP can’t go wrong. Both schools are among the top in the country, but their strengths are in different areas of academia.</p>